Capella News

MINNEAPOLIS, April 24, 2008 – Capella University (www.capella.edu), an accredited*, fully online university, announced that it has completed a significant redesign of its Master of Science in Information Technology online degree program to strengthen its alignment with evolving industry standards.  Among other changes, the revised program reflects a growing focus on IT architecture, which Capella has recognized as one of the critical emerging competencies for IT professionals.

The initiative was led by Capella faculty and staff experts in curriculum and IT education, who also consulted a panel of external IT thought leaders from academia, government, and the industry. As part of the program revision, two new specializations have been introduced, Business Analysis and Enterprise Software Architecture.

“Information Technology is a rapidly changing, dynamic field that requires near-constant curricular revisions to adapt to the changing needs of the marketplace,” said Kurt Linberg, PhD, dean of Capella’s School of Business and Technology. “Most often, we achieve this by making minor revisions to existing courses on an ongoing basis. With this redesign, however, we invested significant resources into researching industry trends and emerging educational needs and making foundational changes to our Master of Science in IT program. We are proud to be elevating a strong program even higher.”

The foundational framework of the revised program is IT architecture, an emerging concept in the field that reflects the increasingly diverse demands of IT systems and the resulting need for IT professionals who can comprehend the architecture, or “big picture,” of the system in which they are working and into which specific IT elements must fit. The revised program also reflects the growing demand for IT professionals who possess a combination of technological and business skills.

“Although the program will continue to provide the ‘hard’ IT skills professionals need to address specific IT issues, the redesigned program will deepen their ability to envision technology solutions that align with organizational goals and help them stand out in the changing IT field,” said Linberg.

Capella’s Master of Science in IT program offers a general IT option as well as six other specializations. In addition to the new Business Analysis and Enterprise Software Architecture specializations, they include Health Information Management, Information Assurance and Security, Network Architecture, and Project Management, which were existing specializations that have been revised and, in some cases, renamed, to reflect emerging themes in IT education. The university’s complete portfolio of graduate and undergraduate IT specializations at the PhD, MS, MBA, and BS levels currently numbers more than 20.

Capella is now accepting enrollment applications for its Master of Science in IT specializations. For more information, please call 1-888-CAPELLA (227-3552), option 3, or e-mail info@capella.edu. Review of the Business Analysis and Enterprise Software Architecture specializations is pending in AR, AZ, KY, OH, SC and WA. Review of the Health Information Management specialization is pending in OH. Contact an enrollment counselor for additional information.

About Capella University
Founded in 1993, Capella University is an accredited*, fully online university that offers graduate degree programs in business, information technology, education, human services, psychology, public health, and public safety, and bachelor’s degree programs in business, information technology, and public safety. Within those areas, Capella currently offers 104 graduate and undergraduate specializations and 15 certificate programs.  The online university currently serves more than 22,000 students from all 50 states and 45 countries. It is committed to providing high-caliber academic excellence and pursuing balanced business growth. Capella University is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Capella Education Company headquartered in Minneapolis. For more information, please visit http://www.capella.edu or call 1.888.CAPELLA (227.3552).

*Capella University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), www.ncahlc.org.
Capella University, 225 South Sixth Street, Ninth Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55402, 1.888.CAPELLA (227.3552), www.capella.edu.
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