The Curriculum
The Information Technology Minor is available to all students on the UMass Amherst campus, regardless of their major. There are over 100 approved courses offered by 10 Schools & Colleges on campus for IT Minors to select from.
The curriculum provides students with technical and scholarly capabilities in areas of visual and creative applications, programming, data analysis, research methods, media theory, and an array of other fields. This generalist background enhances disciplinary specialization by allowing students to apply acquired skills and knowledge to their chosen field and academic areas.
The curriculum for the IT Minor provides a wide range of courses to choose from. The 18-credit minor requires a foundation course, a technical core (two courses), broadened inquiry (one course) on the uses and implications of technology in society, and electives (two courses) applying aspects of technology at a more advanced level in disciplines across the campus.
Although these courses may coincide with requirements for your specific field of study, no more than two required courses within your major may be used to fulfill the requirements of the IT Minor. Please note that, per University regulation, a course may only be applied to two credentials (major, minor or certificate).
Acceptance of Transfer Credit from another institution is not assured and must be pre-approved by the IT Program Director &/or IT Program Advisor. If approved, a maximum of one transfer course is allowed. This can only be used to fulfill the Elective category of requirements and must have received a grade of B or better. No courses with Pass/Fail as a grade are accepted towards completion of the IT Minor - except those pre-approved during pandemic. Any exemptions to grading, Curriculum or Foundation course waiver must be approved by the IT Program Director.
We encourage you to enroll as early as possible in order to help you plan your academic progress and ensure timely completion within the IT Minor. The enrollment form is available on our website (see below).
Please refer to IT Program's website for the complete list of courses currently available and approved for the IT Minor. https://www.umass.edu/itprogram/
Requirements
Minimum of 18 credits or 15 if foundation course is waived.
The complete list of courses currently offered for each category is available through the IT Program website. Listed below are examples of courses approved for the IT Minor.
Please note that some of the courses may have pre-requisites. If so, it is suggested you contact the instructor for permission to enroll.
Foundation Requirement
Minimum of three credits
Upon enrolling in the Information Technology Program, students need to complete a foundation course that will provide them with knowledge of the concepts of computer information systems and the rudiments of electronic technology to succeed in the required technical courses. Students may satisfy this foundation requirement by completion of one of the following courses:
University 250 Computer Competency Certification; CMPSCI 105 Computer Literacy; EDUC 592A Online Tools for Learning & Instruction; INFO 101 Introduction to Informatics; PHIL 110 Introduction to Logic; RES-ECON 112 Computing Foundations to Frontiers; OIM 210 Introduction to Business Information Systems. The level of knowledge provided by these courses will be required for success in the two technical courses which follow. Students who have acquired, through other courses, the requisite level of knowledge may petition the IT Minor Advisor for exemption from the foundation requirement.
Technical courses
Minimum of six credits
A full list of approved courses can be found on our website. At least two courses, selected from two of the following three categories, are required to provide a durable, technical core on which to build the minor:
- Computer Programming
- Data Management: Representing, Storing and Retrieving Information
- Internet Technology and Multimedia Systems
Broadened Inquiry
Minimum of three credits
At least one course exploring social issues of technology. This is a partial list of approved courses for this category:
- COMM 334 Media History and Communication Policy
- COMPLIT 236 Digital Culture I
- COMPSCI 290NW A Networked World
- ENGLISH 382 Professional Writing & Technical Communication III
- ENGLISH 494DI Dystopian Games, Comics and Media
- JOURNAL 494MI Media, Technology and Culture
- LEGAL 491S Law and the World Wide Web
- MARKETNG 497C Technology-Enabled Marketing and Analytics
- RES-ECON 315 Economic Issues of Contemporary Information Technology
Electives
Minimum of six credits
This is a partial list of approved courses for this category:
Students may, with pre-approval, substitute courses listed on our website in the Technical or Broadened Inquiry categories for the Elective requirement.
- ACCOUNTG 311 Accounting Information Systems
- ART 374 Computer Animation I
- ART 385 Media/Motion Graphics
- BCT 320 Introduction to CAD in Construction/Architecture
- BIOLOGY 572 Neurobiology
- CMPSCI 325 Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction
- EDUC 312 Teaching and Learning With Technology
- ENGLISH 391C Intro to Web Design (Advanced Software)
- GEOGRAPH 585 Intro to Geographic Information Systems
- HISTORY 181 Western Science and Technology II
- JOURNAL 393N Reporting for Podcasting and Radio
- JOURNAL 435 Web Design for Journalists
- LEGAL 491S Law and the World Wide Web
- MARKETNG 455 Internet Marketing
- MUSIC 586 MIDI Studio Techniques
- NRC 577 Ecosystem Modeling and Simulation
- OIM 321 Business Process Simulation
- NURSING 235 Introduction to Healthcare Informatics
- SCH-MGMT 397B Internet Technology for e-Business
- SCH-MGMT 597G Internet Business Design and Development
Restrictions
No more than two courses may be used to fulfill the requirements of any one credential, wherein 'credential' is defined as an academic program (major, minor, or certificate). Per University regulation, a course may only be applied to two credentials.
Students must have a minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA for courses applied to the minor. All courses must be taken on a graded basis.