Mission Statement
The Business and Public Service Division supports the mission of the College by offering business/public service-related courses and programs that prepare students for employment or advancement in Georgia's economy.
The Networking Specialist program is designed to facilitate workplace success by providing students an understanding of computer hardware and software; by promoting competencies in programming and logic skills; by enabling factual, conceptual, and procedural knowledge related to the administration and maintenance of computer networks; and instructing appropriate interpersonal skills and critical thinking.
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Work Environment
Network and computer systems administrators normally work in well-lighted, comfortable offices or computer laboratories. Most work about 40 hours a week. However, about 15 percent of network and systems administrators worked more than 50 hours per week in 2008. In addition, some of these workers may be required to be "on call" outside of normal business hours in order to resolve system failures or other problems.
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Nature of the Work
Information Technology (IT) has become an integral part of modern life. Among its most important functions are the efficient transmission of information and the storage and analysis of information. Network and computer systems administrators design, install, and support an organization's computer systems. They are responsible for local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), network segments, and Internet and intranet systems. They work in a variety of environments, including large corporations, small businesses, and government organizations. They install and maintain network hardware and software, analyze problems, and monitor networks to ensure their availability to users. These workers gather data to evaluate a system's performance, identify user needs, and determine system and network requirements.
Systems administrators are responsible for maintaining system efficiency. They ensure that the design of an organization's computer system allows all of the components, including computers, the network, and software, to work properly together. Administrators also troubleshoot problems reported by users and by automated network monitoring systems and make recommendations for future system upgrades. Many of these workers are also responsible for maintaining network and system security.
Computer security specialists plan, coordinate, and maintain an organization's information security. These workers educate users about computer security, install security software, monitor networks for security breaches, respond to cyber attacks, and, in some cases, gather data and evidence to be used in prosecuting cyber crime. The responsibilities of computer security specialists have increased in recent years as cyber attacks have become more sophisticated.
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Employment
Computer network, systems, and database administrators held about 961,200 jobs nationally in 2008. Of these, 339,500 were network and computer systems administrators, 120,400 were database administrators, and 292,000 were network and data communications analysts. Overall employment of computer network, systems, and database administrators is projected to increase by 30 percent from 2008 to 2018.
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Earnings
Median annual wages nationally of network and computer systems administrators were $66,310 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $51,690 and $84,110. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $41,000, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $104,070.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-2011 Edition (http://www.bls.gov/oco/)
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Student Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the associate degree and diploma programs in Networking Specialist will be able to complete the following tasks:
- Demonstrate a basic understanding of computer hardware and software
- Demonstrate basic level of competency in logic skills
- Demonstrate factual, conceptual, and procedural knowledge related to the administration and maintenance of a computer network
- Demonstrate appropriate interpersonal skills by working effectively in teams
- Demonstrate critical thinking in problem solving, research methods, and the ability to present conclusions effectively, both orally and in writing
- Demonstrate the personal and professional ethics and interpersonal skills that are expected in the workplace
Graduates of the technical certificate in CompTIA A+ Certified Preparation will be able to complete the following tasks:
- Troubleshoot computer workstations using best practices
- Install and configure Microsoft Windows operating systems
- Troubleshoot hardware and software
- Solve problems individually and in a team environment
- Demonstrate the personal and professional ethics and interpersonal skills that are expected in the workplace
Graduates of the technical certificate in CompTIA A+ Certified Technician Preparation will be able to complete the following tasks:
- Troubleshoot computer workstations using best practices
- Install and configure Microsoft Windows operating systems
- Troubleshoot hardware and software
- Solve problems individually and in a team environment
- Demonstrate the personal and professional ethics and interpersonal skills that are expected in the workplace
Graduates of the technical certificate in Microsoft Networking Service Technician will be able to complete the following tasks:
- Install server and professional Windows operating systems
- Add users and maintain an active directory for network administration
- Demonstrate the personal and professional ethics and interpersonal skills that are expected in the workplace
Graduates of the technical certificate in PC Repair and Network Technician will be able to complete the following tasks:
- Maintain, analyze, troubleshoot, and repair computer systems, hardware, and computer peripherals
- Document, maintain, upgrade, or replace hardware and software systems
- Prioritize tasks and work quickly
- Demonstrate written, verbal, and online communication skills
- Demonstrate the personal and professional ethics and interpersonal skills that are expected in the workplace
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Essential Functions
The purpose of the essential functions list is to allow prospective students who are considering a career to be informed of the physical, emotional, and psychological demands related to training and employment in a field of study. These lists are provided to allow prospective students to make informed career choices by providing them with a summary of the physical abilities and personality traits that are generally required for the successful completion of a curriculum and result in employment in their field of study after graduation.
Students in the Networking Specialist programs must be able to perform the following essential functions:
- Diagnose hardware and software problems and replace defective components
- Perform data backups and disaster recovery operations
- Maintain, update, and administer computer networks and related computing environments, including computer hardware, systems software, applications software, network access, file security, printers, and other peripherals connected to a network
- Plan, coordinate, and implement network security measures in order to protect data, software, and hardware
- Perform routine network startup and shutdown procedures and maintain control records
- Pull, terminate, and troubleshoot Ethernet cabling between all networked devices, including hubs, routers, end-user computers, and printers
- Design, configure, and test computer hardware, networking software, and operating system software
- Recommend changes to improve systems and network configurations and determine hardware or software requirements related to such changes
- Provide support to network users
- Confer and troubleshoot with users to solve existing system problems
- Monitor network performance in order to recommend whether adjustments need to be made and to recommend where changes will need to be made in the future
- Deploy new and used computers to network users
- Have sufficient manual dexterity to work with the fingers
- Have normal vision with or without corrective lenses
- Be able to exert up to 25 pounds of force occasionally
- Perform sedentary physical activities and perform non-strenuous daily activities of an administrative nature
- Have the ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or government regulations
- Have the ability to write information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public
- Have the ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists
- Have the ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral diagram, or schedule form
- Have the ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals
- Have the ability to compute rates, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs
- Be able to tolerate moderate noise
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Program Expenses
The Higher Education Act requires all colleges and universities to notify students and prospective students of all program costs for which they will be responsible. Students will be responsible for the following expenses each semester (unless otherwise noted):
- Tuition ($75 per credit hour)
- Registration fee ($39)
- Student activity fees ($30)
- Accident insurance fee ($6)
- Instructional and technology supply fee ($55)
- Program supply fee (Varies - see course descriptions for exact amounts)
- Textbooks (Approximately $ 1,900 for the associate degree program and $1,200 for the diploma program, $398 for the CompTIA A+ Certification Preparation technical certificate, from approximately $652 to $821 depending on the elective courses chosen in the CompTIA A+ Certified Technician Preparation technical certificate, from approximately $911 to $1077 depending on the elective courses chosen in the Help Desk Specialist technical certificate, and from approximately $568 to $583 depending on the elective courses chosen in the Microsoft Excel Application Specialist technical certificate)
These expenses are based on costs in effect at the time this catalog was published. Prices are subject to change.
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Gainful Employment
Information on graduation rates, job placement rates, median loan debt incurred by students and other gainful employment information is available on the college website.
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Admission Requirements
Applicants must submit the following information to the Admissions Office:
- Completed and signed application for admission and a $20 nonrefundable application fee
- Official high school or GED transcripts and/or official college transcripts from all colleges attended in the past (see General Admission Requirements)
- Valid COMPASS, ASSET, SAT, or ACT test scores (see COMPASS and ASSET Placement Tests)
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