Penn State Wilkes-Barre offers one bachelor's degree option, Information Technology: Integration and Application (4IST). The 4IST degree is designed to prepare you to use information technology to realize a variety of system-based goals (such as reliability, accessibility, and efficiency).

The option is focused on developing a theoretical foundation and the skill set needed for integrating information technology into different systems to improve their performance. The emphasis is on providing you with both the theoretical frameworks needed to use information technology as a system attribute as well as a set of application-oriented experiences and skills. Technical skills and work habits are reinforced through hands-on class work and mandatory internship requirements.

4IST Courses

A semester-by-semester listing of the courses needed to complete the Information Technology Option an be obtained by downloading the 4IST semester plan (found on the right).

For complete descriptions of the IST classes listed in the 4IST Checksheet, please see the Baccalaureate Degree Roadmap (.pdf).

Course descriptions of the non-IST courses listed in the 4IST Checksheet can be found in the Online Penn State Course Bulletin (Bluebook).

(Note: To view .pdf files, you need to have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer.)

Other 4IST Options

The Penn State IST system offers two other Baccalaureate Degree options: Information Systems: Design and Development and Information Context: People, Organizations, and Society. Because all three IST options share a common core curriculum, students pursuing these other two options may attend classes at Penn State Wilkes-Barre for their first two years before transferring to another campus to complete their degree. For more information on these options, visit the Baccalaureate Options page at the School of Information Sciences & Technology web site.

4IST Careers

Students with an IST Baccalaureate Degree in Information Technology: Integration and Application can expect to be qualified for the following occupations:

  • Systems Analyst
  • Systems Programmer
  • Enterprise Resource Manager
  • Organizational Consultant
  • Supply Chain Manager

With appropriate electives 4IST students can also be hired as:

  • Database Administrator
  • Information Manager
  • Information Technologist
  • Local- or Wide-Area Network Administrator
  • Systems Administrator
  • Programmer
  • Telecommunications Analyst
  • Telecommunication Technologist
  • Web Administrator or Programmer
  • Webmaster