Business Information Technology
Reasons Why Students Say BIT Is Important
- Connect people, systems, technology
- Relevant to any job and/or industry using technology to make managerial decisions
- Flexible curriculum to match the evolving nature of the business use of technology
- Strong basis in data analytics and IT
- Apply analytics and IT to decision support, supply chains, and cyber security
What Makes BIT different?
- BIT is the only STEM major in the Pamplin College of Business.
- Technology is everywhere! You are not limited to just working in the tech industry. You have the opportunity to work in any industry that you are interested in healthcare, banking, hospitality, logistics, non-profit, etc.
- Experiential learning: BIT students work on projects, enter competitions, interact with industry, showcase their work and learn to work in teams. Two-thirds of BIT students have one or more internship experiences.
- BIT graduates are in high demand in the marketplace. They earn the highest salary out of any major in the Pamplin College of Business. Students understand all the ins and outs of a project and have the ability to explain the project to your manager, executives, and/or client(s).
- BIT is the largest major at Virginia Tech and boasts a 94% employment rate.
- BIT produces more students in quantitative methods and analytics than any other university in the United States.
Myths about BIT
Computer science students program systems and applications for a particular purpose. BIT uses modeling and analytics to design systems that help managers make better decisions. While some BIT students become software developers, most become system analysts or data analysts who communicate the needs of the business to programmers.
Possibly, but more likely you will be managing people, organizing work, and guiding the flow of materials and products across a global supply chain. Operations and supply chain management positions are available in financial institutions, real estate, hospitality, retail, disaster management and healthcare.
No while you might need to understand how a hacker compromises a system, a hacker is someone who accesses a computer system without authorization. Instead in Cyber, you will learn how to keep IT systems secure and make logical and ethical decisions to protect them from potential cyber attacks.
Options Within BIT
Decision Support Systems (DSS)
Students have an opportunity to analyze data, implement information systems, create and process databases, develop websites, and use various programming languages and apps to enhance decision making.
Operations & Supply Chain Management (OSM)
Students learn how industries reduce costs and add value to their products and services through careful planning, scheduling, and adjusting of supply and demand data, both historical and projected.
Cybersecurity Management and Analytics (CMA)
BIT-CMA, or BIT-Cyber, focuses on cyber audit - aka, managing how a company or individual uses data. Students learn how to create risk assessment plans, protect assets, manage the cyber function, and use data analytics to develop cyber strategies.
What about the Cyber field study?
To find the best jobs, you will need experience. That’s why BIT-Cyber requires a field study (similar to an internship). While you are ultimately responsible for finding a company to work with, the field study coordinator will help guide you towards opportunities.
- You gain experience before you graduate and develop professional relationships.
- The demand for cybersecurity professionals is growing exponentially.
- Your field study must be approved by the BIT department.
- You can utilize internship resources like Business Horizons, Pamplin Connect emails, and do your own search for internships online.
Applications/Software
- Simio - Simulation software
- Bizagi - Process mapping software
- Microsoft Project/Visio - Process Mapping/Project Planning software
- MySQL (Structured Query Language)
- Tableau/PowerBI
- Amazon Web Service
- Languages: Python, R, Java, Javascript/HTML/CSS (Web Development)
- Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) & Visual Studio
- Visual Paradigm
Potential Career Paths
Description
Someone who’s good at problem solving, can handle communication with a client who needs your advice and your expertise, can research the client’s problem and understand the industry (could be any industry, consulting is everywhere!), and can make good recommendations for the business at the end of a client project. You will be working on a team collecting data, analyzing data, interviewing clients, and presenting results.
Roles
- Technical Consultant
- IT Consultant
- Computer Systems Consultant
- Management Consultant
Description
Work with clients to understand their needs. Responsible for implementing efficient systems and analyzing feedback from users to help the business improve.
Roles
- Systems Analyst
- IT Analyst
- Project Analyst
- Data Analyst
- Business Analyst
Description
Provide technical and system design expertise to assist in the development, implementation, review and upgrade of information systems
Roles
- Software Engineer
- Solutions Architect
- Back-end Engineer
- Front-end Engineer
Interesting BIT courses
This course helps you understand what happens “behind the scenes” in Microsoft Excel and better understand all the features available in the application. You will be utilizing VBA to conduct calculations and automate tasks. This class will teach you more advanced Excel skills that you take with you beyond your academic career.
Topics:
- Visual Basics for Applications (VBA)
- Microsoft Excel
In this course, students will analyze the front-facing and behind-the-scenes look of a business. BPI is not only about creating a more efficient way to business, but making sure that we can maintain those changes as well.
Topics:
- Excel
- Bizagi - helps depict processes (e.g. demonstrating all the people and activities needed behind a sale)
- Six Sigma, Lean
This course will teach you all about web development and understanding the client/user side of a website and the server side of a website as well. Through the use of many different web-based languages, you will tackle business problems by creating dynamic web pages to solve these problems.
Topics:
- HTML
- CSS
- Javascript (JS)
- Bootstrap
- PHP
- MySQL
- Ajax
You will learn all of the elements that go into a project such as time management, collaboration, importance of communication, resource management, cost management, and much more. This course will be beneficial to use for other classes you will take in the BIT program and also in your career.
Topics:
- Microsoft Project
- Excel
Think of BIT This Way
With a degree in BIT, you take on the role as the middle person. You will be the liaison between the client and the manager or analyst. You have to understand the needs from both client and manager. It’s your job to know both elements, complete work to satisfy both sides, and be able to communicate your work to both of them and beyond.
You, as a BIT major, can also think of yourself as a pilot. You have this unique expertise that only so many people have in the world. You have the ability to work with the flight staff, air traffic controllers, maintenance staff and more. You understand all the value and risk in your job and can communicate any problems if they were to come up.