New degree program at N.C. A&T to train IT specialists
Andrew Pantyukhin | cc-licensed | https://flic.kr/p/5Z71Y2
An IBM z9 mainframe computer similar to one located at N.C. A&T State University. The university will use the system to support its new degree program in mainframe education and enterprise systems support.
N.C. A&T State University[6] says a new bachelor’s degree program it will launch this fall will help fill a gap in the supply of information technology workers who specialize in the area of mainframe and enterprise system support.
The UNC Board of Governors has approved the new degree program, which will be offered both in-person and online and be based on the concentration N.C. A&T already offers within its existing electronics technology degree program. There are currently 153 students studying within that concentration, up from 100 in 2008.
But there is going to be even more demand for technicians able to build and maintain the hardware and software that big companies and government agencies use to hold and process billions of bits of data. In its briefing to the governors[7], N.C. A&T noted that while several UNC schools including Winston-Salem State University[8] offer IT degrees, none of those focus on mainframes and there are only four programs in the country with that particular niche.
The Greensboro school also noted that it is one of only four universities nationwide to have an IBM z9 mainframe computer on campus — a machine worth more than $20 million, the university says — to support its program. One of the respondents N.C. A&T surveyed about the value of its proposed program noted that IBM System z mainframes are used by more than 2,000 large companies including 96 of the 100 largest banks, 23 of the 25 largest retailers and nine of the 10 largest insurance companies.
“Mainframes process roughly 30 billion business transactions per day, including most major credit card transactions, stock trades, money transfers, and manufacturing processes,” the unidentified survey respondent said. “So, with an emphasis in the UNC System and the NC legislature that is clearly on creating marketable skills, this program presents a tremendous opportunity.”
Matt Evans covers technology, entrepreneurship, higher education and financial services. Contact him at 336-370-2916.
References
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- ^ LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com)
- ^ N.C. A&T State University (www.bizjournals.com)
- ^ briefing to the governors (www.northcarolina.edu)
- ^ Winston-Salem State University (www.bizjournals.com)