Best Online Associate Degree Programs in Information Technology
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Employers seek skilled workers to deal with their constantly escalating information technology needs, covering both software and hardware. An online Information Technology Associate degree can also prepare you for important industry certifications.
Companies need skilled IT technicians to install, manage and secure complex information networks. As companies continue to expand their information systems, IT workers keep communications running smoothly and help to resolve the complex problems that invariably arise when implementing an IT system.
Best-schools-sealOnline Associate IT degree program ranking guidelines:
We selected the top online Associate degree in Information Technology based on factors such as range of courses offered, program quality, rankings, awards, faculty, reputation, including the school’s track record for effectively providing online education.
RANKING METHODOLOGY
Methodology for College Rankings
The motto of TheBestSchools.org is Finding the best school for you. Here is how we do it:
The value of any ranking list of schools and/or degree programs depends on having a methodologically sound assessment of each school’s/program’s characteristics, especially insofar as these can be objectively measured. A college or university is a complex entity, with numerous factors to consider, and distilling these down to the place where meaningful comparisons can be made to form a defensible ranking list becomes part science and part art.
To meet this challenge—and thereby provide you with the most useful and insightful educational rankings on the Internet—TheBestSchools.org formulates our rankings based on five informational categories (six, when considering online schools). The major metrics and qualities for which we rank are these (with expanded, detailed considerations and weights listed):
1. Academic excellence based on a school’s curriculum generally or within the selected discipline [weight = 25%]
Weighs school against known leading schools in that discipline
Weighs number of core curricula listed as advanced courses within that discipline and compares against introductory courses
Weighs school’s curriculum against known knowledge needs of major employers in that discipline
Considers number and types of specializations offered within that discipline
Considers faculty expertise in that discipline
Considers range of electives within that discipline
Considers quality of online environment offered to students (if applicable), particularly within that discipline
2. Strength of faculty scholarship [weight = 25%]
Considers education background of the faculty
Considers years of faculty experience both inside and outside of academia.
Considers faculty membership and leadership within relevant, prominent associations
Considers academic papers published by faculty in relevant, prominent periodicals
Considers awards and recognitions given to faculty members from prominent organizations and from other sources
3. Reputation [weight = 20%]
Considers a school’s reputation among academic peers and employers regarding the following:
Faculty
Curriculum
“Freshness” of academic knowledge
Adaptability to changes in employment sectors
Suitability of graduates for the workplace
4. Financial aid [weight = 10%]
Mandatory: Requires full accreditation from an agency endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education and listed on the federal register to accept student federal financial aid
Considers range of school-sponsored financial aid such as scholarships and grants
5. Range of degree programs [weight = 20%]
Considers range of degree levels: associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral and professional
Considers range of degree subjects offered, such as art & design, computers & technology, education & teaching, criminal justice, and business
6. Strength of online instruction methodology (if applicable) [weight = 25%; subtract 5% from each of the above for online schools/programs]
Considers the following of the online classes:
Types of online technology used to deliver content
Pedagogy style: asynchronous, synchronous, or both (depending on the degree)
Extent and quality of the online, community learning environment, including options for communication, interactivity, and collaboration between students and also between students and instructors
Variety, breadth, and depth of coursework, and its support, including project options and online tutoring
Considers the following of instructors:
Extent of training for teaching within an online learning environment
Amount of timely, consistent feedback to students
Extent of collaboration with prospective employers to ensure suitability of instructional materials for achieving desired skills
Ratio to number of students in a class
Number and quality of internships in a student’s geographical area for applicable degrees
Because students tend to review a variety of information when choosing a school, the weight a student gives any one criterion will vary. For instance, it’s not enough to offer a carefully constructed ranking of great schools if many are too expensive or too difficult to get into.
To better serve the needs of prospective students, we are therefore increasingly offering filters that help you better use our rankings to find the schools that match your specific needs. These supplement our ranking criteria and include:
Accreditation
Public or private status
Acceptance rate
Retention rate
Graduation rate
ACT/SAT requirements
Cost in-state / out of state
Undergrad, grad, or both offered
Region
State
City
Get the best rankings here AND get them to suit your personal needs. That’s TheBestSchools.org advantage!
If you have any questions about our ranking methodology, please contact us.
Citations: For a broader account of our ranking methodology, especially as it relates to TheBestSchools.org’s underlying educational philosophy and, in other ranking articles, looks beyond academic excellence (as here) to such factors as return on investment or incidental benefit, see our article “Ranking Methodology: How We Rank Schools at TBS.” Reputation of schools and degree programs can at least in part be gauged through the rankings of other well-known educational ranking companies. At TheBestSchools.org, we keep track of such social and peer validation: “Making Sense of College Rankings.” For nuts-and-bolts information about colleges and universities, we look to the National Center for Education Statistics and especially its College Navigator. Insofar as salary and inflation data are relevant to a ranking, we look to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Finally, nothing beats contacting schools and degree programs directly, which our researchers often do, with the result that all the entries in this article should be considered as belonging to this citation!
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Featured Schools
Herzing University
Herzing University
Brookfield, WI & Online
AS - Information Technology
Students with a solid foundation in a technology discipline can prepare for entry-level production supervisor roles through Herzing's two-year AS in technology studies. Comprising 60 credits of coursework, topics include network infrastructure, routing and switching security, and cloud computing.
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Kaplan University
Kaplan University
Campus & Online
AAS - Information Technology
Kaplan's 90-credit online information technology associate of applied science degree offers three concentrations: IT generalist, programming and software development, and networking. Required courses for the major include desktop administration, information technology concepts, and programming.
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The 10 Best Online IT Associate Degree Programs
1Penn State World Campus
(University Park, Pennsylvania)
Pennsylvania State University / Penn State World Campus
Associate in Science in Information Sciences and Technology
Credits Required: 60
Penn State World Campus is the online branch of the prestigious Pennsylvania State University.
The school designed the Associate Degree in Information Technology program for working professionals with little or no IT training who are interested in pursuing a new career or changing a career path to pursue employment in the growing field of information science and technology. Students have three options:
Generalized Business Option: Program courses in accounting, marketing and management add to a solid base of IT coursework.
Individualized Option: Work closely with an adviser to develop a program which provides a technical specialization unique to the student’s career path.
Baccalaureate Option: Apply an Associate degree in Information Technology online to a Bachelor of Science in IST.
The Penn State Information Technology Associate’s degree program provides students with: knowledge of information systems, emphasizing organizational and global perspectives; practice using contemporary technologies in the creation, organization, storage, analysis, evaluation, communication and transmission of information; hands-on opportunities through team projects, a required internship and other field experience.
Penn State World Campus is regionally accredited by The Middle States Commission of Higher Education (MSCHE).
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2UMass Online
(Lowell, Massachusetts)
UMass Online
Associate of Science in Information Technology
Credits Required: 60
UMass Online offers nearly 100 degree and certificate programs and more than 1,500 online courses.
UMass Online offers nearly 100 degree and certificate programs and more than 1,500 online courses. The comprehensive programs enable students to earn an accredited online degree from one of the nation’s top-ranked universities with programs taught by the same top-notch faculty as students attending classes at the UMass campus locations in Amherst, Boston, Lowell, Dartmouth or Worcester.
In addition to concentrated electives and general studies requirements, the online Associate degree in Information Technology offers specialized career specific courses such as:
Introduction to Information Systems
Business Writing
Technical and Scientific Communication
Programming
Graphics for Multimedia and the Web
Desktop Video Production
Website Development
E-Commerce on the Web
Web-Enabled Database Development
UMass Online is regionally accredited by The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (NEASC-CIHE).
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3Indiana Wesleyan University
(Marion, Indiana)
Indiana Wesleyan University
Online Associate in Computer Information Technology
Credits Required: 63
Indiana Wesleyan University, an evangelical Christian comprehensive university, is committed to liberal arts and professional education. The university offers more than 80 majors. In addition to its 3,000 on-campus students, nearly 12,000 IWU students attend classes either online or at regional centers in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.
Instructional methods for IWU’s online Computer Information Technology Associate degree program include lectures, workshops, seminars, simulations and hands-on training with the latest computer equipment.
Individually and in groups, students learn programming, database concepts, operating systems and Web design and development. Students can complete their online IT degree in 26 months.
The online Information Technology Associate degree covers subjects such as desktop applications, operating systems concepts, network communications, hardware and software troubleshooting, basic web design and development, and database concepts.
Indiana Wesleyan University is regionally accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
4Southern New Hampshire University
(Manchester, New Hampshire)
Southern New Hampshire University
Associate of Science in Computer Information Technology Online degree
Total Credits: 60
Southern New Hampshire University, a private, nonprofit accredited university, offers education on-campus, online and through a mixture of both settings. SNHU’s Associate in Computer Information Technology online degree provides the technical knowledge and critical thinking skills students need for an IT career.
Students in the Associate degree in Information Technology online have opportunities to develop IT knowledge and skills in areas such as:
Developing applications
Systems planning
Implementing systems applications
Managing information systems
In addition to comprehensive general education classes and electives, students select from these Computer Information Technology courses: Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Information Technology, Software Development, Computer Platform Technologies, Business Systems Analysis and Design, Discrete Mathematics and Human Relations in Administration.
Southern New Hampshire University is regionally accredited by The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (NEASC-CIHE).
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5Liberty University
(Lynchburg, Virginia)
Liberty University
Online Associate Business Management Information Systems
Total Credits: 60
As the nation’s largest private, nonprofit university, Liberty offers over 350 programs to its more than 100,000 residential and online students. Liberty’s Associate in Business Management Information Systems degree provides students with an applied knowledge of the information technology industry.
The program places strong emphasis on ways to maximize computer technology to benefit a business, while keeping in mind the way IT professionals can work ethically both as individuals and in a team setting.
The online Associate degree in Information Technology includes courses such as:
Application Programming
Business Data Communications
System Analysis & Design
Database Management Systems
Web Architecture & Development
Students may launch their careers with the associate degree or apply the degree to Liberty’s bachelor’s program (available online).
Liberty University is regionally accredited by The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS).
Featured Schools
Southern New Hampshire University
Southern New Hampshire University
Hooksett, NH & Online
AS - Information Technologies
The associate of science in information technologies at Southern New Hampshire University combines technical and critical-thinking skills to prepare students for further study as well as a variety of entry-level jobs in IT. Candidates with CompTIA, Oracle, or TestOut certifications may apply credit toward this degree. Graduates of the AS program may apply credit toward the IT BS.
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6Colorado Technical University
(Colorado Springs, Colorado)
Colorado Technical University
Online Associate of Science in Information Technology
Total Credits: 93
Founded in 1965, CTU opened its doors in a former roller rink building as the Colorado Electronic Training Center. A leader in hybrid and online learning, CTU’s goal is to provide career-oriented education through providing instruction and hands-on training in real-world, up-to-the-minute programming.
Colorado Technical University’s Associate in Information Technology online degree combines the study of business, hardware technologies and coding with training in creating practical IT solutions for today’s businesses.
The online Information Technology Associate degree covers subjects such as:
Current software tools
Basic network architecture and setup
General protocols of data communication
Colorado Technical University is regionally accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
7Kaplan University
(Davenport, Iowa)
Kaplan University
Associate of Applied Science in Information Technology degree
Total Credits: 90
About 90 percent of Kaplan University’s 45,000 degree-seeking students complete their coursework through online programs. About 63 percent of these students are older than the age of 30, and 76 percent of them are women. More than 9,000 students are active military, veterans, or military spouses or dependents.
Kaplan’s Associate degree in Information Technology online offers students a broad range of knowledge as well as specific industry focus in the following skills:
Installing and maintaining computer and wireless networks
Troubleshooting hardware and software problems
Creating software applications
Managing databases
Developing Web pages
The program includes courses such as Software Applications, Database Foundations, Network Concepts, Foundations in Information Technology, Desktop Administration and Introduction to Management.
Kaplan University is regionally accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
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8Strayer University
(Washington, D.C.)
strayer-university-VA
Online Associate Information Technology degree
Credit hours: 90
With more than 100,000 graduates over the course of the past 120 years, Strayer University equips students for career advancement in business, technology and education. The online IT associate’s degree offers instruction in computing as well as valuable hands-on skills for finding technological solutions in the workplace.
Major course choices include:
Computer Programming Design
Relational Database Management Systems
Introduction to Networking
Systems Analysis and Development
Web Design and Development
Computer Architecture
Networking Security Fundamentals
Human Computer Interaction
Strayer University is regionally accredited by The Middle States Commission of Higher Education (MSCHE).
9Herzing University
(Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin)
Herzing University
Online Associate of Science in Information Technology degree
Total Credits: 90
Herzing University strives to offer programs with opportunities for students to put real-world skills to use in the workplace setting right after graduation.
Herzing University offers undergraduate, graduate and associate degrees in over 50 programs as well as a continuing education program online, at one of its 11 locations in eight U.S. states, or through a combination of the two.
Students in the Online Information Technology Associate degree program work with computers in a wide range of environments and they learn to solve a variety of technical issues. The students work alone and as part of a team.
The online Associate degree in Information Technology covers subjects such as:
Loss of bandwidth
Bad connection
Threats from hackers
Computer viruses
Crashed and corrupt files
Identity theft
Online fraud and credit card theft
Herzing University is regionally accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
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10Rasmussen College
(Bloomington, Minnesota)
Rasmussen College
Online Associate in Information Technology with a specialization in Computer Information Technology
Total credits: 91
When Walter Rasmussen founded Rasmussen Practical School of Business in 1900 to train secretarial and accounting students, he had no way of knowing the vast scope of technological changes in store for his school’s future students. Rasmussen College has more than kept pace with the information age, the school offers education in cutting-edge technology.
The Associate Information Technology Management with a specialization in Computer Information Technology degree covers subjects such as current and emerging technology trends, including mobile device support, dealing with issues arising from employees using mobile devices, and the fundamental principles, practices and applications, from IT support to Mac integration.
The online Information Technology Associate degree also covers network security, the fundamentals of networking, computer system administration as well as Microsoft Windows server network infrastructure configuring and programming.
Rasmussen College reports its curriculum aligns with industry standard certification exam content.
Rasmussen College is Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, 800-612-7440.
Featured Schools
Saint Leo University Online
Saint Leo University Online
Campus & Online
AA - Information Technology
Through its AA In information technology degree online, Saint Leo University offers students the opportunity to improve their computer skills, prepare for entry-level tech jobs, or continue on to earn a BS in computer science or computer information systems. Curriculum spans a unique variety of courses rooted in technical abilities, the humanities, religion, and more.
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Herzing University
Herzing University
Brookfield, WI & Online
AS - Information Technology
Students with a solid foundation in a technology discipline can prepare for entry-level production supervisor roles through Herzing's two-year AS in technology studies. Comprising 60 credits of coursework, topics include network infrastructure, routing and switching security, and cloud computing.
Visit Site
Kaplan University
Kaplan University
Campus & Online
AAS - Information Technology
Kaplan's 90-credit online information technology associate of applied science degree offers three concentrations: IT generalist, programming and software development, and networking. Required courses for the major include desktop administration, information technology concepts, and programming.
Visit Site
Southern New Hampshire University
Southern New Hampshire University
Hooksett, NH & Online
AS - Information Technologies
The associate of science in information technologies at Southern New Hampshire University combines technical and critical-thinking skills to prepare students for further study as well as a variety of entry-level jobs in IT. Candidates with CompTIA, Oracle, or TestOut certifications may apply credit toward this degree. Graduates of the AS program may apply credit toward the IT BS.
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