A curriculum for future information technology

Computer science, information systems, information technology and other related programs have been evolving over the years to prepare students for the ever changing work force or to become research scientists. These program structures and curriculum gets updated rapidly even before a student had a chance to complete a four year cycle. When a student graduates, there may be a daunting challenge to find a right fit for a right job in today's global market. This paper proposes a curriculum paradigm that is based on sound engineering principles and need for applied education. The curriculum proposed here is based on student needs and industry outlook. It reduces educational cost for students, administrative cost for teaching institutions and training cost for industry. It also provides a first cut of curriculum that integrates a variety of disciplines under the information technology umbrella. The curriculum taxonomies are shown to illustrate the proposed concept. An initial road map and time schedules are shown to demonstrate the feasibility of this concept. The roles of students, faculty and industry supervisors are discussed. The approach proposed here will have a broader positive impact in information technology when adopted. Further research is needed to fully exploit the proposed concept.