Networking Specialist

Program Overview

The Networking Specialist associate degree program is a sequence of courses designed to provide students with an understanding of the concepts, principles, and techniques required in computer information processing.  Graduates are to be competent in the general areas of humanities or fine arts, social or behavioral sciences, and natural sciences or mathematics, as well as in the technical areas of computer terminology and concepts, program design and development, and computer networking. Graduates are qualified for employment as networking specialists.

Students may enter the Networking Specialist degree program any semester. A full-time student can complete this program in 5 semesters. To graduate, students must earn a minimum of 66 semester credit hours.

Career Traits/Requirements

Individuals wanting to enroll in the Networking Specialist degree program must show initiative, be willing to continue education as technology advances, be interested in computer application software, be organized, have the ability to multi-task, possess a strong work ethic, and have a desire to work in an office setting.

View Advisement Guide Sheet

Offered at the Following Campuses

  • North Campus (Sandersville)
  • South Campus (Dublin)

Salary Potential

$28,000.00 - $60,000.00

Program Costs

Tuition & Fees:  $6,025.00
Books & Supplies:  $2,300.00

(Costs are estimated and are subject to change.)

Employment Opportunities

Graduates of the Networking Specialist degree program are prepared for performing many different types of jobs. Graduates can find employment in the areas of computer hardware and software sales, installation and repair, computer programming, computer networking, software and technical support, and web site design. Instruction and practical application of learned skills provide a broad occupational background which appeals to prospective employers.

Admission Requirements

  • Submit a completed application and application fee;
  • Be at least 16 years of age;
  • Submit official high school transcript or GED transcript;
  • Submit official college transcripts, if applicable;
  • Meet assessment requirements by taking the ASSET or COMPASS placement test. In lieu of the placement test, official scores on the SAT, CPE, or ACT may be substituted.
The College may accept transfer credit for other courses according to the College’s transfer policy in general education requirements.

Curriculum

Credit Hours
Contact Hours
 
AREA I - Language Arts/Communication (successful completion of ENGL 1101 is required)
3
45
Prerequisites: Appropriate Degree Level Writing (English) Placement Test Score and Appropriate Degree Level Reading Placement Test Score; Corequisites: None
Explores the analysis of literature and articles about issues in the humanities and in society. Students practice various modes of writing, ranging from exposition to argumentation and persuasion. The course includes a review of standard grammatical and stylistic usage in proofreading and editing. An introduction to library resources lays the foundation for research. Topics include writing analysis and practice, revision, and research. Students write a research paper using library resources and using a formatting and documentation style appropriate to the purpose and audience.
AREA II - Social/Behavioral Sciences
3
45
Prerequisites: Appropriate Degree Level Writing (English) and Reading Placement Test Scores; Corequisites: None
Introduces the major fields of contemporary psychology. Emphasis is on fundamental principles of psychology as a science. Topics include research design, the organization and operation of the nervous system, sensation and perception, learning and memory, motivation and emotion, thinking and intelligence, lifespan development, personality, psychopathology and interventions, stress and health, and social psychology.
AREA III - Natural Sciences/Mathematics
Choose one of the following
MATH
1111
3
45
Prerequisites: Appropriate Degree Level Math Placement Test Score AND Appropriate Degree Reading Placement Test Score; Corequisites: None
Emphasizes techniques of problem solving using algebraic concepts. Topics include fundamental concepts of algebra, equations and inequalities, functions and graphs, and systems of equations; optional topics include sequences, series, and probability or analytic geometry.
AREA IV - Humanities/Fine Arts
3
45
Prerequisites: ENGL 1101; Corequisites: None
Emphasizes American literature as a reflection of culture and ideas. A survey of important works in American literature. Includes a variety of literary genres: short stories, poetry, drama, nonfiction, and novels. Topics include literature and culture, essential themes and ideas, literature and history, and research skills.
Program Specific General Education Course Requirements
To meet the minimum required 15 semester credit hours in General Core Courses, students must take an additional 3 semester credit hours.
3
45
Prerequisites: ENGL 1101; Corequisites: None
Emphasizes the student's ability to read literature analytically and meaningfully and to communicate clearly. Students analyze the form and content of literature in historical and philosophical contexts. Topics include reading and analysis of fiction, poetry, and drama; research; and writing about literature.
HIST
2111
3
45
Prerequisites: Degree Level Writing (English) and Reading Placement Test Scores
Emphasizes the study of U. S. History to 1877 to include the post-Civil War period. The course focuses on the period from the Age of Discovery through the Civil War to include geographical, intellectual, political, economic and cultural development of the American people. It includes the history of Georgia and its constitutional development. Topics include colonization and expansion; the Revolutionary Era; the New Nation; nationalism, sectionalism, and reform; the Era of Expansion; and crisis, Civil War, and reconstruction.
3
45
Prerequisites: federalism; Corequisites: civil liberties and civil rights
Emphasizes study of government and politics in the United States. The focus of the course will provide an overview of the Constitutional foundations of the American political processes with a focus on government institutions and political procedures. The course will examine the constitutional framework.
3
45
Prerequisites: Appropriate Degree Level Writing (English) and Reading Placement Test Scores
Explores the sociological analysis of society, its culture, and structure.  Sociology is presented as a science with emphasis placed on its methodology and theoretical foundations.  Topics include basic sociological concepts, socialization, social interaction and culture, social groups and institutions, deviance and social control, social stratification, social change, and marriage and family.
Occupational Courses
3
75
Prerequisites: Provisional Admission; Corequisites: Provisional Admission
Introduces the fundamental concepts, terminology, and operations necessary to use computers. Emphasis is placed on basic functions and familiarity with computer use. Topics include an introduction to computer terminology, the Windows environment, Internet and email, word processing software, spreadsheet software, database software, and presentation software.
CIST
1001
4
90
Prerequisites: None; Corequisites: None
Provides an overview of information systems, computers and technology. Topics include: Information Systems and Technology Terminology, Computer History, Data Representation, Data Storage Concepts, Fundamentals of Information Processing, Fundamentals of Information Security, Information Technology Ethics, Fundamentals of Hardware Operation, Fundamentals of Networking, Fundamentals of the Internet, Fundamentals of Software Design Concepts, Fundamentals of Software, (System and Application), System Development Methodology, Computer Number Systems conversion (Binary and Hexadecimal), Mobile computing.
XXX
xxx
CIS Elective
14
0
XXX
xxx
CIS Operating Systems Course
3
0
XXX
xxx
CIS Security Course
3
0
4
105
Prerequisites: Program Admission; Corequisites: None
This course serves to provide students with the knowledge of the fundamentals of computer technology, networking, and security along with the skills required to identify hardware, peripheral, networking, and security components with an introduction to the fundamentals of installing and maintaining computers. Students will develop the skills to identify the basic functionality of the operating system, perform basic troubleshooting techniques, utilize proper safety procedures, and effectively interact with customers and peers. This course is designed to help prepare students for the CompTIA A+ certification examination.
and one of the following:
4
90
Prerequisites: Program Admission; Corequisites: None
Introduces networking technologies and prepares students to take the CompTIA's broad-based, vendor independent networking certification exam, Network +. This course covers a wide range of material about networking, including local area networks, wide area networks, protocols, topologies, transmission media, and security. Focuses on operating network management systems, and implementing the installation of networks. It reviews cabling, connection schemes, the fundamentals of the LAN and WAN technologies, TCP/IP configuration and troubleshooting, remote connectivity, and network maintenance and troubleshooting. Topics include: basic knowledge of networking technology, network media and topologies, network devices, network management, network tools and network security.
4
90
Prerequisites: Program Admission; Corequisites: None
This course teaches students the skills needed to obtain entry-level home network installer jobs. It also helps students develop some of the skills needed to become network technicians, computer technicians, cable installers, and help desk technicians. It provides a hands-on introduction to networking and the Internet using tools and hardware commonly found in home and small business environments. Instructors are encouraged to facilitate field trips and outside-the-classroom learning experiences. Labs include PC installation, Internet connectivity, wireless connectivity, and file and print sharing.
4
90
Prerequisites: Program Admission; Corequisites: None
This course provides students with classroom and laboratory experience in current and emerging network technology. Topics include basics of communication, converged networks, OSI and TCP/IP network models, Application layer protocols, services, and applications, Transport layer protocols and services, Network layer addressing and routing concepts, IPv4 and IPv6, calculating IPv4 subnets, Data Link layer and the encapsulation process, Physical layer components and data encoding, Ethernet and network protocol analysis, network cabling, and basic network configuration.
COMPLETION OF ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SPECIALIZATIONS:
Microsoft Specialization
4
90
Prerequisites: Program Admission
Provides the ability to implement, administrator, and troubleshoot Windows Professional Client as a desktop operating system in any network environment.
4
90
Prerequisites: Program Admission
Provides students with knowledge and skills necessary to install, configure, manage, support and administer Windows Server. Topics include server deployment, server management, monitor and maintain servers, application and data provisioning, and business continuity and high availability.
4
90
Prerequisites: Program admission
Provides students with knowledge and skills necessary to install, configure, manage, support and administer Microsoft Directory Services.
XXX
xxx
MS Elective
4
0
Cisco Exploration Specialization (South Campus Only)
4
90
Prerequisites: CIST 2451; Corequisites: None
The goal is to develop an understanding of how a router learns about remote networks and determines the best path to those networks. Topics include basics of routing, static routing, dynamic routing, distance vector routing, distance vector routing protocols, VLSM and CIDR, routing table in-depth, link state routing, and link state routing protocols.
4
90
Prerequisites: CIST 2451; Corequisites: None
The goal is to develop an understanding of how switches are interconnected and configured to provide network access to LAN users. This course also teaches how to integrate wireless devices into a LAN. Topics include LAN design, basic switch concepts and configuration, VLAN concepts and configuration, VTP concepts and configuration, STP concepts and configuration, Inter-VLAN routing, and basic wireless concepts and configuration.
4
90
Prerequisites: CIST 2452, CIST 2453; Corequisites: None
Provides students with classroom and laboratory experience in current and emerging network technology. Topics include: introduction to WANs, WAN protocols, basic network security and ACLs, remote access, IP addressing services, and network troubleshooting.
and one of the following:
4
90
Prerequisites: Program Admission; Corequisites: None
This course provides students with classroom and laboratory experience in current and emerging network technology. Topics include basics of communication, converged networks, OSI and TCP/IP network models, Application layer protocols, services, and applications, Transport layer protocols and services, Network layer addressing and routing concepts, IPv4 and IPv6, calculating IPv4 subnets, Data Link layer and the encapsulation process, Physical layer components and data encoding, Ethernet and network protocol analysis, network cabling, and basic network configuration.
XXX
xxx
CIS Networking Elective
4
0
Credit Hours: 66
Contact Hours: 855 - 945
Designations indicate course delivery method in selected term: Online=OL, Web Enhanced=W, Hybrid=H, Traditional=T.