Contact Elaine Warren, Edwards Campus, (913) 897-8411 or elainew@ku.edu
OVERLAND PARK--In response to the overwhelming need expressed by major employers in greater Kansas City to build a qualified information systems work force, the University of Kansas Edwards Campus in Overland Park will offer a Certificate in Systems Analysis and Design beginning fall 2000.
"The certificate is unique to the area," says Bob Clark, dean of the KU Edwards Campus. "It intends to provide a flexible academic and technical education that will prepare students for success in the rapidly evolving field of information technology."
The Certificate in Systems Analysis and Design is the first certificate program the Edwards Campus has developed from conception. "We've partnered with Johnson County Community College and formed an advisory board of local employers to develop the curriculum," says Clark. The following employers had representatives on the advisory board: DST, Ernst & Young, Kansas City Power & Light Co., One Systems Group and Sprint.
By partnering with JCCC, Clark hopes the certificate program will eventually become an undergraduate degree-completion program after a thorough academic review. The two institutions have already developed degree-completion programs in biology and English. Courses from those programs will be offered this fall.
The certificate is an 18-credit-hour program. Classes are to be taken in a specific sequence. Admittance into the program requires a minimum of an associate's degree from an accredited institution, at least two years full-time work experience and one year of a programming language. The first course to be offered, Introduction to Systems Analysis and Design, will meet Saturdays beginning Aug. 26.
For more information about the certificate program, call Kim Huggett at (913) 897-8413 or e-mail khuggett@ku.edu. Tuition is affordably priced for both Kansas and Missouri residents.