CTAC: Computer Technology Applications Certificate

The Computer Technology Applications Certificate (CTAC) is ideal for degree-seeking university students wishing to combine their intellectual capabilities with IT skills in preparation for serving in a knowledge-based economy. CTAC also will serve returning students seeking a standalone certificate to complement their professional endeavors.

Information Technology (IT) permeates today's information age, knowledge-based economy, and all industries and occupations. Knowing how to fully integrate and take advantage of industry application programs is essential for present and future employees. One course in computer applications at the high school or college level does not prepare students to develop interactive applications and exploit the software to its fullest extent.

Certificate holders will develop the background to create professional, effective communications for use in a knowledge-based economy using industry-standard software application programs.

With a CTAC Certificate, you will:

• Become an IT power user of office software applications
• Use software rather than programming to
  • Customize interfaces for professional use
  • Create interactive web sites
  • Generate online forms, data collection devices, and tables and charts
  • Automate office productivity
  • extend software applications to create customized solutions
• Develop software training modules
• Complete a service-learning project
• Build an IT-intensive portfolio showcasing CTAC products
• Learn how to survive and evolve in the ever-changing IT field, regardless of your profession
• Investigate and evaluate advanced and emerging IT communication tools
• Research the historical development and examine the future impact of IT support and communication tools

CTAC Courses

CTAC is a six-course, 18 credit hour sequence of classes designed to give you a strong background in computer applications equipping you to be successful in your professional and educational endeavors while giving you skills to transition to the technology of the future. Combine CTAC with a current IUPUI degree or return to school to become more IT savvy. In the required courses, you will use software applications rather than programming to build web sites, develop software training modules, create other interactive IT products, and complete a service learning project. Electives allow you to explore personal use topics such as IT for the consumer, home networking, and protecting yourself in cyberspace or professional topics such as ethics, IT fundamentals, and HTML.

"Information technology is already critical to collecting and analyzing all types of information, performing many kinds of work, and communicating ideas in almost every filed of endeavor. The value to society is not just utilitarian, however. Information-literate citizens are essential to marinating a free and open society."

- Todd D. Kelly, Assoc. Provost, St. Mary's College,
Quoted in Educause

For more information:

Contact Jan Stevens, CTAC program director at janstev@iupui.edu or 317-274-9701.