Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Network And Systems Administrators
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Central Piedmont Community College, Fayetteville State, Winston-Salem State University, and East Carolina University.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider Mount Olive College, Pfeiffer University, UNC Pembroke, and UNC Charlotte.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider North Carolina A & T, North Carolina Central University, Winston-Salem State University, and Fayetteville State.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Montgomery Community College, Mount Olive College, Edgecombe Community College, and Pamlico Community College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Johnson C Smith University, Southeastern Community College, High Point, and Guilford.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of High Point, Johnson C Smith University, Catawba, and Western Carolina University.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at UNC, NC State, Appalachian State, and UNC Wilmington.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Johnson C Smith University, UNC, Campbell, and Gardner - Webb.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Pamlico Community College, UNC, Martin Community College, and Roanoke-Chowan Community College.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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University Of North Carolina At Pembroke • Pembroke, NC
Studying Mathematics (completion in 1997)
• 7/3/2011
"UNCP was a nice place to get my undergraduate degree and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a small college experience at a state school price. The power of the degree I received is somewhat questionable and I don't think anyone has been impressed with where I went to school as far as applying for jobs was concerned."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | It has been so long since I went to UNCP so I am not sure of the quality of the math and computer sciences department. If I knew I was going into network administration, I would have went to a technical school and got a 2 year degree with certificates and saved a lot of money on tuition. |
| Program Reputation | 4 | UNCP is not known for its math and computer science program. After working in the field for many years I would not put a lot of weight on a degree from UNCP in math. |
| Program Quality | 6 | UNCP is a small college and the class sizes where small compared to other colleges that I attended prior. The professors in the math and computer sciences school where kind of old and boring. The technology was not up to the minute when I attended and I had to teach myself a lot of the skills I currently have needed since then. |
| Instruction | 7 | The teachers where very knowledgeable in a classical sense. We did not have young, enthusiastic professors that wanted to seek out the latest in technology. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The classes in the math and computer sciences program are very demanding. There were many hours of studying and working in labs to complete projects. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I would say 80% of our learning was from books. The lab courses were few and far between. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | The class schedule offerings were pretty standard. They had a poor selection of evening, weekend, and summer courses. I'm not sure what they offer now compared to other schools. |
| Academic Facilities | 4 | The library was small and a lot of the material was outdated. The classrooms and labs were mediocre at best. The computer labs were lacking but we did have access to the internet and several strong software packages that were just emerging at the time. |
| Social Life | 8 | UNCP is considered a suitcase college when I attended as many students left for the weekend. There were great social events throughout the week and it was nice knowing just about everyone on campus. The athletics programs were not very good except for the wrestling team. |
| Placement Services | 5 | UNCP did provide its students with a career development center and had a staff that assisted on bringing in companies to interview soon-to-be graduates. The companies that came in did not seem very interested in hiring graduates from our school, however. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | I do not participate in any alumni events or groups and have not heard of any reunions either. I guess this is in part to the fact that I moved from the area after graduation. |
East Carolina University • Greenville, NC
Studying Information And Computer Technology (completion in 2012)
• 10/26/2011
"Overall my degree experience helped me to figure out what specifically I wanted to do in the IT field. The coursework was challenging and relevant to current technology trends, and I feel that the program in general is solid."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Since our degree is well known in our tech sector, as well as being known as more challenging than other school's, I would recommend it to someone interested in my field. The program gives a good basic grasp on many areas, while also allowing students to concentrate to a specific field of study. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | We have a very good program, especially when compared to similar universities in our state. We have a large number of industry partners which helps our program gain notoriety. |
| Program Quality | 8 | My school provided a large amount of relevant skills that I could apply to my job. We also participated in hands-on labs which taught the concepts very well. |
| Instruction | 7 | All professors that I had were knowledgeable in their areas, however their levels of teaching skill varied. I feel that some teachers forced students to learn more just so they could keep up with them in class. |
| How Difficult | 8 | The work load was a good size, however it was not to the point where it prevented me from having a job as well. Generally, work is related to what we are learning and is informative. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Book learning tends to be the core of learning, however much of the actual work is hands on labs. In some instances lab work is the primary source of grading, so there is a strong emphasis on being able to grasp and implement topics covered in class. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | For my core classes there tended to be only one offering of any single class, so scheduling can be inflexible. The flip side is that a good number of these classes are online, so students can tailor their workload around their schedule. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | We had fairly good access to resources through our program. Several classes had physical hardware for us to work on, and other classes were able to use advance virtualization to expose students to a variety of devices. |
| Social Life | 7 | My personal experience was average, however there are a large number of school activities that one could become involved in. School spirit and identity revolve around football, however the student body in general has a very solid core identity. |
| Placement Services | 6 | I have only used our jobs center a little bit, however they do seem helpful. Career fairs hosted have included a wide variety of employers across several areas of IT. |
| Alumni Network | I haven't been able to extensively draw on our alumni network. I am aware of a few opportunities, however I have not had a chance to pursue them. |
Craven Community College • New Bern, NC
Studying Computer Information Technology (completion in 2011)
• 11/1/2011
"I have been satisfied with the school. The instruction was good. The courses were good. The administrative staff (receptionists, advisors, financial aid, etc.) have always been very helpful."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I recommend starting your degree at Craven. It's a great stepping stone to move on to a 4-year college. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | As community colleges go, I'd say my school has a decent reputation. I went above Average because my school doesn't have any negative points on their reputation. In the end, it's still a community college, though. |
| Program Quality | 8 | I love the fact that I was able to complete almost my entire degree online. I felt like most of the classes were beneficial, but a few seemed kind of like a waste of time and money. |
| Instruction | 5 | It's hard to rate instruction when you take online classes. Most online "instructors" actually refer to themselves as "facilitators" because they are really just handling the class, not teaching it. Most of my instructors were easy to deal with and responded well to concerns and questions. |
| How Difficult | 3 | I think, by default, Community Colleges have an easier curriculum than universities. Some of my classes were so easy, it was actually pretty ridiculous. I only had 2 or 3 classes I found to be challenging. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Most courses are a good mix of both learning styles. In the IT field, there will always be hands-on work because it's really the only way to truly learn the material. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | I love the availability of online classes. More and more courses are being offered online every semester. There are also a lot of courses available in the evening! |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | There is almost always someone available to talk to if you have questions about your courses, degree, career, etc. There are always open computer labs for people in the IT program and tutors available, for free, in many subjects. |
| Social Life | Honestly, I don't know. I've never attended any social events. I have only had 1 "classroom" course in the past several years. | |
| Placement Services | 5 | Aside from the co-op work options and a few stray jobs here and there, the college doesn't offer much in the way of job placement. This isn't a service I've ever needed to utilize, though. |
| Alumni Network | Honestly, I don't have much of an opinion on this. As a student who leans towards all online courses, I don't have much experience with the actual people at the College. |
CCC&TI • Hudson, NC
Studying Information Systems (completion in 1999)
• 2/26/2012
"I am very grateful for the opportunities my education provided. If it weren't for the instructors and affordable tuition, I would not be where I am today."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would definitely recommend them to anyone wanting a career in the IT field. It would be a great learning experience for anyone. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | The school's reputation is solid. Their degrees are very respected in the job market with a high employment rate upon graduation. |
| Program Quality | 8 | CCC&TI has always offered excellent degree/certificate programs. They are fully accredited and provide quality instructors to teach their courses. |
| Instruction | 9 | The instructors were very knowledgeable. They also believed in working with students to make sure they understood what needed to be taken out of their classes. |
| How Difficult | 7 | This course of study might be difficult for someone not coming from a computer background. I had the background going in, so I loved my field of study. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We were offered a great mix of hands on and book learning. That mix helped to broaden my knowledge and better prepare me for the workforce I was entering into. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 6 | Being a small college, there is no flexibility with classes. Instructors are more flexible with times once classes begin. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | CCC&TI offers many resources to nurture learning. They have multiple computer labs, a huge media center and library, and a well-staffed department of advisors and staff. |
| Social Life | 7 | Although I didn't participate in many school activities, I did develop friendships that have lasted throughout the years since graduation. I do know that they offer many social events and organizations. |
| Placement Services | 8 | Although the job market is pretty stagnant, they are able to help place graduates in certain fields. They offer as much help as possible to point folks in the right direction. |
| Alumni Network | I have not had many dealings with the alumni association over the years. I am not sure how effective it really is. |
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