CREDENTIALS: E-commerce degree

by Loretta W. Prencipe

January 31, 2001 —

The basics

E-commerce bachelor's degree

Private and public 4-year colleges and universities that offer the degree include Northwestern Oklahoma State University, University of South Alabama, and Old Dominion University.

Entrance requirements

Enrollment requirements vary. Students must gain entry into the university and often then must apply separately to enroll in the e-commerce program. Space within these programs is usually limited.

Cost

Tuition varies by school. Total in-state tuition (including textbooks) to complete an undergraduate e-commerce degree ranges from $3,000 to $13,000 per semester. Private-school tuition will be higher.

Sample courses

Because some e-commerce bachelor curriculums emphasize business and others focus on technology, course offerings vary. Some common examples include HTML I and II; Internet programming; operating systems; e-commerce law, policy and regulations; e-commerce technology system design; business-to-business marketing; and human/ computer interaction.

Vital statistics

Percent of IT professionals holding bachelor's degrees (non-specific)

Total: 98.5%

Vice presidents of e-commerce: 96.3%

Web developers: 99%

Percent of IT professionals with a technical bachelor's degrees (non-computer science)

Total: 18.9%

Vice presidents of e-commerce: 14.8%

Web developers: 15.6%

What people are saying

"Our e-commerce students do not graduate without implementing a full e-commerce Web site. They can immediately step into any corporation and make a difference."

-- Alex Pujari, dean, School of E-commerce, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Alva, Okla.

Web resource

DegreeSearch - www.degreesearch.com

Search for community colleges or 2-year institutions that offer associates degrees. Results obtained at the DegreeSearch site are limited to that site's content.

Source: 2000 InfoWorld Compensation Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

InfoWorld