Bachelor of Information Technology

A Bachelor of Information Technology degree is an undergraduate academic degree that generally requires three to five years of study to acquire. While the degree has a major focus on computers and technology, it differs from a Computer Science degree in that students are also expected to study management and information theory. Therefore, while a degree in computer science can be expected to concentrate on the scientific aspects of computing, a degree in information technology can be expected to concentrate on the business and communication applications of computing, although there is more emphasis on these two areas in the e-commerce, e-business computing for business and Business information technology undergraduate courses.

A Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (abbreviated as B.Sc IT) is a kind of bachelor's degree typically conferred after a period of three to four year undergraduate course of study in Information Technology (IT). The degree itself is a bachelor of science with institutions conferring degrees in the fields of information technology and related fields.

Specific names for the degress vary across countries, and even universites within countries. Common abbreviations include BIT, BInfTech, BInfoTech or B.ICT. Some countries differentiate between a Bachelor of Arts in the field and a Bachelor of Science.

Australia

In Australia a BIT is a three or four year under graduate degree.

At the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), BIT is a 3 year co-op scholarship degree with a 1 year job placement. However UTS also offer BSc(IT) degree, which is a technical 3 year degree with a 4th year optional honours year.

At the University of New South Wales BIT is referred to as "Business in Information technology" and is also a co-op scholarship degree that lasts 4 years.

At the University of Sydney BIT is a 4 year technical program, related to degrees such as Computer Science and Software Engineering.

At the Macquarie University BIT is a 3 year technical program, related to degrees such as Computer Science and Software Engineering/Information Systems.

At Swinburne University of Technology, BIT is a 3 year co-op scholarship degree incorporating two six-month job placements.^[1] An optional 4th year honours year is also available for students whom successfully complete the BIT from Swinburne University.^[2]

The state of the BIT program in Australia is unstable, as many universities offer it as a technical program while others as a business, e-commerce related program. The Australian Computer Society recognises all BIT degrees, however Engineers Australia only recognises BIT degrees that are technical.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]

Canada

In Canada a BIT is a four year under graduate degree.

India

In India, Bachelor of Information Technology is a 3 year undergraduate course. One such degree program is Bachelor of Information Technology offered by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) at New Delhi in collaboration with leading UK vocational qualification provider Edexcel, which was formed by merger of two bodies, the BTEC (Business & Technology Education Council) and ULEAC (University of London Examinations and Assessment Council).

Course is divided into 9-trimesters, with first 2 years incorporating Curriculum from Edexcel, successful completion of 2 years leads to award of BTEC HND (Higher National Diploma) in Computing or Computing & Multimedia from Edexcel followed by final year course by IGNOU leading to award of Bachelor of Information Technology Degree.

Few salient features of this program differentiates it from many other program offered at IGNOU.

- Admission to the program is done through nation-wide entrance test. - This is a full-time program with 5 days a week classes and labs at selected IGNOU centers. - Assessments are done through Assignments, Projects, Practical and Trimester-end exams. - Students completing a degree get lateral entry into 2nd year of MCA (Master of Computer Applications) program at IGNOU & few other Universities.

Malaysia

Most of Public Universities and Private University and Colleges in Malaysia offer BIT degrees.

Netherlands

In The Netherlands Bachelor of Information and Communication Technology degrees are awarded after four years of study and the completion of a thesis with a specialization in a certain field such as Informatics, Computer Engineering, Information Science or Software Engineering.

The formal title awarded to a student after successfully defending his thesis before an examination committee is ingenieur (abbr. ing.) and B.ICT, the former being the Dutch equivalent of a Bachelor of Engineering degree.

Sri Lanka

There are two types of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSc in IT), as for any other Bachelor of Science degree in the country. First of these is a four year degree which is known as a special degree with a major or a specialization. A lesser three year Bachelor of Science in Information Technology are awarded without a major, which is called general degree in Sri Lanka.

In Sri Lanka Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) is 3 year undergraduate degree without any specialization, mostly awarded as an external degree.

BIT (Bachelor of Information technology) is a valid qualification. In future graduates holding this degree will have a great future than the Bsc Computer science degree holders.At present there is a lot of competition among Sri Lankan students to enter this degree programme.

United States

In the United States a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology is awarded after four years of study. Most such degrees are accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)^[7].