Program Overview
Expand your options with a B.S. in IT – Network and System Administration
Earn a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology – Network and System Administration and explore how to keep networks and servers performing at optimum efficiency by configuring the latest hardware, software, and upgrades. Offered by NKU's respected College of Informatics, this affordable online program will prepare you for Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification, as you learn how to provide technical support, manage user access and system permissions, troubleshoot IT issues, and maintain network security.
Finish your information technology degree quickly by transferring up to 90 credit hours and gain immediately applicable skills in incident response, security protocols, and implementation of firewalls.
In this 100% online B.S. in IT – Network and System Administration program, you will learn how to:
- Analyze a complex computing problem and apply principles of computing and other relevant disciplines to identify solutions
- Perform system administration tasks and apply programming concepts to software implementation
- Apply security principles and practices to maintain operations in the presence of risks and threats
- Understand networking fundamentals and be able to design and troubleshoot networks
Gain new skills in:
- SQL
- Python™
- AWS
- Linux
Potential Careers:
- Systems Administrator
- Network Engineer
- IT Architect
- Systems Engineer
Credit for prior learning acknowledges your experiences and can save you time and money on your degree.
You might be closer to graduation than you think!
Have questions or need more information about our online programs?
Also available:
Northern Kentucky University offers a variety of technology programs online. Learn more about our online technology programs.
Tuition
See the benefits of our budget-friendly tuition
The B.S. in Information Technology – Network and System Administration online program offers the same affordable, pay-by-the-course tuition to in-state and out-of-state students. Financial aid may be available to students who qualify.
Tuition breakdown:
Program | Per Credit Hour* | University Fee Per Credit Hour** | Total Per Credit Hour** |
---|---|---|---|
B.S. in IT – Network and System Administration | $475 | $16 | $491 |
With Path to Success Scholarship and Locked-In Tuition* | $275 | $16 | $291 |
Tuition and fees are subject to change at any time.
*The Path to Success Scholarship with Tuition Lock is available to first-time NKU OnlineA students only; existing students may not participate. The Scholarship is comprised of savings off the original price of $475, for a $275 per-credit-hour tuition rate, bringing the total cost to $291 per credit hour, including the activity fee. The Scholarship cannot be combined with any other offer and is not available for the RN to BSN online program. Students who step out of the program for more than a year (thus requiring a new application) will no longer receive the $275 tuition lock; instead, they must pay the tuition or scholarship rate available at the time of new enrollment. Excludes some program-specific fees that will be divided and assessed by credit hour based on the number of hours taken.
Tuition and fees subject to change at any time.
Ranked among the “Top Public Colleges” by Forbes, 2022
Calendar
Note these important deadlines
The B.S. in IT – Network and System Administration is delivered in a convenient online format, with 7-week courses that start six times a year. View the full calendar to see all upcoming dates. When you're ready to get started, be sure to submit your application, registration, documents, and tuition by the corresponding deadlines.
Now Enrolling:
Session | Program Start Date | Application Deadline | Document Deadline | Registration Deadline | Tuition Deadline | Last Class Day |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Summer 1 | 05/08/2023 | 04/26/2023 | 05/01/2023 | 05/04/2023 | 05/08/2023 | 06/23/2023 |
Summer 2 | 06/26/2023 | 06/14/2023 | 06/19/2023 | 06/22/2023 | 06/26/2023 | 08/11/2023 |
Fall 1 | 08/21/2023 | 08/09/2023 | 08/14/2023 | 08/18/2023 | 08/21/2023 | 10/06/2023 |
Fall 2 | 10/18/2023 | 10/05/2023 | 10/10/2023 | 10/13/2023 | 10/18/2023 | 12/08/2023 |
Spring 1 | 01/08/2024 | 01/02/2024 | 01/04/2024 | 01/05/2024 | 01/08/2024 | 02/23/202$ |
Spring 2 | 03/11/2024 | 02/29/2024 | 03/04/2024 | 03/08/2024 | 03/11/2024 | 04/26/2024 |
Ranked among the "Best Colleges for Information Technology in America" by Niche (2023)
Ready to take the next step toward earning your degree online from Northern Kentucky University?
Admissions
Gather these admission materials for the B.S. in IT – Network and System Administration
The admission process is the first step toward earning your B.S. in Information Technology – Network and System Administration degree online. Please reach out to one of our enrollment specialists for any questions you might have. Requirements for admission to this program include:
View full admission requirements
B.S. in IT – Network and System Administration Online Admission Requirements
Applicants for the B.S. in Information Technology – Network and System Administration online program are evaluated on a holistic basis and must meet the following requirements:
Transfer Admission
Transfer applicants are students who have graduated from high school and have previously attempted coursework for credit (other than college credits taken while in high school) at another accredited college or university.
Students with a minimum 2.0 GPA from an accredited institution and 24 or more transferable credit hours must submit the following:
- Complete online application and pay $40 non-refundable application fee
- If you are an NKU alumni or active/veteran military member, your application fee will be waived. Simply submit the online application without payment of the application fee. The fee will be waived when your credentials are verified. No further action is required.
- Official transcripts from each college attended
- if applicable, transcripts from accredited Federal Bureau of Prisons or Police Academy program
Students with a minimum 2.0 GPA and fewer than 24 transferable credit hours are evaluated based on the freshman admission standards and must supply the following:
- Complete online application and pay $40 non-refundable application fee
- If you are an NKU alumni or active/veteran military member, your application fee will be waived. Simply submit the online application without payment of the application fee. The fee will be waived when your credentials are verified. No further action is required.
- Official transcripts from each college attended
- if applicable, transcripts from accredited Federal Bureau of Prisons or Police Academy program
- Final and official high school transcript or GED scores
- New transfer students who apply to the University with fewer than 24 college credit hours earned and a 2.75 and greater unweighted high school GPA will be offered admissions regardless of ACT/SAT scores. Please note: Nursing and respiratory care programs require ACT/SAT scores.
- New transfer students with a 2.7499 unweighted high school GPA and less will be required to submit ACT or SAT test scores:
- Required ACT scores:
18 (English, math, reading) - Required SAT scores:
Prior to March 2016: 430 (math, writing); 450 (critical reading)
March 2016 to present: 480 (evidence-based reading and writing); 470 (math)
- Required ACT scores:
Freshman Applicants
A freshman applicant is a prospective student who has not attempted coursework at an accredited college or university (other than college credit earned while in high school or during the summer immediately following high school graduation).
Students who are 21 years or older and have never attended college (other than college credits taken while in high school) must supply:
- Complete online application and pay $40 non-refundable application fee
- If you are an NKU alumni or active/veteran military member, your application fee will be waived. Simply submit the online application without payment of the application fee. The fee will be waived when your credentials are verified. No further action is required.
- Official high school transcripts or GED scores
Students who are under 21 years old and have never attended college (other than college credits taken while in high school) must supply:
- An online application form
- A $40 nonrefundable application fee
- Official high school transcripts or GED scores
- Freshmen applicants must have at least a 2.0 unweighted high school GPA to be considered for admissions.
- Freshman applicants with a 2.75 and greater unweighted high school GPA will be offered admissions regardless of ACT/SAT scores. Please note: Nursing and respiratory care programs require ACT/SAT scores.
- Freshman applicants with a 2.7499 unweighted high school GPA and less will be required to submit ACT or SAT exam scores:
- Required ACT scores:
18 (English, math, reading) - Required SAT scores:
Prior to March 2016: 430 (math, writing); 450 (critical reading)March 2016 to present: 480 (evidence-based reading and writing); 470 (math)
- Required ACT scores:
NKUWrite (English and reading) and ALEKS (math) scores are encouraged for placement. Some courses may require placement testing depending on transfer credit or ACT scores. Our Testing Services office can help you schedule these tests.
Official documents may be mailed or emailed to:
Northern Kentucky UniversityOffice of Admissions
Lucas Administrative Center
400 Nunn Drive
Highland Heights, KY 41099
Have a question? Call us at 800-985-7215.
Courses
Preview your network and system administration coursework
For the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology – Network and System Administration online, students must complete a total of 120 credit hours. Students are required to take 5 informatics core courses (13 credit hours), 7 information technology core courses (19 credit hours), 3 additional core courses (9 credit hours), 5 major electives (15 credit hours) and general education courses (37 credit hours). Students must select either a minor (21-28 credit hours) or an area of focus (12 credit hours). The remaining hours are to be taken as free electives.
Students must take the following courses:
INF 100: Orientation to College Informatics
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 1
Assist first-year students transitioning to NKU and the COI through activities related to academic, social and personal development. Discover university resources and build community to develop a better understanding of the learning process and acquire essential success skills. Students will examine growth mindset and skills for college and lifelong learning.
INF 120: Elementary Programming – NS
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
An elementary introduction to programming for those with no previous programming experience. Emphasis on understanding how to read and write basic procedural programs, and on understanding the concepts of algorithm and execution. Prerequisite: MAT 102
INF 282: Introduction to Databases
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Core concepts for the design, creation, and manipulation of relational databases. Analysis of data requirements, conceptual modeling, definition of the relational model, relational database design and normalization, and database implementation; manipulation of relational databases using relational algebra with SQL. Prerequisite(s): C or better in MAT 102 (or higher) or placement.
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Database concepts and practice essential for the database programmer: relational databases; Structured Query Language; entity-relationship model; ER to relational; relational algebra; design and implementation of relational database applications. Prerequisite: CSC 360.
INF 284: Introduction to Computer Networks
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Introduction to computer networking principles, focusing on network applications such as HTTP, Email, DNS, SSH and DHCP. Various protocols in the TCP/IP stack and emerging networking technologies are covered. Lab exercises reinforce concepts. Prerequisite(s): C- or better in MAT 103 (or higher) and one of INF 110, INF 120 or CIT 130.
INF 286: Introduction to Web Development
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
An introduction to web design and development for majors in the informatics fields. Web page creation with use of HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Website development best practices. Website development process. Prerequisite(s): C- or better in MAT 103 (or higher)
Students must take the following courses:
CIT 130: Information Technology Fundamentals
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Introduction to the organization of computers, operating systems, and networks; comparison of common operating systems; hands-on experience in PC construction and configuration; data representation; overview of the information technology industry and its societal context. Prerequisites: MAT 102 or placement and ENG 101R or placement.
CIT 171: Introduction to Linux
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Students learn how to navigate and perform basic tasks in the Linux operating system command line interface through hands-on experience. Prerequisites: ENG 101 or ENG 101R or placement.
CIT 247: Networking Fundamentals
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Data link control, communications network techniques, network protocols (IP, TCP, UDP); planning and deploying a LAN; wireless networking; routing; security; introduction to Cisco IOS. Prerequisite(s): C- or better in CIT 130, CIT 171 and INF 284.
CIT 271: Windows Administration
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Organization of the Windows operating system; installation, configuration and recovery; scripting using batch files; user management; basic server administration and directory services. Prerequisites: INFO 120 and CIT 247 or INFO 284.
CIT 285: Cybersecurity Fundamentals
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
An introduction to fundamental concepts and technologies in cyber-security, with lab exercises that focus on practical aspects of securing computers. Topics include risk analysis, common attacks and defenses, authentication, access control, network security, application and data security, and cryptography. Not open to students who have completed or are taking CIT 480. Prerequisites: CIT 130 and CIT 247 or INFO 284.
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Advanced usage and basic administration of Unix/Linux systems, including management of files, users and processes, tools for editing and pattern matching, shell scripting, and software installation. Prerequisites: INFO 120 and CIT 247 or INFO 284.
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Programming in a dynamically typed scripting language, including interfacing to operating system and network services and automation of common system administration tasks. Prerequisites: INFO 120 and CIT 271 or CIT 371.
Students must take the following courses:
STA 205: Introduction to Statistical Methods
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Graphical descriptive measures; numerical descriptive measures; probability; hypothesis testing, estimation; analysis of variance; chi-square; regression; analysis by means of statistical software. Not open to students who have completed STA 250 or STA 314. Prerequisites: P in MAT 101 or placement.
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Ethical issues faced by computing professionals including those related to computing in the workplace, security, crime, privacy, property rights, risk, liability, and the internet. Prerequisite: Sophomore status or consent of instructor
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Principles and techniques of technical writing, with particular attention paid to conveying technical content to lay audiences and nonspecialists. Students learn the value of visuals, style, and design in communicating complex content and are introduced to the types of documents central to the technical professions. WRITING STUDIES. Prerequisite: ENG 102, HNR 102 or equivalent
Students must take the following courses plus one additional 300 or 400 level CIT course.
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
An introduction to the concepts and technologies of cloud computing, including designing, operating, upgrading, and securing cloud systems. Concepts and technologies covered include server and network virtualization, load balancers, caches, service delivery, configuration management, monitoring, and capacity planning. Prerequisites: C- or better in CIT 371.
CIT 447: Network Design/Troubleshooting
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Network and transport protocols; switch and router configuration; network topologies, network design, and routing; VLANs; capacity planning and redundancy; routing protocols; wide-area networks; layer 2 and layer 3 troubleshooting; IPv4 and IPv6; network management and security. Prerequisite(s): C- or better in CIT 247.
CIT 470: Advanced Network and System Administration
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Administering networks of computer systems as a team; user account management and LDAP; network file systems; e-mail servers; automated installs; help desk software and management; and data centers. Prerequisites: C- or better in CIT 271, CIT 371 and CIT 383.
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
In-depth study of firewalls and intrusion detection/prevention systems; incident response; security protocols and VPNs; network server security; viruses and worms; wireless security; network security architecture and policy development. Prerequisites: CIT 247 and CIT 285 or CIT 480.
Students must complete a minor or take 12 credit hours from a declared area of focus outside of INFO, CIT or CYS courses.
Students must take up to 15 credit hours of free electives to reach the bachelor's degree minimum of 120 credit hours for graduation.
Students must take 37 credit hours of general education courses, selected from the following categories. Note: Some general education courses may be part of the major/minor/focus requirements. If so, those courses may be used to count for both general education and the major/minor/focus.
- General Education Courses:
- Communication; Written (3 credits)
- Communication; Written II (3 credits)
- Communication; Oral (3 credits)
- Scientific and Quantitative Inquiry
- Mathematics and Statistics (3 credits)
- Scientific and Quantitative Inquiry
- Natural Sciences with lab (4 credits)
- Scientific and Quantitative Inquiry
- Natural Sciences without lab (3 credits)
- Self and Society
- Cultural Pluralism (3 credits)
- Self and Society
- Individual and Society (3 credits)
- Self and Society
- Individual and Society (3 credits)
- Culture and Creativity (3 credits)
- Culture and Creativity (3 credits)
- Global Viewpoints (3 credits)