Published August 2005

ITT Tech Institute adds business, criminal justice

By Kimberly Hilden
SCBJ Assistant Editor

ITT Technical Institute has long been in the business of educating the next generation of information technology and electronics workers. In the past few years, however, the private college system has expanded its reach to include business and criminal justice degree programs.

Locally, ITT’s Bothell campus began offering its bachelor’s of science degrees in business administration and criminal justice in late 2004, said Jon Scherrer, director of recruitment for ITT’s Bothell campus, which soon will be relocating to Everett.

Describing the program as “infused with technology,” Scherrer said the business administration curriculum includes a combination of technical core classes such as “Introduction to Computing” and “Strategies for the Technical Professional” along with more than 100 credits of core business classes that focus on accounting, marketing, management and communication.

“As you would expect from a technical college, our curriculum blends research methods and theory with a good mix of experiential learning,” Scherrer said. “For technology students, that equates to lab time; for business students, that means more real-world experience.”

Along with the business administration degree, the Bothell campus’ other business offerings include a bachelor’s degree in technical project management and an online master’s of business administration degree.

“Our students actually have an education path,” Scherrer said. “If they are technology-focused, they can receive an associate of applied science degree and then go on to a bachelor’s degree. That unique structure also helps those community college students looking to complete their bachelor’s degree.

“Once they receive a bachelor’s degree, they can actually go to our online MBA program and receive their MBA in about a year and half,” he added.

All of the business degrees are offered through ITT’s School of Business, one of five such schools operated by the educational institute. The other four include the School of Information Technology, the School of Drafting and Design, the School of Electronics Technology and the School of Criminal Justice.

Under the School of Criminal Justice, the bachelor’s degree in criminal justice has been the Bothell campus’ fastest-growing program, Scherrer said, noting that it has a higher enrollment rate of women than the institution’s other programs.

“It’s almost a 50-50 enrollment percentage; our technical side has been traditionally male-driven enrollment. That diversity is very positive for the school and for the community,” he said.

Much like the business degree programs, a big difference in ITT’s criminal justice program is its merging of technology with traditional course offerings, Scherrer said. So students learn about the physical forensics of a crime scene as well as the ins-and-outs of computer forensics.

Another big difference is the number of core criminal justice credits required.

“At ITT Tech, more than half of the credits required for your degree are actually criminal justice classes. This type of heavy focus appeals to students,” he said.

To keep its programs in sync with local needs, ITT and each of its five schools rely on input from advisory committees made up of members from the community, local officials and industry experts, Scherrer said.

ITT’s Bothell campus is one of more than 75 across the United States. Operated by Indiana-based ITT Educational Services Inc., the 30-state network of colleges has been in operation since 1969.

For more information about ITT or its Bothell campus, located at 2525 223rd St. SE, call 800-272-3791 or go online to www.itt-tech.edu.

Scherrer said the school plans on relocating to 1615 75th St. SW, in Everett, during September.

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