Online Technology Management Degrees

Technology management is a broad-based field that can apply to all kinds of tech-minded professionals, from computer systems engineers to graphic design managers to web design and new media professionals to IT managers. If you are an ambitious student who wants a management position in whatever tech-related field you’re interested in, an online technology management degree can provide you with the training and skills you need to compete for the jobs with the highest potential for career growth. Most online technology management degrees allow students to choose their computer or technology field and supplement their technical education with a business and management concentration during the second part of the program. Students will learn the skills they need to excel in the business world and manage whole departments or offices, giving them more opportunity
for advancement and more freedom and flexibility when they search for jobs.

Because an online technology management degree ultimately prepares students for careers in more senior-level positions, completing a bachelor’s degree program is usually standard. Some programs allow students to earn an associate’s degree in a technical field for the first two years, and then concentrate on a business/management curriculum for the next two years, culminating in a bachelor of science degree. Other programs may opt to let students combine coursework over four years for a more traditionally organized bachelor’s degree. When searching for schools, make sure you research the technical major offerings to make sure your preferred field is available. You may major in information technology, graphic design, computer applications design, software engineering, or another field. Business and management courses that will probably be required, or at least offered, in your program should include decision making, business ethics, marketing, macro- and microeconomics, financial accounting, principles of management, business communications and more. A core curriculum and liberal arts and sciences will also be required for a bachelor’s degree.

There are many different career paths for graduates of online technology management degree programs. Whether you work in-house for a large firm, for a government agency, or for a smaller technology services firm that other companies turn to for assistance, you will find opportunities for promotion and career growth. The job outlook will mostly depend on the overall health of your niche technology field. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that computer software engineers, for example, will experience excellent job growth through 2016, while computer programmers will see a small decline in the number of opening positions over the next few years. Computer scientists and database administrators will see a 37 percent increase in employment through 2016, which is much higher than the national average. Managers who choose to go back to school and earn a graduate level degree in business management and/or pursue executive professional certificate programs in business or their technical field will continue to see their salary levels increase as well.