Dr. Christian Sonnenberg: Florida Tech Nathan M. Bisk College of Business Offers Robust IT Program

By  //  December 27, 2021

EDUCATION SPOTLIGHT

A “TRIPLE PANTHER” who earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Florida Institute of Technology, Dr. Christian Sonnenberg is now associate dean of online and off-campus programs and an associate professor at the Nathan M. Bisk College of Business, which offers a robust IT program for business students. (Florida Tech image)

Career opportunities abound in information technology, Florida Tech’s IT curriculum provides an edge for students

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – A “Triple Panther” who earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Florida Institute of Technology, Dr. Christian Sonnenberg is now associate dean of online and off-campus programs and an associate professor at the Nathan M. Bisk College of Business, which offers a robust IT program for business students.

“Our IT degrees have a lot of flexibility,” he said. “It allows you to concentrate on a range of specialties such as networks, project management and security.”

Career opportunities abound in information technology. Systems analysts, for example, are in high demand, earning an annual median salary of approximately $91,000.

“Systems analysis is a very popular field right now since companies need to leverage the technologies out there for them,” said Sonnenberg.

“There are countless examples of companies that ignore changes and trends in technology and end up being left by the sidelines.”

Florida Tech’s IT curriculum provides an edge for students to position themselves advantageously in this rewarding field.

“Our degrees are designed to provide the technical expertise as well as the business background, so students can serve as liaisons between the business and tech realms,” said Sonnenberg.

Students can also focus on other specialized areas such as database administration, security analysis and network architecture.

“Alternatively, you could choose a broader path, such as IT management or systems administrator,” added Sonnenberg.
Another sizzling and fast-growing field is cybersecurity.

Students enrolled in Florida Tech’s MBA in cybersecurity explore core business principles from a management perspective, as well as cybersecurity practices from an in-depth perspective. The program, offered 100 percent online, exposes students to trends and best practices regarding risk assessment, security frameworks and computer security.

THE NATHAN M. BISK COLLEGE OF BUSINESS includes more than 2,000 students from a wide spectrum of nationalities, backgrounds and ages. The school’s namesake, Nathan M. Bisk, was a nationally known author of taxation, accounting and auditing texts, as well as continuing education programs.

“You learn how to analyze policy, trends and intelligence to better anticipate and identify current and emerging cyber threats to evaluate practices and procedures in order to prevent or minimize attacks,” said Sonnenberg.

“In addition, students gain hands-on experience with interactive workshops and labs, fostering a practical understanding of the mechanics behind cybersecurity.”

Many of the students enrolled in the program already possess industry experience in information technology or information science.

“They can leverage that in the discussion boards and communications with other students and faculty,” said Sonnenberg, who admits that at times students teach him.

“When I teach classes, students will come up with new topics and trends I may have never heard of, and that feeds itself back into the class.”

Students find that what they learn in the classroom has immediate application.

“They can apply what they are learning to their real-world experience,” said Sonnenberg.

Among the courses he teaches is a software systems course covering the lifecycle of software.

“For this course, many students use their real-world career as an example, pitching potential software they design and explaining how it would affect their current companies,” said Sonnenberg.

Florida Tech has earned high marks for both its MBA and MS/IT programs, rated among the 2020 Top 50 online MBA programs by the Princeton Review and among the Top 100 online MBA programs by Fortune Education in 2021.

This year, the program was also ranked No. 26 online MBA program among private universities and Top Tier online MBA program for veterans by U.S. News & World Report. The Master of Science in Information Technology degree ranked No. 34 across all online IT programs.

An IT degree from the Bisk College of Business rewards students with highly marketable skills sets in the areas of business and technology, but there is more.

“You will also learn skills such as teamwork, communication, ethics and leadership, things that not only are core across all of our degrees, but also invaluable attributes needed in today’s competitive workforce,” said Sonnenberg.

For more on Florida Tech’s Bisk College of Business, visit fit.edu/business.

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