Web Information Systems

Bachelor of Science

About This Program | Curriculum | Suggested Sequence

Philosophy

The World Wide Web has become an ubiquitous influence to all aspects of commerce and professional/personal interactions among a worldwide citizenry—both corporate and private—within today’s increasingly global economy. The latest technical skills are critically important for the success of any commercial enterprise. Students in Wilmington University’s Web Information Systems degree program learn the latest in software development technologies for the web, achieve a sound understanding of current business practices, and develop capable communications skills. This gives the student the broad education needed to compete for jobs in today’s global marketplace.

Use of the Internet has changed the way the world communicates. The influence of the World Wide Web on both business and private interaction has become universal in its impact. As such, the Internet has become an indispensable tool in our daily lives. And, because technology expands at an incredible pace, those who fail to keep abreast with the times will quickly lose their competitive edge.

To buy the latest bestseller, it is increasingly more convenient to search the Internet and visit a website. Should the targeted website be one that has been visited earlier, it is likely that this revisited webpage is automatically customized to reflect prior transactions - items looked at before are recounted, and summaries of what similarly inclined customers bought when they purchased the same item are presented. That "real-time" and commercially meaningful information is retrieved from databases working behind the scene. Successful enterprises have learned that to keep customers informed and accommodated, static web pages are no longer enough. Web pages today, whether they serve as portals to commercial enterprises for the general public or internal portals for staff, out of necessity have become "dynamic" and "data-driven". This means that the web pages are created instantaneously, at the click of a mouse, and customized for each particular viewer. "Dynamic" capability provides an enormous competitive advantage in a markedly competitive and technologically augmented global marketplace.

Purpose

The goal of the Web Information Systems program is focused on preparing students for careers in web application development. Accordingly, it not only incorporates the detailed skills and knowledge needed to work in the present-day software environment but also stresses fundamental concepts that persist across rapid technology changes. The Web Information Systems degree looks at web development tools currently in demand; the curriculum is presently focusing on MAMP/LAMP, the open source web platforms compatible with all computing environments, including Windows, Mac, and Linux. The technologies of choice within this curriculum (which, by design, will dynamically change to meet the requirements dictated by innovation) include PHP, Java, and MySQL. Theory courses concentrate on user-centered design, object oriented methodologies, and the most current systems analysis and software project management techniques.