Individuals who are interested in becoming an IT specialist should complete a bachelor's degree from a four-year college or university in information systems, computer engineering or computer science, as some employers require this. However, some job positions require computer specialists to only have a two-year associate degree from a community college. Schools such as Franklin University in Ohio and Indiana also offer IT specialist degree programs online, which is helpful for individuals who want to balance school with jobs or other personal commitments.
To get into a school for IT specialists, students must submit their high school diploma or GED. They also must take college placement tests in reading, English and math at schools such as the Pennsylvania College of Technology. These tests help the school's admissions team determine whether a student needs to take any developmental education courses before taking beginning IT classes. In addition, students must submit transcripts from any other colleges they attended in the past.
Schools for an IT specialist offer courses in programming, networking, network installation, web page development and databases. Students also learn about the UNIX/Linux computer operating system as well as financial accounting, information security, system analysis and even cryptography. Other IT program class requirements include statistics, speech communication and a social and behavioral science.
As part of the program at a school for IT specialists, students can complete a hands-on internship to gain experience in the field. The internship experience allows students to practice responding to questions from computer users at a company, running automatic diagnostic programs to solve computer problems, and even installing new computer hardware and software. Students also should get practice with writing training manuals and training computer users to use new software and hardware. Schools for IT specialists additionally prepare students to seek voluntary professional certification through hardware and software vendors, which can make them more marketable to employers.