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Scripps College of Communication
Schoonover Center
1 Ohio University
Athens OH 45701-2979
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Information and Telecommunication Systems Major, ECT (VR/AR) Track (B.S.C.)

ITS ECT Track in VR and Game Development 

Whenever you use the Internet, stream video or music, make a voice call, use your mobile device, or play an online game, information network technology is at work. Advanced network applications like live video, audio, or gaming frequently demand specific services from the network infrastructure. As the transport of advanced network applications increases, networks must understand the nature and specific needs of the traffic they carry, and advanced applications must understand the resources and capabilities available from networks. Cutting-edge applications like live video and gaming are a function of not only the type of data that is being transferred but of the transmission requirements of the information and the location of the information being exchanged. Augmented and virtual reality are two examples of applications that may demand specific services from networks. Such applications also need to know from where the required information can be delivered by the network to the end user. To address this technology transformation, the J. Warren McClure School of Emerging Technologies has instituted this separate track within our existing ITS degree. This new track (ECT) is dedicated to emerging communication technologies production, e.g., virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) while also covering information networking and telecommunication systems. Students possessing both networking and content production skills have a competitive advantage in the marketplace. The ITS/ECT major allows our students to develop this competitive edge by combining courses that build competency in both networking and content production.

The McClure School will prepare you for a career in the rapidly growing fields of Information and Telecommunication Systems, VR/AR, and Games. We offer the Bachelor of Science in Communication degree. To earn your degree, you will work with ITS/ECT faculty in the classroom and will utilize the School’s extensive laboratory facilities, gaining hands-on experience with the technologies that are revolutionizing the ways that individuals, businesses, and governments communicate, learn, and play. You will learn about the design, management, regulation, and application of information network technology; the production, use, and implementation of VR/AR; as well as how businesses acquire and sell such products and services. You will study how these collected technologies are changing the way people do business, consume entertainment, get an education, access healthcare, and go about their daily lives. ECT students also gain a strong foundation in business administration and automatically fulfill the requirements of the Business Administration Minor when completing courses required for the ITS/ECT degree. The ITS/ECT program is one of the few of its kind in the country and entirely unique both in Ohio and around the region

Opportunities Upon Graduation

Information network technology is the lifeblood of modern business. The intersection of networking technology, VR/AR, and business practices encompasses a wide variety of jobs, and ITS graduates can be found in many different roles. The School’s blend of theoretical study, production expertise, and practical experience continues to prove attractive to employers, including Fortune 500 companies, throughout the United States.

An ITS/ECT degree provides career opportunities in a variety of settings.  Major companies operate sophisticated business networks, and ITS graduates manage the operations and security of networks at companies in the insurance, banking, consumer product, industrial, government, and retail sectors. Companies that have hired ITS graduates include Progressive Insurance, Nationwide Insurance, Kroger, Marathon Petroleum, JP Morgan Chase, Cardinal Health, Fifth Third Bank, Xerox, and Abercrombie & Fitch. VR/AR students have gone on to work for Warner Brothers, Sony, Disney, Bethesda, Microsoft, Unity, and many other major tech and entertainment companies. ITS graduates are also employed in branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and in state and federal government offices.

Further, ITS graduates have found employment at major telecommunication and information service providers or vendors such as AT&T, Cincinnati Bell, CenturyLink, Verizon, Sprint, Cisco Systems, Time Warner Telecom, Level 3 Communications, Microsoft, IBM, EMC, Google, PowerNet Global, and XO Communications. Our students have also acquired positions with consulting companies like Accenture, Booz Allen Hamilton, Deloitte, PwC, and Capgemini. When combining VR/AR development skills with a focus on managing and engineering networks, overseeing network security, and selling information and telecommunication products and services, McClure graduates have boundless career opportunities.

The School’s placement rate is among the highest in the Scripps College of Communication. Our graduates enjoy substantial starting salaries.

Admissions Information

Our VR/AR track in ITS has no requirements beyond University admission requirements. If you are interested in transferring to our VR/AR track, please contact our undergraduate director Dr. Charles Linscott (linscoc@ohio.edu). Students need a minimum GPA of 2.5 to transfer into the VR/AR track. To complete this program, students must meet all University wide graduation requirements and the College-Level Requirements for the Scripps College of Communication. The major code is BC5383.

Course of Study

Through the ECT track in our ITS degree, you will gain both a foundational and advanced skill set to solve problems and create solutions in both the virtual reality & game development industry and the information networking industry.

In addition to Ohio University's general education courses, you will have the opportunity to take:

  • 4 introductory classes that will provide you with an understanding of the basis of VR & game design, the tools used to create immersive experiences and the basis of how data and information networks operate and are used to solve different types of problems.
  • 2 core classes that will enable you to start planning and designing your own immersive experiences.
  • 4 of our school's ITS or ECT electives classes from a variety of topics (at least three electives need to be in the ECT VR & Game Development are) in areas that cover multiple aspects of both fields. In the ECT field you can explore topics such as immersive audio, cineVR, basic and advanced game development or storytelling. In the ITS field you can explore topics such as cybersecurity, Internet of things, cloud engineering or Internet engineering.
  • 5 course area of concentration (AoC) sequence. These courses will let you explore opportunities and gain skill sets in other fields you have personal interest in and that will complement your major and professional goals. These courses are selected in coordination with your academic advisor.
  • Finally, all of our ECT track in ITS students complete a sequence of non-ITS classes that allow them to earn a Business Minor and gain foundational expertise in coding, statistics, economics and public speaking.
| 4 introductory classes | 2 core classes | 5 electives | 5 AoC | Other requirements |

The details of our ECT track in ITS undergraduate program and courses are directly available through this link to the entry in the undergraduate catalog.

Please feel free to contact us for more information about a degree that will enable you to build a solid career in the intersection between VR, game development and information networking.