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Total Credits14 (45 required for admission)
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Cost
The Information Technology Infrastructure certificate will teach you IT best practices, initiatives, and operations from a business perspective. The curriculum emphasizes hands-on learning and application as well as theory, allowing you to apply what you've learned right away.
Each of the six tracks consists of a core course and is completed with two technical electives. If you don't choose a track, you can design your own course of study.
- Data Management
- Data Science
- Development and Operations (DevOps)
- Networking
- Security
- Systems
Courses
Prerequisites
Your academic background and professional experience will be reviewed holistically to make a final determination about any needed prerequisites. You may need to complete one or more of the following courses.
- MATH 1271 Calculus I (4 cr) or MATH 1042 Mathematics of Design (4 cr)
- CSCI 1103 Intro to Computer Programming in Java (4 cr)
- CSCI 1133 Introduction to Computing and Programming Concepts (4 cr)
- CSCI 1933 Introduction to Algorithms and Data Structures (4 cr)
- CSCI 2021 Machine Architecture and Organization (4 cr)
- INET 4001 Intro to Operating Systems (4 cr)
- INET 4002 Foundations of Networking (3 cr)
- INET 3101 C Programming: Language and Applications (2 cr)
Tracks (Sub-plans)
Please consult with your advisor to determine which sub-plan best fits your career plans.
Data Management
This track features hands-on experience with data, starting in relational databases, migrating to NoSQL (big data) concepts, and culminating with building infrastructure to support data management.
- IT Infrastructure Operations (INET 4051, 3 cr)
- Intro to Databases (INET 4707, 4 cr)
- Data Management I: Fundamentals (INET 4709, 3 cr)
- Data Management II: Distributed Systems (INET 4711, 4 cr)
Planning Chart | A guide to help you schedule your courses
Course Catalog | Course descriptions and prerequisites
Class Schedule | Course details by semester
Data Science
Learn to use massive amounts of data to ask questions, find patterns and anomalies, and further the research and development of industries outside of IT, such as health care and biological sciences.
- IT Infrastructure Operations (INET 4051, 3 cr)
- Intro to Databases (INET 4707, 4 cr)
- Data Science I: Fundamentals (INET 4061, 3 cr)
- Data Science II: Advanced (INET 4062, 4 cr)
Planning Chart | A guide to help you schedule your courses
Course Catalog | Course descriptions and prerequisites
Class Schedule | Course details by semester
DevOps (Development and Operations)
This track covers the development of applications, as well as the role of code in the building, managing, and monitoring of infrastructure and operating systems and the packages required to run those applications.
- Foundations of Networking (INET 4002, 3 cr)
- DevOps I: Network Programming (INET 4021, 4 cr)
- IT Infrastructure Operations (INET 4051, 3 cr)
- DevOps II: Development Strategies (INET 4121, 4 cr)
Planning Chart | A guide to help you schedule your courses
Course Catalog | Course descriptions and prerequisites
Class Schedule | Course details by semester
Networking
The Networking track develops foundational knowledge of how networks work-everything from theory to physical devices.
- Foundations of Networking (INET 4002, 3 cr)
- Networking I: Network Administration (INET 4011, 4 cr)
- Networking II: Emerging Technologies (under development)
- IT Infrastructure Operations (INET 4051, 3 cr)
Planning Chart | A guide to help you schedule your courses
Course Catalog | Course descriptions and prerequisites
Class Schedule | Course details by semester
Security
The Security track provides foundational knowledge in not just "keeping people out," but also the how and why of security breaches. This specialty examines the tools and mechanisms to track who did what, and covers the exponentially growing challenges of cloud security.
- Security II: Cyber Security (INET 4007, 4 cr)
- IT Infrastructure Operations (INET 4051, 3 cr)
- Intro to Security: Policy and Regulation (INET 4153, 4 cr)
- Security I: Principles (INET 4165, 3 cr)
Planning Chart | A guide to help you schedule your courses
Course Catalog | Course descriptions and prerequisites
Class Schedule | Course details by semester
Systems
Stepping from the fundamentals of bare metal computing to cloud, virtualization, and software defined networking requires a unique focus.
- Intro to Systems (INET 4031, 4 cr)
- Systems I: Storage (INET 4032, 4 cr)
- IT Infrastructure Operations (INET 4051, 3 cr)
- Systems II: Analysis and Design (INET 4083W, 3 cr)
Planning Chart | A guide to help you schedule your courses
Course Catalog | Course descriptions and prerequisites
Class Schedule | Course details by semester
Self-Designed
You may design your own 14-credit area of emphasis based on your individual experience and goals. Advisor approval is required. Below is a list of some of the courses you may take:
- Intro to Operating Systems (INET 4001, 4 cr)
- Foundations of Networking (INET 4002, 3 cr)
- Security II: Cyber Security (INET 4007, 4 cr)
- Networking I: Network Administration (INET 4011, 4 cr)
- DevOps I: Network Programming (INET 4021, 4 cr)
- Introduction to Systems (INET 4031, 4 cr)
- Systems I: Storage (INET 4032, 4 cr)
- Networking II: Emerging Technologies (INET 4XXX, under development, 4 cr)
- IT Infrastructure Operations (INET 4051, 3 cr)
- Data Science I: Fundamentals (INET 4061, 3 cr)
- IT Infrastructure Projects and Processes [WI] (INET 4082W, 3 cr)
- Systems II: System Analysis and Design (INET 4083, 3 cr)
- DevOps II: Development Strategies (INET 4121, 4 cr)
- Introduction to Security: Policy and Regulation (INET 4153, 4 cr)
- Security I: Principles (INET 4165, 3 cr)
- Directed Study (INET 4193, 1-4 cr)
- Introduction to Databases (INET 4707, 4 cr)
- Data Management I: Fundamentals (INET 4709, 3 cr)
- Data Science II: Advanced (INET 4062, 4 cr)
- Data Management II: Distributed Systems (INET 4711, 4 cr)
Planning Chart | A guide to help you schedule your courses
Course Catalog | Course descriptions and prerequisites
Class Schedule | Course details by semester
Admission
Admission Deadlines
Fall semester | July 15
Spring semester | November 15
Summer term | April 15
Admission Requirements
Minimum requirements include:
- 45 transferable semester credits completed;
- a preferred performance level of a 2.5 or better in your undergraduate or graduate-level work; if you do not have a cumulative 2.5 GPA but have relevant professional experience, contact an advisor regarding your admission;
- exposure to operating systems and lower-level programming languages such as C or Java is desirable.
Admission Benefits
You may take one or two courses in the program before applying for official admission, however, you should apply for admission as soon as possible.
As an admitted certificate student, you will:
- be assured that all of your course work will count toward the certificate (unless requirements change)
- receive updates about the program
- have an opportunity to register earlier than a student who is not admitted
- not be assessed the University of Minnesota Student Services fee
Transferring Credits
With approval, transfer course work can make up 40 percent of the certificate requirements, with at least 60 percent earned after admission and taken at the University of Minnesota.
In addition, the IT Infrastructure certificate can apply toward the IT Infrastructure Bachelor of Applied Science degree.
If you have any questions about how your credits may transfer in or out of this program, please consult with an advisor.
Current U of M Students
Are you a current U of M student interested in adding IT infrastructure to your studies? We also offer a IT Infrastructure minor.
Completion Requirements
To be awarded the certificate, you should complete all required coursework within four years of admission, with a minimum grade of C- and a cumulative GPA of 2.00. Refer to this planning document to help you prepare your course of study.
If you are completing an undergraduate degree as well as a certificate, there's no need to apply for graduation for your certificate. The credentials will be awarded simultaneously.
If you are completing a certificate only, you can apply for graduation online. After you've registered for your final course in the certificate, log in to myu.umn.edu and click on Student Center under key links, then My Academics and Apply for Graduation.
Registration
To find out when you should register, consult the Registration Calendar.
- If you are a U of M admitted student, register through MyU. Instructions can be found on One Stop.
- If you would like to take one of our courses but are a nonadmitted student (not formally admitted to a degree or certificate program), follow the registration steps outlined on One Stop.
Admissions Advising
Meet Jeff Olsen Krengel
I work with prospective students interested in our applied undergraduate majors (Construction Management, Health Services Management, and Information Technology Infrastructure) or designing their own degree program (Health & Wellbeing Sciences, Inter-College Program, and Multidisciplinary Studies). I’m available to answer your questions and help you find a program that meets your needs.
In my free time, I can be found reading, running with my son, or visiting a brewery. I am an avid sports fan cheering for the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota United FC, and Liverpool FC.
Give me a call at 612-625-4340, email me, or schedule an appointment on my calendar below.