A Comparative Study of IT and IS: Curriculum and Skills Development

Information Technology (IT) and Information Systems (IS) programs were compared in terms of curriculum content and skills development. A descriptive research design was used, with data gathered from first- and second-year students through structured questionnaires and analyzed using frequency counts and percentage distributions.

Findings show that both programs share a strong foundation in core computing subjects, particularly programming. However, IT curricula emphasize technical domains such as networking, system administration, and software development, while IS curricula integrate technical subjects with business and organizational components. IT students demonstrate stronger focus on programming and selected technical skills, whereas IS students exhibit broader exposure across technical areas and stronger development of communication, teamwork, and leadership skills.

Overall, the study concludes that IT is oriented toward technical specialization, while IS emphasizes interdisciplinary competencies combining technology and organizational applications.