Program overview

The Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) degree is a 4 year 128 credit hour program taught in English, designed to produce graduates who are competent in their major disciplines, as well as IT in general; graduates who are ready to be involved in the development of Omani industry. As the name "Colleges of Applied Sciences" suggests, our students are exposed to significant practical work and, where possible, linkages with Omani industry are being developed and exploited.
The BIT is offered in the CAS campuses of Sohar, Ibri, Sur, and Salalah.
The BIT program contains a core of main stream IT courses which expose our graduates to the concepts and topics about which all who work in the IT field should be familiar. Typically, web design and development; software design and implementation; information systems analysis and design; operating systems; networks; database; IT security; professional ethics; and such analytical courses as discrete mathematics and data structures. IT is a fast moving field however, and so space has been left in the program which can be filled with the innovations of the time; ensuring our graduates are aware of the latest IT trends. Presently the four majors of the BIT are Software Development, Data Management, IT Security, and Networks. The majors permit our students to explore their chosen field in greater depth with the addition of highly focused and specialised courses.

Entry Requirements

• English language.

• Not less than (D) in Pure mathematics or Mathematics.

Program Structure

The IT Program requires students to accumulate 128 credit hours during four years of their study. The total 128 credit hours include: 30 hours college requirements, 62 Department requirements, and 36 Major requirements.
First two years, four-semester courses are common among all specialization (Software Development, Information Technology Security, Data Management, and Computer Networks).

Graduate Attributes

Graduates of the BIT program are intellectually developed; have advanced knowledge and practical abilities in a range of IT fields; are able to work in a team or unsupervised; have advanced problem solving skills; can pursue lifelong learning; and have multidisciplinary and multicultural perspectives.

Details of Majors

The majors of the BIT convert our students from those with general IT knowledge and skills, into graduates with in-depth understanding and practical abilities in their chosen field. Students develop greater independence of thought and action through project work, and are exposed to state-of-the-art equipment, concepts, and terminology.

Software development

pushes the students understanding of abstract concepts through advanced data structures and the latest software innovations. Graduates of this major will be experienced in both procedural as well as object oriented languages, and a full year project is undertaken in conjunction with a course on software project management. Electives such as concurrent programming, computer graphics and artificial intelligence challenge the students further whilst adding an extra layer of interest and motivation.

Data management

addresses the complexities of large-scale distributed data as is found in the world today. Graduates will have worked with large amounts of web-based data, and designed and analysed a number of data searching and mining techniques and algorithms.

IT security

prepares students to understand and combat threats to security in a rapidly changing world. More than any other major, it is important to keep up with the market evolution and to keep abreast of concepts and implementation techniques.

Computer networks

offers grounding in current technology in use in Oman as well as the latest innovations across the world. Network technology, network management, internetworking, and wireless networking are all very relevant to the expansion of Oman today: combined with the concepts of network security make graduates of this major very useful to industry.

Career opportunities

IT has found its way into almost every aspect of modern life, and so it is no surprise to find IT specialists in an enormous variety of occupations and enterprises. From multi-national conglomerates and government ministries to small businesses, IT specialists support and innovate, bringing information access to where it is needed. In general IT specialists will take responsibility for the selection of hardware and software products to suit the needs of an organization. They will be involved with detailed organisational systems analysis, the integration of products with organizational needs and infrastructure, and may be responsible for installing, customizing, maintaining, and upgrading those applications as the organization grows. Examples of these responsibilities include the design and installation of networks; network administration and security; the design and maintenance of web pages; the development of multimedia resources; the installation of communication components; the selection and management of email systems; securing the working environment; and the planning and management of the technology lifecycle by which an organization s technology is maintained, upgraded, and replaced.

There are entrepreneurial IT consultants, typically self-employed, who focus specifically on the development and maintenance of databases and/or websites for small businesses or schools. Simple stand-alone systems, or more complex systems where on-line sales automatically update an inventory database and interact with accounting software, or where on-line registration automatically updates student loading and timetabling information.

Those looking to work in larger teams might consider the IT sections of medium to large businesses where staff engage fulltime in installing, customising, and maintaining hardware and software, in addition to large-scale database and/or network design and administration. Software houses employ large numbers of developers, working in teams to create function-specific programs for such as mobile phones, or generic programs such as games and virus protection.

The academic field may appeal to other graduates in terms of teaching and/or further study and research. After the appropriate pedagogical course BIT holders could be competent “computer studies” teachers, and for those who attain the necessary GPA, the BIT degree makes CAS graduates eligible for entry into post-graduate programs in many universities at home and abroad

Business Administration Program

Program overview

The Colleges of Applied Sciences (CAS), under the auspices of the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE), award Bachelor of  Business Administration (BBA). The following specializations are currently offered in Salalah, Nizwa and Ibri campuses:

• Business Administration

• Tourism and Hospitality 

• Accounting

The BBA program provides students with a multicultural understanding of business and its environments grounded on solid moral and ethical values. It is dedicated to the well-rounded development of students and in shaping them to be responsible and informed citizens of the Sultanate of Oman.

Entry Requirements

General Education Diploma, Islamic Institutes Diploma or Royal Guard Technical College Diploma with the following grades:

(Not less than C) in:

• English language

(Not less than D) in:

• Pure or Applied Mathematics or Mathematics.

• Social Studies or Business Administration.

Program Structure

The BBA Program requires students to accumulate 128 credit hours during four years of their study. The total 128 credit hours include: 36 hours College requirements, 35 Department requirements, and 57 Specialization requirements (18 credit hours as electives).

The first year, two-semester courses are common among all specializations (Business Administration, Tourism & Hospitality and Accounting).

Graduates Attributes

The BBA degree has been developed to impart business knowledge and build-up professional, intellectual and personal skills such as decision making, problem solving and time management. Graduates will acquire comprehensive knowledge of their chosen specialization which will enable them to maintain lifelong learning.

The key graduate attributes/skills are:

• Academic and Professional Knowledge: With academic and professional knowledge, the graduates will be able to work confidently.

• Communication Skills: Graduates will be in command of oral and written communication.

• Teamwork and Leadership: Graduates will have good interpersonal and leadership skills which will enable them to work independently and in teams.

• Information Technology (IT) Literacy: Graduates will be able to manage information successfully and acquire adequate IT skills.

• Global Perspective and Cross-cultural Adaptability: Graduates will learn how to think globally and act locally as well as adapt to any different business environments.

• Critical and Analytical Thinking: Graduates will be able to analyze critically and solve the day-to-day business-related problems.

• Social Responsibility and Ethics: Graduates will gain high standards of integrity, social responsibility and ethical actions.

• Entrepreneurial Aptitude: Graduates will develop all required entrepreneurial skills.

• Life-Long Learning: Graduates will be able to recognize opportunities for ongoing learning.

• Research Skills: Graduates will poses skills required for recognizing problem situations, gathering, analyzing and interpreting data as well as reaching reliable findings and recommendations.

Business Specialization

Business Administration is the field of management which deals with business activities that includes international and national boundaries. The specialization is a forward-looking area of study that magnifies local issues and how they are intertwined with global challenges in business administration such as globalization and liberalization which are the engines for trade, commerce and economic growth.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the Business Administration, Marketing and Supply Chain Majors fit into different business settings, ranging from large multinational corporations to small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) operating in the field of manufacturing, banking, oil sector, government, financial institutions, market research analyst, Business manager, Human resources manager, customer service manager, public relations officer, logistics manager, integrated programs director, supply chain director, inventory manager, supply chain planning manager,  marketing manager, product manager, social media manager, market research analyst, supply chain analyst. Graduates can start their own venture as an Entrepreneur.

Tourism & Hospitality Specialization

The objective of the tourism management specialization is to enable students to develop rational and practical competencies, skills, and capability to face the challenges and successfully work in domestic as well as international tourism environments. Hospitality Management involves the management of hotels, restaurants, cruise ships, resorts, clubs, events, entertainments activities etc.

Career Opportunities

There is a huge range of career opportunities for the tourism management graduates such as travel agents, tour operators, event planners, tourism guides, airport jobs, entrepreneurs, tourism consultants, tourism planners and developers, in airline operations and cruise operations. The hospitality industry can provide huge career opportunities for Hospitality Management graduates ranging from entry level positions to management level positions such as hotel managers, operation managers, catering managers, restaurant managers, event organizers and planners, guest relation executives and cruise director. Graduates can start their own venture as an Entrepreneur

Accounting Specialization

The main objective of accounting specialization is to provide students with an in-depth understanding of the different accounting and finance fields including Banking and Insurance areas and to provide students with required knowledge and technical skills suitable for todays’ accounting and finance applications.

Career Opportunities

The BIBA Program in Majors such as Accounting, Banking and Finance and Insurance provides a range of career opportunities to the students to work in accounting, banking, finance, insurance and corporate houses, in the government as well as in the private sectors as cost accountants, financial accountants, auditors, financial planners, financial analyst, investor relations associate, budget analyst, bank teller, bank marketing representative, bank loan office, data processing officer, equity traders, Asset managers, insurance sales agent, insurance investigators, claims examiners and adjusters  etc. Successful graduates can further pursue professional certificates such as CA, ACCA, CPA, ACPA, CMA, ICWA, CIMA, CFA, CFM. The graduates can also become entrepreneur.

The nature of work is usually office work in Business Administration, Banking and Finance, Tourism and Hospitality Management areas but few jobs in the areas such as Marketing, Insurance, Supply Chain and Tourism requires field work as well. Hospitality jobs in the field of hotel management are mostly technical in nature.

Mass Communication Program

Program overview

Mass Communication Programme was established in 2005/2006 along with the inauguration of the Colleges of Applied Sciences and it is offered in three colleges: Nizwa CAS, Sur CAS and Salalah CAS. The five majors of the programme are :

• Digital Media.

• Journalism.

• Public Relations.

• Advertising.