Computer System AdministrationAS DegreeCertificate of Achievement
- Community of interest
- Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
- Award
- AS Degree
- Program code
- 31306.02AS
- Department
- Comp Sys Admin/Info Sys
- CIP code
- 11.0103: Information Technology.
- TOP code
- 0702.00 - Computer Information Systems*
Program detailsAward, code, department, CIP/TOP
Program Snapshot
- Community of interest
- STEM Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
- Award
- AS Degree
- Program code
- 31306.02AS
- Department
- Comp Sys Admin/Info Sys
- CIP code
- 11.0103: Information Technology.
- TOP code
- 0702.00 - Computer Information Systems*
Next Steps
AS Degree — expand to learn about this award
The Associate of Science is typically awarded for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) and Career Technical Education (CTE) programs. Like every Butte College associate degree, it has two parts: a general-education curriculum that gives you a broad base of knowledge, and an academic program where you specialize.
About General Education. GE is an integrated program of learning designed to foster intellectual curiosity, cultural understanding, critical thinking, creative reasoning, oral and written communication, and the capacity for ethical reasoning. By graduation, you'll have developed the ability to think critically, communicate clearly, apply quantitative reasoning, understand how the major academic disciplines ask their questions, comprehend diverse cultures and historical periods, and assess ethical problems — alongside the depth you build in your major.
Semester-by-Semester Map
Term 1
Class Schedules
course details
This course introduces students to the fundamental concepts of programming. Students will learn about the software development life-cycle, algorithms, and the design, implementation, and testing of programs using an object-oriented programming language. (C-ID COMP 112).
course details
The first course in the globally recognized Cisco Certified Networking Associate (CCNA) curriculum introduces the architectures, models, protocols, and networking elements that connect users, devices, applications and data through the Internet and across modern computer networks - including IP addressing and Ethernet fundamentals. By the end of the course, students can build simple local area networks (LAN) that integrate IP addressing schemes, foundational network security, and perform basic configurations for routers and switches.
course details
This course provides an introduction to the computer hardware and software skills needed to help meet the growing demand for entry-level Information & Communication Technology (ICT) professionals. The fundamentals of computer hardware and software as well as advanced concepts such as security, networking, cloud computing, and the responsibilities of an ICT professional will be introduced. A special emphasis is placed on software, hardware, and network troubleshooting techniques. This course is intended to help students prepare for the CompTIA A+ certification exams. (C-ID ITIS 110).
General Education: Area 1A
about Area 1A
English Composition
Baccalaureate-level academic writing — expository and argumentative. The foundation for every other course you'll write in.
Graduation Requirement Choice (See GE Guide)
Term 2
Class Schedules
course details
The second course in the globally recognized Cisco Certified Networking Associate (CCNA) curriculum focuses on switching technologies and router operations that support small-to-medium business networks and includes wireless local area networks (WLAN) and security concepts. Students learn key switching and routing concepts. They can perform basic network configuration and troubleshooting, identify and mitigate LAN security threats, and configure and secure a basic WLAN.
Prerequisite: CSCI 40
course details
This course will give students the skills necessary to evaluate and implement standard cloud deployments. Students will use cloud technologies, including network, storage, and virtualization components, to create cloud solutions. Students will also manage workload migrations, manage cloud vendors to control costs, use automation and orchestration to bring business value from cloud solutions, and ensure cloud security. This course provides full coverage of the objectives for the CompTIA Cloud+ certification and will help prepare students to take the exam.
course details
This is a 5-module industry certification program to prepare for an entry-level customer support job in IT. It will provide an understanding of the soft skills required for customer service and technical support fundamentals, computer networking, being an operating systems power user, basics of systems administration and supporting infrastructure services, and IT security.
General Education: Area 2
about Area 2
Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning
College-level mathematics or quantitative reasoning — the toolkit behind science, business, and informed citizenship.
General Education: Area 3
about Area 3
Arts and Humanities
How people and cultures, across time, respond to themselves and the world through artistic and cultural creative production. Visual and performing arts, art history, foreign languages, literature, philosophy, religion.
Term 3
Class Schedules
course details
In this course students learn the fundamental concepts of the Linux operating system and the basic skills needed to work productively on a Linux system. Topics covered include installation, basic configuration, and package management, fundamental command-line tools, text editing with the vi (visual editor), the File Hierarchy Standard (FHS), processes, and permissions. Students will configure, script, and work exclusively in a shell (text-based, command-line) environment. This course prepares students for the globally recognized LPIC1-101 Certification test.
course details
The third course in the globally recognized Cisco Certified Networking Associate (CCNA) curriculum describes the architectures and considerations related to designing, securing, operating, and troubleshooting enterprise networks. This course covers wide area network (WAN) technologies and quality of service (QoS) mechanisms used for secure remote access along with the introduction of software-defined networking, virtualization, and automation concepts that support the digitalization of networks. Students gain skills to configure and troubleshoot enterprise networks, and learn to identify and protect against cybersecurity threats. They are introduced to network management tools and learn key concepts of software-defined networking, including controller-based architectures and how application programming interfaces (APIs) enable network automation.
Prerequisite: CSCI 41
course details
This course addresses database management, both on-premises and cloud-based, along with different approaches for storing data. In the course, students define, develop, operate, and scale both Structured Query Language (SQL) and noSQL data storage solutions and basic related applications. This course considers strategic, operational, and ethical factors that should be balanced during the design of a storage solution. Students will apply principles using a common Relational Database Management System and SQL to create and fill tables, and to retrieve and manipulate data. Object-based APIs and noSQL solutions will be covered. Topics include automated backups, transaction logs, restoration, and retention. (C-ID ITIS 180).
Prerequisite: CSCI 49
Select one:
General Education: Area 5
about Area 5
Physical and Biological Sciences
The physical universe, its life forms, and its natural phenomena — astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, meteorology, oceanography, physics — taught alongside the scientific method that makes them work.
Term 4
Class Schedules
course details
This is an advanced course in computer and network security. This course will prepare students to evaluate, secure and manage network information assurance, and take the CompTIA Security+ certification exam. Course topics include threat management, security standards and protocols (including public key infrastructure and cryptography), intrusion detection and prevention, forensics, system recovery, and disaster planning. The principles of data integrity, user accountability, and policy management will be explored in detail. Students will develop and demonstrate intrusion detection skills utilizing a virtual network to configure and test security procedures.
Select one:
General Education: Area 1B
Only necessary if not already met.
about Area 1B
Oral Communication and Critical Thinking
Baccalaureate-level oral communication and/or critical thinking — speaking with structure to a live audience, analyzing arguments, identifying assumptions.
General Education: Area 4
about Area 4
Social and Behavioral Sciences
The systematic study of people as members of society — cultural anthropology, cultural geography, economics, history, political science, psychology, sociology — and the methods these disciplines use to ask their questions.
General Education: Area 6
about Area 6
Ethnic Studies
The histories, experiences, and contributions of the four autonomous disciplines: Black / African American / Africana studies, Native American studies, Chicano/a/x and Latino/a/x studies, and Asian American studies.
Elective (any course numbered 1-99 or C1000-C199)
Only necessary if the 60 units needed to graduate have not been completed. Consider taking a Cal-GETC General Education course. Visit www.assist.org to see options.
Career Connections
2-Year Degree Paths
Entry points students may pursue after associate-level study, technical preparation, or licensure pathways.
No locally mapped occupations in the current dataset point cleanly to an immediate 2-year outcome for this program.
4-Year Degree Paths
Roles that more often open up after transfer and a bachelor's degree.
Example roles: 2
- Information Security Analysts
- Computer Systems Analysts
Graduate School Paths
Advanced roles commonly associated with graduate, professional, or post-baccalaureate study.
No locally mapped occupations in the current dataset are grouped into the graduate-school pathway for this program.
Local Job Market
Information Security AnalystsSOC 15-12121 nearby opening
Top employers in sample
- DecisionPoint Corporation 1
Where the postings are
- Marysville, Yuba County 1
Sample current postings
Computer Systems AnalystsSOC 15-12112 nearby openings
Top employers in sample
- City of Chico 1
- Enloe Health 1
Where the postings are
- Butte Creek, Butte County 1
- Chico, Butte County 1
Sample current postings
Posting counts come from Adzuna's index of US job boards, covering the last up to 60 days within up to 50 miles of ZIP 95965. Coverage and salary visibility vary by employer. Empty searches expand the radius and posting window before the section gives up.
Source Notes
Course sequencing is generated from the Acadia Program Mapper cache. Career groupings use local CIP-to-SOC mappings and BLS occupation data when available. Confirm education plans with Counseling and Advising.
Career Connections used a same-family CIP fallback because this exact CIP was not in the NCES/IPEDS crosswalk (11.0101).
Live wage data was not available from the BLS helper for the mapped occupations, so some pay fields may be blank.
Last generated 2026-06-12T23:21+00:00