At OSUIT, we see our role as connecting people to jobs through technology and learning. Before we create a new degree program, we ask four value questions:

1. Will students benefit from having this degree?

2. Can we acquire the right equipment to establish an advanced training facility?

3. Will the job market sustain graduates from this program over time?

4. Can we attract top-notch professionals to develop and teach this program?

In other words, what are the implications for people, uses of technology, availability of jobs, and opportunities for learning?

OSUIT is a university of applied technology where hands-on learning is the standard. Students are taught technical skills specific to the industries they have chosen, but OSUIT is much more than a vocational school. Our students earn real college degrees, not just certifications, and they leave here with technical and critical thinking skills that equip them to take on leadership and management roles in their careers.

One profound difference at OSUIT is that our programs of study work hand-in-hand with hundreds of companies and industry professionals, some even sponsoring entire degree programs. These corporate partners recognize the value of the educational and skills training we provide and are willing to invest in our students as their future workforce. But, what really sets us apart from the rest of the higher education world is that we focus on applied (hands-on) learning rather than theoretical (book) learning.

At OSUIT, our goal is not simply to help our students gain a diploma, but to gain a job. In consultation with our corporate partners, we are convinced that the best way to prepare our students for the workforce is through skills-based training methodologies that rely on work-related teaching environments and hands-on instruction rather than through the traditional instructional models that rely almost exclusively on textbooks and lectures. For this reason, internships are an essential requirement in all of our technical degree programs. This requirement ensures our students gain real-world experience in their field of study before they graduate.

When you take a closer look at OSUIT, you will find a dramatically different learning environment than that of any other college or university around the state. You will see degree programs listed in our catalog that actually correspond to real jobs that are currently available in the regional job market. You will find student class schedules that run throughout the entire calendar year, just like workforce expectations do. All across campus, you will discover customized labs filled with industry specific technology that closely emulates real life work settings. You will meet college instructors who have industry related work experience in their backgrounds. But most importantly, you will find students on our campus who are learning through the practical use of tools and technology, not just from the pages of a textbook. By design, our approach to learning at OSUIT is practical and applied.  

People, Technology, Jobs, and Learning