E-Commerce & Web Development Certificates at PCC

Prepared by Ron Bekey, Instructor, CIS/CAS Sylvania - Revised 5-9-03

CAS Web Site Development Certificate requirements

CIS E-Commerce Certificate requirements

This will depend on your background, what schooling/degrees you have already, how much time you are willing to put into your education, and how much industry experience you have (if any). Note that on-the-job experience will be very helpful in eliminating prerequisites to the programs, but PCC does not give credit for job-related work experience. Many people can receive credit, however, for courses similar to those in the program which appear on their transcripts from previous colleges or universities. Be sure that you meet with an advisor if you have related coursework so that we can give you credit for it before you start the program.

The CAS program deals with the "Front End" of a web site. This is the part that most people see when they "surf the web"--designing the pages themselves (text, images, sound, and/or video) and the software used to do that. Increasingly this area is getting more technologically sophisticated, including such tools as client-side JavaScript, Flash, and streaming media. Students will also become proficient at using the Internet from an end user standpoint. Jobs that students obtain doing this type of work will often involve working directly with a client, with lots of "people contact". We estimate that starting salaries for this type of work will range from about $20,000/year to $40,000/year. Students with specialized backgrounds such as skills in Multimedia or JavaScript will probably obtain higher salaries than those who simply design web pages. The CAS Web Site Development Certificate will take about 1 year to complete if you are a full-time student and meet the prerequisites.

The CIS program deals with the "Back End" of a web site. This is the part that you can't see--the networking and database components that reside on a "server" computer, often in a distant location from that of the viewer. Learning the "back end" requires considerably deeper study of concepts, and usually takes several years to develop. Jobs that students obtain doing this type of work often involve working in a development environment, away from contact with the public. Due to the higher level of skill and experience involved and the shortage of people qualified to do this type of work, salaries tend to be higher than for "front end" work. We estimate that starting salaries will be about $30,000 to $60,000+. The CIS E-Commerce certificate is NOT an entry-level certificate. Even though the credits themselves take about a year to complete, students without a strong CIS background will need to take an additional year of coursework before they enter the program.

If you want to design web pages, have a strong interest in multimedia (audio/video), or don't feel you need to know in-depth computer/technology concepts, the CAS certificate is the way to go. If you want a program oriented to computer/technology concepts, you like programming, databases or networking, and you are willing to spend two years in a program, or if you already have a CIS-related degree or extensive industry experience, the CIS certificate would be an excellent choice for you.

If you would like to learn more, you may make an appointment with an advisor in the CIS or CAS departments. Before you do that, you will need to decide which certificate you are interested in (see the links below to look them over). If you know which certificate you want, you can make an appointment with any advisor in the appropriate department. If you aren't sure, request an appointment with me (Ron Bekey) as I work in both departments and I have been involved in creating both certificates. To make an advising appointment, call our receptionist at 503-977-4292.

CAS Web Site Development Certificate requirements

CIS E-Commerce Certificate requirements