Program Format
How long will it take to complete the program?
Students pursuing an Associate degree can complete the program in two years if students:
- have already assessed into ENGL& 101 or completed the course prerequisites for ENGL& 101
- have already assessed higher than MATH 099 or completed MATH 099.
- attend full-time during the Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters of the academic year
- successfully complete all course requirements with satisfactory grades
- sequence their course prerequisites appropriately (see an academic advisor for help if needed)
Students pursuing a certificate can complete the program in two to three quarters depending on the number of credits contained in the certificate if students:
- do not have to complete additional prerequisites to enter courses included in the certificate
- attend full-time during the Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters of the academic year
- successfully complete all course requirements with satisfactory grades
- sequence their course prerequisites appropriately (see an academic advisor for help if needed)
Course Selection
Will I need any math and English?
ENGLISH: Yes. This degree require that students complete two English courses: 1) ENGL& 101 and 2) ENGL & 235.
MATH: Students are required to take either MATH 138 OR PROG 110.
What should I take my first quarter at Bellevue College?
If this is your first time in college, you are required to meet with an academic or faculty advisor in the Student Services building. During this meeting, your advisor will help you pick the most appropriate classes to begin your time here at Bellevue College. For more information about how to prepare for new student advising and for available times, please see the New Student Advising webpage.
If this is not your first time in college and you require guidance on how to choose your courses, please call the front desk at 425-564-2311 in order to schedule an in-person or phone appointment with an advisor. During this meeting, the advisor can review your unofficial transcripts and discuss possible courses to take during your first quarter. See the section below for information regarding typical first quarter classes.
Choosing Classes for Network Services & Computing Systems
Math and English
For most programs, it is important to take and complete math and English courses as early as possible. Many of the courses required for the program have math and English prerequisites that must be completed early if you hope to complete your program in a timely manner. To determine what math and English courses you will have to take, plan on taking the math and English placement test on campus. After taking this test, you will immediately receive your results. A link to the Assessment office, the office in which the placement exams are administered is provided below.
http://bellevuecollege.edu/enrollment/assessment/
IT 101
Not only is Information Technology 101 an important class to take early on due to the fact that it is prerequisite to other courses, it also provides a great introduction to the field of Information Technology. For this reason, students are encouraged to take this early in their time at Bellevue College.
For those of you who have been working in the field and believe you already have a strong foundation of general IT concepts, you may want to consider taking our IT 101 exam. This allows you to either receive credit for the class, provided that you pass, or to waive this requirement in order to take other credits. A link to sample questions and the office that administers the test is found below.
http://bellevuecollege.edu/prog/it101/
TECH 215 and 217
The Technical Support 215 and 217 series is also a foundational set of courses that serve as a prerequisite to other courses in the NSCOM program. While TECH 217 is taken after TECH 215, the two courses are also offered in a format available during the same quarter for students to register for at the same time. Finally, as seen in the course description below, this class also helps student prepare for the A+ certification.