As the Department of Defense and the Army move into the 21st Century, the need for quality trained Information Systems Management officers, or Functional Area 53 (FA53) officers, is becoming more and more important to meet the demands of the technologically advanced battlefield. These officers are called upon to manage increasingly complex information systems while maintaining an understanding of the limitations imposed by external factors such as the communications systems on which these information systems reside. To ensure Advanced Civil Schooling (ACS)-educated FA53 officers are receiving an education that enables them to function as a fully qualified FA53 officer, this thesis analyzes a series of related areas. This thesis first addresses the military and civilian ACS institutions from which a FA53 officer may receive an advanced degree in the Information Technology (IT) discipline. This thesis will also address the FA53 task list and directly compare this list with the IT curricula at these institutions. Additionally, this thesis will explore the possible implementation of an Army-specific Information Technology Management curriculum at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), the potential increase in Army instructors at the NPS to support such a curriculum, and the necessary procedure for periodic updates to the curriculum.
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