About the Program

This curriculum is designed to prepare students for employment in data centers or companies that support data center function as a technician, operator and/or technologist. Coursework will prepare students to earn BICSI Installer 1, Installer 2 (Copper) and Installer 2 (Fiber Optic) industry credentials.

Program Degrees and Certificates

The Engineering Technology: Data Center Operations C.S.C. can be achieved within the A.A.S. degree - but must be applied for. OSHA - OSHA 10 certification is achieved through program course work.

NOTE: Previous IT courses used for these programs may not be more than 10 years old, unless approved by academic dean.

Program Details

Our programs will prepare you for an entry-level position in data centers or companies that support data center function as a technician, operator and/or technologist. The DCO programs immerse you in course work that prepares you to earn BICSI Installer 1, Installer 2 (Copper) and Installer 2 (Fiber Optic) industry credentials, as well as an OSHA 10 certification. Looking for options? How about our stackable one year Career Study Certificate (C.S.C.) or jump right into the full Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree. Either way results will come quickly with full-time enrollment.

There are no required prerequisites for this certificate. It is recommended that students possess a proficiency in high school English, high school algebra and geometry, and possess the ability to utilize hand tools and instrumentation.

  • Transfer Opportunities

    Transfer is not the primary purpose of an A.A.S. program, but NOVA has articulation agreements that facilitate the transfer of this and other career-oriented programs to selected senior institutions. Students interested in transfer should contact a counselor or their academic advisor early in their program.

  • Credit for Prior Learning

    Northern Virginia Community College accepts industry-standard certifications, credentials and/or professional courses for credit. Broadly, licenses, credentials and/or certifications must be current and valid for consideration. For more information regarding the status of the certification and its eligibility for credit, please see an advisor or faculty members in the discipline area that awards CPL credit.

    CPL examples: OSHA - OSHA 10

  • Career Prospects

    The Data Centers Operation program at NOVA is designed to prepare students for transfer to a bachelor's degree program. When it comes to the most important skills required to be a data center operations manager, we found that a lot of resumes listed 13.6% of data center operations managers included infrastructure, while 7.1% of resumes included hardware, and 6.9% of resumes included project management. Hard skills like these are helpful to have when it comes to performing essential job responsibilities.