Can I petition university to give me the college degree I initially enrolled in?

[mednat]

I have one last class to finish before I graduate. It's taken me some time due to the fact that life got in the way. I completed my AA in Business in 2006. I enrolled in 2010 for my BS degree. I took a break in 2012 due to many issues that came up in my life. I was re-admitted in 2013. It's now 2015 and the end is here, Finally! Well I spoke to my academic counselor and unfortunately they've done away with the original degree I signed up for in 2010. Since I was re-admitted in 2013 I no longer qualify for the BSIT. My counselor said I only qualify for the BS in Business, but they'll also give me an undergraduate certificate in Information Technology since I took a on of those courses, just not enough to get a BSIT due them changing the curriculum. When I signed up I needed 30 IT credits for the BSIT, they've upped it now to 51 IT credits to be granted a BSIT. I work in IT and this is the field I know I want to spend the rest of my career in. If I petition for the 2010 catalog BSIT program, will have any luck? Has anyone been in this situation before? I really wanted the BSIT.

Definitely worth a shot. As far as the marketability of the options, the business option with the cert in IT may be more valuable. In the IT field we typically have a separation between technical and business people. Having a degree in "Business" and a cert in IT, will position you to market yourself as a fit for both. From the technical hiring side, I rely %1000 more on experience, then certifications, and I may glance to see if you have a degree. Usually, I don't put any weight on the degree, but screening software often filters out non-degreed applicants before they get to me. Honestly, I prefer to hire developers with an accounting or business degree, because then they can do a business analyst role as well.

Why do you want a BS in IT so strongly? Why do you prefer it over a degree in business with a cert in IT? I would argue that the business degree + cert would have more utility in the market.