The Department Information Technology (IT) was established during the second semester of 2009/2010 session, with only one academic staff deployed, who happened to be the Head of Department. The department formally took off during the 2010/2011 session with twenty-two (22) students ― 20 students from UME and 2 Direct Entry candidates.

In the course of 2010/2011 session, the IT department was scrapped, and it was made an option under Library & Information Technology (LIT) department. Then, after the Resource visitation panel of NUC that visited the university in 2011 it was recommended that Mass Communication Technology as a department be scrapped and instead it should be aligned with IT, to become the new Department of Information and Media Technology (IMT), as it is presently known.

The full fledged Department of Information and Media Technology (IMT) took off during 2011/2012 session with a mandate to train qualified young professionals in Information and Media Technology. The department has two options: Information Technology option and Media Technology option.

The B. Tech Information Technology programme is one of the two academic programmes housed in the Department of Information and Media Technology, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria. In this option, there is a strong desire to educate students for life, by providing them with a foundation of current and relevant skills, knowledge and versatility that will last a lifetime, despite an ever changing environment.

The Media Technology option of the department of Information and Media Technology programme will serve as an intellectual centre that will draw upon Nigeria’s indigenous knowledge and technology base to promote Nigeria’s social, cultural and technological heritage globally, as well as serve as a community resource for new ideas, partnerships and collaborative effort.

The programme will also provide leadership in responding to the nation’s scientific, technological and industrial needs by contributing to the qualitative development of Media Technology education in Nigeria’s University system.

This is informed by the fact that, work organisations and environments are increasingly being reshaped by new media technologies.  A growing number of industries:  Media, manufacturing, production, and telecommunications are aggressively being re-positioned to be in sync with the new technologies.  Many work organisations now use computer assisted and multimedia based operations.  Media organisations (print and broadcast) for instance, are now using multimedia laboratories in news and programmes production.  They also operate digital newsrooms, publish on line newspapers and magazines; television stations, in addition, are broadcasting programmes using high definition images etc. This programme, therefore, will produce students with high competencies in new media technologies who would meet contemporary market demands for quality Media Technology products.

PHILOSOPHY

The philosophy establishing Federal Universities of Technology in Nigeria generally is to build national capacity to move the country from its status as a Third World and Developing nation to that of an advanced and developed nation, through technological advancement that drives development and develops high level manpower that will create jobs and wealth.

In line with this general philosophy, the Department of Information and Media Technology has a strong desire to educate students for life, by providing them with a foundation of current and relevant skills, knowledge and versatility that will last a lifetime, despite an ever changing environment.

Also, the Philosophy of the department, in line with professional goals and best practices, is to ensure as much as possible that all interested and qualified candidates get an opportunity to train to be part of the new breed of modern professionals that are industry-ready in effectively harnessing Information Technology (IT) knowledge in solving practical problems that facilitate business and other development endeavours.