By Kellie Britch, College of Arts and Sciences
Starting this fall, students at USF will have the opportunity to earn a bachelor's
degree in computer science and interdisciplinary social sciences from the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing.
The program, a joint effort supported by the College of Arts and Sciences鈥� Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences (ISS), will allow students to deepen their education with functional, real-world
context.
鈥淪tudents will still learn about coding, data analysis and everything else they need
to know in that field, but, they鈥檒l also gain a better understanding of cultures,
how society functions and how the structures in place impact people,鈥� said Christy Ponticelli, associate professor and chair of the Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary
Social Sciences. 鈥淭hey will understand data, for example, in a more complex way, which
is how people exist in the world 鈥� in complex ways.鈥�
The hope is that this new, joint program will create programmers who have a more comprehensive
understanding of the people their work will affect.
鈥淭he professionals this program creates will be able to think much more broadly about
the world,鈥� said Ponticelli. 鈥淲hen they code or analyze data, they鈥檒l start asking
different questions and therefore producing different products.鈥�
Aside from taking sociology courses, students will be able to choose an additional concentration within ISS, such as public health or environmental science, allowing them to specialize in the
field in which they plan to work.
鈥淭he impact of this joint program is threefold,鈥� said Ponticelli. 鈥淭he students and
faculty will benefit, but I think we鈥檒l see the biggest impact within businesses and
the local community because we鈥檒l be creating a new kind of computer science professional
who can develop programs that are more accessible.鈥�
Students will begin classes this fall. Learn more.