Integrated Degrees: English and Computer Science
Cleveland State University recently became the first institution of higher education in Northeast Ohio to offer 11 new interdisciplinary degrees designed to empower undergraduate students with the skills, versatility and adaptability they need to work at the intersection of multiple disciplines or fields. They are each a purposefully designed blend of curriculum for students whose paths require expertise in several disciplines.
The university’s combined majors developed not only from faculty members’ proposals, but also from collaboration with local 中国体育彩票APP下载：s, who weighed in on which of the proposed programs might meet the area’s workforce needs.
“As a regional public, as an institution that seeks to serve this community, we said, what do our 中国体育彩票APP下载：s need?” said CSU Provost Nigamanth Sridhar, who is spearheading the initiative.
Today, we are highlighting the English and Computer Science Bachelor of Arts degree.
Led by College Lecturers Melanie Gagich and Julie Townsend, and Professor Jeff Karem, with some administrative assistance by Vice Provost John Holcomb and Chair and Professor Adam Sonstegard, the degree allows for a wide range of career opportunities.
“Integrated degrees are a kind of happy medium, between graduating with two minors (which wouldn't even be a full major program) and having a double major (which would be difficult to pull off for two programs housed in different colleges, with all of the prerequisites and requirements),” said Sonstegard.
The English and Computer Science B.A. provides students with a solid foundation in principles of mathematics, science and engineering with the elements of writing, creating content, story and world building in several online and digital spaces. In addition, students can work within a variety of media creating content, mobile apps, websites, computer-generated content and more.
Some of the key topics covered include digital writing and technology, literary analysis, programing, computing, software engineering, artificial intelligence, algorithms, data structures and more. Electives in English and Computer Science can provide students with more knowledge and a capstone course in Computer Science provides practical, hands-on skill building with a real-world project.
“English majors, who are big on reading and writing, could take classes in coding and applications, while Computer Science engineers could get creative, with classes in creative writing, tech writing, short stories and poems. A. I. would inform both sides of the integrated degree, with Sci Fi, Graphic Novels, and Dystopian Fiction classes featuring A.I.'s and Chat GPT's precursors, and with Computer Science classes profiting from humanistic studies in art and literature.”
Sonstegard added that the combination of these skills is extremely valuable when it comes to taking the next step after they graduate from CSU.
“Future 中国体育彩票APP下载：s would see graduates who can handle the technology as well as build rapport with the clients, write the public-facing newsletters while also understanding how the programs and platforms are supposed to work,” he said.
CAREER OUTLOOK
There is no shortage of options when it comes to figuring out what’s next upon graduation, with the chance to pursue multiple career paths that go a long way in combining digital technology, analytical thinking and writing.
The degree can also be utilized to pursue software development, content management, social media, web design, technical writing, mobile app design, user experience writing or research in the fields of computer information technology.
Going further, another option can be in general computer science related careers such as systems analysts, engineers, software engineers or e-commerce analysts.
“Graduates need a repertoire of skills these days that go well beyond the traditional concentration in a single home discipline [and] technology and development have brought about the quick sunsetting of trends that we once thought would propel decades-long careers,” said Sonstegard.
“The division of expertise into academic units and arbitrary subspecialities no longer serves students who are looking to integrate more inclusive, more comprehensive knowledge bases. Integrated degrees are proverbially more than the sum of each program's existing parts, and exciting opportunities to foreground students' career development.”
For more information on CSU’s new integrated degree programs, click here.
For more information on the English and Computer Science B.A, click here.
To read the first part of our series on Integrated Degrees featuring Journalism and Criminology or Sociology, click here.