Data science has been labeled a career in high demand. The college recently approved a computer science major that has two concentrations, computing and data analytics. Faculty who collaborated on the major say it serves as a connecting point for many disciplines.
“This major will be attractive to current students as well as prospective students looking to study a hot new trend. Because of its interdisciplinary nature, computer science and data analytics is a great lead major for many students, and an important second major for many more,” says Dr. Doug Anderson, chair of the mathematics department. “A recent headline from the McKinsey Global Institute was, ‘Big data: The next frontier for innovation, competition, and productivity.’ Concordia-Moorhead is poised to lead the way in this emerging field of study.”
The new interdisciplinary major was researched extensively to determine the best way to teach what employers, the industry, and students need. Today's employers need people educated in the liberal arts because of their breadth of knowledge, oral and written communication skills.
“We are so pleased that our new computer science major, with concentrations in computing and data analytics, will allow students from across the college to expand their skill sets with technology and data in meaningful ways,” says Dr. K. Brewer Doran, dean of the Offutt School of Business. “This is a new, up-to-date program with applications across both the liberal arts and professional programs. We believe both students and employers are very excited about this new major.”
Students can begin declaring a computer science major this fall.