Southeastern to offer new computing degree in information technology
Contact: Rene Abadie
Date: June 19, 2013
HAMMOND – In order to meet workforce demands, Southeastern Louisiana University will offer
a new undergraduate computing degree in information technology beginning in the fall
2013 semester.
The bachelor of science degree enhances and builds on a concentration in information
technology that the Department of Computer Science and Industrial Technology has offered
for several years, seeing its first graduates in 2010.
"Enrollment in the information technology concentration has exploded in recent
years, and we now have more than 190 majors, more than our information systems and
computer science concentrations combined," said Sebastian van Delden, head of the
Department of Computer Science and Industrial Technology. "The need and the demand
for this course of study have been well established."
The new degree, one of the few of its kind in Louisiana, was approved earlier
this year by Southeastern's management board, the University of Louisiana Board of
Supervisors, and the Louisiana Board of Regents.
"There is a clear workforce need for this kind of program in Louisiana," said
President John L. Crain. "The state has set a major goal of attracting technology
firms, and major players such as IBM, Ameritas, and other software development and
technology firms are establishing operations in south Louisiana. Companies like this
offer well-paying positions, many of which our graduates will be well qualified to
fill."
van Delden said the Computing Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board
for Engineering and Technology – which reviews programs of this nature for academic
integrity and quality – strongly recommended the information technology concentration
be upgraded to a separate degree status. The committee indicated the new degree would
most likely be eligible for ABET reaccreditation.
The degree requires no additional resources from the university in terms of faculty
support, classroom space or equipment, van Delden said.
The repackaging of the current concentration into its own degree program will
better define the graduate's abilities, he explained. IT graduates are highly sought
after by government and industry and typically fill occupations such as programmers,
systems analysts, database administrators, and software engineers.
The primary difference between the information technology degree and a traditional
computer science degree is that it is not calculus-based, van Delden added. The program,
however, includes all the programming and computer science coursework found in the
traditional degree.
"In industry some computing jobs require knowledge of calculus and some do not,"
van Delden said. "With the addition of this degree, we add variety to our computing
graduate pool, which matches with the variety of the jobs out there. These graduates
have the practical training needed to be productive from day one on the job. That
makes them very appealing to employers."
