Since the fall of 2006, Arts students have had the option of gaining expertise in computer science in the context of a BA degree, thanks to a the Computer Science major in the Faculty of Arts.
The rationale for the program is simple: in a world where the digital arts are taking off, machine utilization is gaining ground and humans have increasingly diverse interactions with technology. Not surprisingly, there’s a surge of interest in computer science experts who can cut across disciplines.
As the associate head for the undergraduate Computer Science program, Paul Carter believes it makes perfect sense to make the discipline available to students with a background in the humanities and social sciences.
Juliette Link is one Arts student who had exactly that thought when she enrolled in the Computer Science B.A.
Along with a minor in Psychology, she says she’s already finding she has an edge over her science-based counterparts.
While the latter include core courses like chemistry, biology, and physics, Carter says Arts-based students with skills in language, literature, and the social sciences have much to contribute to the industry.
Link agrees: “I’m in the Co-op program, and the company I’m working for this summer said one of the things that interested them about me was my combined Arts and Computer Science education. I have the computer skills they were looking for as well as writing and communication skills.”
Aaron Stevens, a student in the program, says his interest in music, current events, culture, and the Internet played a role in his decision to sign up. But so did considerations of what he’ll do when he graduates.
“I wanted a degree that would get me a job.”
As with most Arts majors, students enter the B.A. program in their third year of study, normally with the prerequisite first- and second-year computer science courses under their belts.
“The students that go through the B.A. program are going to do just as much computer science as those that as those that complete the B.Sc. program,” notes Carter.
Current computer science grads are the targets of lively recruitment efforts on campus, according to Carter. Major firms like Microsoft, Google, and Adobe come looking to snag the best and the brightest, while hundreds of students pack lecture halls to hear the “tech talks” about their exciting new projects.
