New Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering Majoring in Computer Science and Engineering Approved by Iowa Board of Regents

"A new Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering with a major in Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Iowa has been approved by the Iowa Board of Regents during its June 9 meeting.

The degree, a joint effort by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering and the Department of Computer Science in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, will be offered for the first time, starting in August 2016.  Currently, there are only 11 other U. S. universities which offer accredited degrees in Computer Science and Engineering.  This degree program is the first in the state of Iowa.

'The degree is designed to prepare University of Iowa students to thrive in today’s economy,' Alec Scranton, dean of the UI College of Engineering, said.  'The world is becoming ever more dependent upon computer and information technologies.  The major will provide the simultaneous benefits of a fundamental grounding in computer science with the problem-solving and critical thinking skills associated with an engineering education.'

The Computer Science and Engineering major will require course work in Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mathematics, and Statistics, as well as the Engineering core of courses.  Accreditation will be sought from the Engineering Accreditation Commission and the Computing Accreditation Commission.

'This new major will prepare students for a variety of emerging careers in industry, for example, the Internet of Things, and for further advanced study in the many areas demanding computational and engineering skill sets,' Er-Wei Bai, UI professor and departmental executive officer of electrical and computer engineering, said.

'Computer Science is one of the fastest-growing majors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. We're delighted to partner with our colleagues in Engineering to provide Iowa students with new pathways to computing careers,' Alberto Segre, UI professor and chair, Department of Computer Science, and Gerard P. Weeg Faculty Scholar in Informatics, added."

Full College of Engineering article here.