UMC Receives Approval to Offer Degrees in Communication, Computer Software Technology
The University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) has received approval from the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota to offer new bachelor of science degrees in two areas: communication and computer software technology. The approval was conferred during the Regents meetings on Thursday, March 11, and Friday, March 12, at the McNamara Alumni Center on the University’s Twin Cities Campus.
“This is wonderful news for our campus,” said W. Dan Svedarsky, interim vice chancellor for academic affairs at UMC. “These programs will offer more choices for our students while building on our existing strengths and expertise. They also bring us closer to Chancellor Velmer Burton’s goal of making UMC a more comprehensive university in order to better serve our students and northwest Minnesota.”
UMC’s degree program in communication blends composition, technical writing, and speech communication with an applied focus that follows the polytechnic mission of the campus. In particular, the required technology sequence, the required alternative concentration (such as marketing or business management), and a focus on e-learning technologies are among elements that build a unique niche for this program in the field of communication.
The communication degree proposal was developed, reviewed, and approved by UMC communication faculty, a variety of regional industry representatives, and the Office of the Chancellor. An external evaluation of the proposal was conducted by faculty in the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California. Letters of support were submitted by regional institutions, including the School of Communication and the College of Business and Public Administration at the University of North Dakota, the Department of Communication at North Dakota State University, and Minnesota State University – Moorhead.
Computer software technology (CST) is an applied study of computing, focusing on the development and maintenance of software in application areas such as business, government, and education. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, software technology will be the fastest growing occupational field through the year 2010. UMC’s CST program was designed to prepare graduates for specific careers involving software and database design and for advanced studies in applied computing such as software engineering. No similar undergraduate programs exist in the region.
The CST degree proposal was developed, reviewed, and approved by a team from the Crookston campus, computer science faculty at the University of Minnesota, Morris, and the Office of the Chancellor. The new CST degree program offers a complement to UMC’s existing program in information technology management, which is focused more on networking and information management. The new degree also capitalizes on UMC's “Laptop University” program, which provides a laptop computer to every student and faculty member.
Plans are being finalized to offer both new degree programs—along with a new bachelor’s degree program in health sciences / pre-professional, which was approved by the U of M Board of Regents in November 2003—beginning this coming fall semester 2004.
Posted 03/15/2004
Contact: Andrew Svec,
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