The Whitworthian

Issue date: 11/20/07 Last Updated: 11/29/07

When the computer science department introduced a major in international software management this semester, the department became one of the first institutions in the nation to offer an undergraduate degree of this kind.

The program will better equip graduates with skills to succeed in the evolving, global software industry, according to a Whitworth press release.

"We're looking at the way [computer science] is moving," computer science and math department chair Susan Mabry said. "It's very international."

Mabry, along with associate professor of computer science Pete Tucker, developed the new major. Tucker said the major was offered and advertised for the first time for the fall 2007 semester.

Mabry said the creation and addition of the undergraduate major was motivated by two factors: the increasingly global and interdisciplinary nature of computer science and the distinctive environment of Whitworth's strong computer science program within a liberal arts background.

"We have a unique opportunity at Whitworth to do this," Mabry said. "Our students have a broader base of classes."

As far as she knows, Mabry said Whitworth is the only undergraduate program in the country to offer this type of major.

Although Santa Clara University's undergraduate computer science program is currently moving in a similar direction as Whitworth's, she is unaware of any schools offering an undergraduate degree comparable to Whitworth's newest major.

"My expectation is that [that] will change soon and more schools will be headed in a similar direction," Mabry said.

The degree incorporates computer science theory and software development with an emphasis on integration of international business and management issues, according to a Whitworth press release.

Mabry said international software management majors will take the same core requirements as the three other computer science major tracks with the addition of some more interdisciplinary courses and some specialized classes such as Computing-Technology Management and Computer Science in a Cultural Context.

Although the major is new this semester and no students have officially declared it as their major yet, Mabry said she and rest of the computer science department anticipate majors by the end of the year.

"I've talked with a few students and promoted it to a few students," Tucker said. "I think we have quite a few great candidates for this program."

Tucker said he anticipates that students who might not have originally been interested in computer science will look into this major, which has a stronger international and business-related focus.

"I look forward to having more students who have an interest in international language studies look at this major," Tucker said.

Contact Katie Goodell at katie.goodell@whitworthian.com.

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