Information and Computer Sciences
Interdisciplinary Major or Minor (Bachelor of Science)
Professors - Clifford Abbott (linguistics), Phillip Clampitt (communication), Timothy Meyer (communication) (chair), William Shay (computer science)
Associate Professors - Forrest Baulieu (computer science), Victoria Goff (communication)
Assistant Professors - Peter Breznay (computer science), Colleen Fitzpatrick (communication)
Lecturers - Linda Curl (computer science), Bruce LaPlante (computer science), Jeanellyn Schwarzenbach (communication)
Web site: http://www.uwgb.edu/infosci/
The central organizing concept of this major is information - its structures in verbal, visual, and quantitative forms; its storage, analysis, evaluation, processing and communication by both machines and people. The program is new and continues to evolve. Students can expect curricular additions and changes as development proceeds in a rapidly changing field.
The curriculum ranges widely across several disciplines, all of which are represented in the core requirements - computing, linguistics, cognitive psychology, communication theory, organizational communication and management, mathematics, data and information technologies, and language.
Computers represent an important dimension of this major, but students also are expected to be thoroughly grounded in human language, human information processing, and communication. This ensures against narrow technical preparation, which too often leads to rapid obsolescence in rapidly changing fields, and it prepares students to make the most creative and useful applications of various information technologies.
A goal of the program is to train students to conceptualize and solve information problems in interdisciplinary situations. A core introductory course focuses on information problems; most of the courses require projects, and many demand group work; a research project or internship is also required of all majors. Moreover, each student negotiates an individual area of emphasis. This requirement is an opportunity to apply information principles to a particular problem area or to gain further tools for a specific career direction. Students also develop a personal portfolio that documents many of their skills and areas of expertise. Finally, students complete an advanced information problems capstone course which integrates skills and knowledge acquired in the major.
Career paths for information sciences graduates are changing rapidly, and UW-Green Bay graduates report that the breadth of this program has been important to them. Some have essentially created their own positions. Some have pursued graduate work. Others have entered a wide variety of jobs after graduation in areas such as programming and software design, advertising, marketing and sales, systems analysis, and human resources. The required portfolio has proven to be an excellent means of attracting the attention and interest of prospective employers or for admission to graduate schools.
The minor in information sciences focuses on information problems, information technologies, and information structures. It can be structured with or without programming skills.
In addition to the major and minor in information sciences, UW-Green Bay also offers a disciplinary major and minor in computer science. These options offer students considerable flexibility in combining other areas (e.g., communication, business administration), but to be valuable, that flexibility requires planning. The programs in information sciences and in computer science all require early and frequent consultations with faculty advisers.