Academics at the School of Computing

The School of Computing will be hiring multiple tenure track faculty in partnership with other academic units across the University of Wyoming and will also be using adjunct faculty appointments to engage our current faculty in different areas of computing. Faculty will work in collaboration with research scientists who will be hired to provide deep computing expertise to accelerate scholarly discovery, secure external funding, and work with industry and other external partners. Programs to support Graduate and Undergraduate Computing Scholars will support our current students and help recruit new students to the University of Wyoming.

A plan for the development and roll out of new academic programs is under development. Our priority is providing options that leverage and extend existing computing courses, for example concentrations and minors in computing, and providing options for students to have real world experiential learning opportunities to develop and showcase their skills. A new BS/BA in Computing is the next priority, this is envisaged to provide students with multiple tracks to provide the opportunity to learn core computing skills, along with depth in particular computing topics, all in conjunction with a focused discipline whether in the sciences, engineering, social sciences, or arts and humanities. Envisaged graduate programs include a MS and PhD in Computing.

Below are some key elements for academics in the School of Computing, but please contact us with your suggestions, questions, or if you want to join the team developing the academic plan. More background on academic plans can be found in the text of the Request for Authorization for the School of Computing, and the original School of Computing plan from the Digital Pillar working group.

Purpose:

Nurture computing curiosity across disciplines and backgrounds
Enhance interdisciplinarity
Capitalize upon emerging innovations for teaching, research, and economic diversification

Benefits for Students:

Opportunities to enhance careers potential by gaining computing literacy
Skills to address societal problems
Direct career pathways to Smart Agriculture, Fin-tech, AI-enabled tourism, healthcare, Internet of Things, Cybersecurity and Law, etc.

Benefits to Wyoming:

Supply a workforce for Wyoming with 21st-Century skills
Catalyze and nurture innovation by partnering with the Wyoming Outdoor Recreation, Tourism and Hospitality (WORTH) program and the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) through the Wyoming Innovation network
Enable Wyoming corporations and help attract tech companies to Wyoming
Help transform the way the University of Wyoming (and Wyoming) operates
Help us preserve the Wyoming we love by resolving complex problems

Educational Opportunities:

Developing Undergraduate concentrations, minor, BA/BS degrees in computing with multiple tracks
Computing in Context
Diversity in interests and student body
Focus on the use of computing/technology to analyze and solve problems and to innovate
Experiential, project-based learning with internship opportunities
Multiple pathways to meet student interest and career goals
Collaborative with opportunities to work with different stakeholders
Adapt to emerging topics and opportunities in the workplace

Programmatic Elements in the works:

Added expertise in critical areas of computing, person-power
Interdisciplinary research groups focused on important societal issues led by SoC faculty and comprised of faculty across UW campus
Wyoming Computing Undergraduate Scholars program
Strong ties with K-14 Computing Initiatives across Wyoming, and strong commitment to high-quality training of future teachers in computing
Corporate partnership program
MA, MS, PhD programs as the school grows
Inclusive culture and commitment to diversity in faculty, staff, and students
Strategic partnerships with UW programs, other universities, and national labs
Aggressive pursuit of research funding

Undergraduate/Graduate options in development:

Undergraduate minor in Computing (proposed for Fall 2023, proposal currently under review by Faculty Senate) [TARGET FALL ‘23]
Undergraduate BA/BS in Computing (conceptualized, TBD)
Undergraduate BS in Data Science (responding to Math and Stats led effort)
Undergraduate minor in Data Science (potential first target for broad data science)
Undergraduate BS in Applied Software Development (priority for WIP, 2+2 with Sheridan and other CCs) [TARGET NOI IN FALL ‘22, START FALL ‘24]
Undergraduate minor in Interdisciplinary Computational Science (existing program, may move to SoC)
Post Baccalaureate Certificate (conceptualized, TBD)
Graduate minor in Interdisciplinary Computational Science (existing program, may move to SoC)
MS in Computing with concentration in Quantum Computing (TBD, committed to in NSF Quantum Computing award)
PhD in Computing (TBD)
Existing and planned GIST programs will be inherited with the WyGISC move to SoC