RIC Computer Departments Join Forces

Computer science has always existed within the School of the Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS), while computer information systems was always housed within the School of Business. That is, until faculty from the two programs realized that they were stronger together.

As a result, this fall the FAS will house the merged departments now called the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems.

"With the growth of technology-related careers in the State of Rhode Island, this new department allows us to highlight all of our technology-related programs under one department and potentially attract additional students to the college," says Chair of the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems Lisa Bain. "Now, when prospective students search the college website for technology degrees, they'll all be in one place."

Computer science, as a major, is designed for students who want to go into computer programming or become software developers, while computer information technology is for students who love computers but don't necessarily want to become a programmer. This group may go into careers like tech support, web design and systems analysis.

"Our vision for the future is to have a core set of courses that all majors within the department will take. Then students can branch off into their specialty areas," says Bain. "With computer science and computer information systems under one roof, students will be better able to figure out which program is the right fit for them and it will be easier for them to move back and forth between programs."

The Department of Computer Science and Information Systems will also help attract new faculty and retain current faculty, Bain says, by providing more opportunities for faculty to expand their technical expertise as well as more opportunities to collaborate on research and expand their teaching areas.

"The merger of these two departments represents the future of technology education at Rhode Island College," says RIC President Frank D. Sánchez. "This will empower our faculty to be more innovative in their research and program offerings and open up new opportunities for our students to train for the jobs of the future. It is part of our mission to develop the workforce we need to ignite Rhode Island's economy."