The 小蝌蚪APP will offer the state小蝌蚪APP檚 first master小蝌蚪APP檚 degree in informatics starting next year.
The Louisiana Board of Regents approved the new graduate program in the School of Computing and Informatics during its May 22 meeting.
UL Lafayette first offered its undergraduate informatics major in 2011. The newly approved master小蝌蚪APP檚 degree program will begin in the Spring 2018 semester.
小蝌蚪APP淚t is designed to provide advanced education and research in information sciences and information technology,小蝌蚪APP said Dr. Azmy S. Ackleh, dean of the Ray P. Authement College of Sciences, which includes the School of Computing and Informatics. 小蝌蚪APP淚t focuses on training graduate students in computing applied to multiple disciplines.小蝌蚪APP
Informatics is applied computer science. It examines how individuals interact with and share information. Informatics students learn to design and adapt information systems to solve problems that arise in the workplace and in everyday life.
Dr. Michael W. Totaro, an associate professor in the School of Computing and Informatics, said UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 program will emphasize enterprise computing, which will enable its graduates to assess an institution小蝌蚪APP檚 needs comprehensively. Those skills can help businesses and government agencies run more efficiently.
小蝌蚪APP淓nterprise computing includes the analytics, reporting, database management and other software solutions systems that span the entire organization,小蝌蚪APP Totaro said. 小蝌蚪APP淥ne of the most exciting aspects of our new master of science in informatics program is the fact that it is truly interdisciplinary, as information technology is used today in virtually every area.小蝌蚪APP
Dr. Xindong Wu, director of the School of Computing and Informatics, said the new program arrives at a promising time for Louisiana and Lafayette. Over the past five years, a number of information technology companies, including IBM in Baton Rouge, General Electric in New Orleans and CenturyLink in Monroe, have either relocated to the state or expanded existing operations here.
Lafayette 小蝌蚪APP渃ontinues to develop into a regional hub小蝌蚪APP for information technology industries, Wu said. He pointed to Enquero, CGI and Perficient, all of which opened facilities in the city since 2015. Enquero and CGI are tenants of UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 小蝌蚪APP Research Park, while Perficient operates in downtown Lafayette.
Nationally, the outlook is equally good. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that job opportunities for computing and information technology professionals will increase at a higher-than-average rate over the next decade.
The informatics master小蝌蚪APP檚 degree curriculum 小蝌蚪APP渋s sufficiently generalized to allow graduates to find employment both within and outside Louisiana,小蝌蚪APP Wu concluded.
Students with a bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 degree in a related scientific or engineering field can apply for admission into the program. The 33-hour curriculum includes thesis and non-thesis options. A full-time student can complete a degree in four regular semesters, or about 24 months.
Informatics graduate students can take courses in business, interactive media technology, system administration and web development, among others.
小蝌蚪APP淭his program further solidifies Louisiana小蝌蚪APP檚 position as a national leader in computing and information technologies,小蝌蚪APP Ackleh said. 小蝌蚪APP淚t will also supply the Louisiana workforce with much-needed graduates who are trained in applied computing with an emphasis on solving real-world problems.小蝌蚪APP
For more information on the new master小蝌蚪APP檚 degree in informatics, e-mail informatics@louisiana.edu or visit .
Photo: Doug Dugas / 小蝌蚪APP