The small size of the Interdisciplinary Computer Science Program means that students with very different academic backgrounds can share interests. This unusual Master of Arts degree program provides students of liberal arts background with knowledge of computer science and how computers interact with many other disciplines, gives students perspective on the strengths and limitations of computers, and suggests what advances are needed in computer science to solve theoretical problems in a variety of fields. The innovative aspect of the program that distinguishes it from other master's programs in computer science is its focus on relating computers to other disciplines where the combination has potential for great impact. They will also be able to develop appropriate user-friendly software for their field of interest. Graduates will be on the cutting edge of, and provide leadership in, this pioneering transfer of technology to various fields.
Students have many opportunities for individual attention from faculty.
In addition, professionals and developers working with information technology visit campus regularly to participate in the ICS Speaker Forum, a weekly event designed to bring students together to discuss thesis topics and to learn about research and projects involving information technology transfer. Internships at these and other companies can often be arranged for students in the program. The primary candidates for the program will be students with a liberal arts background who wish to acquire experience in computer science which they can apply in their field and who wish to explore the broader issues and implications of the increased use of computers in our society. Students in the program have access to department computing systems for developing and exploring interactive multimedia projects Macintoshes, NeXTs, and multimedia tools for digitizing images, sounds and text as well as the Mills student public computing facilities. In addition to the regular graduate admission requirements, applicants to the Master of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Computer Science must have the equivalent of a one-year Introduction to Computer Science course using C and the equivalent of a year of discrete mathematics.