USM Joins Computing Consortium, Enabling Students to Earn Master’s Degree Faster

Wed, 02/21/2024 - 07:14am | By: Van Arnold

Preparing students for sustainable, high-paying careers remains a cornerstone objective for the School of Computing Sciences and Computer Engineering (CSCE) at The University of Southern Mississippi9 (USM).

To help those students gain a leg up in their degree pursuits, USM has joined the MS Pathways to Computing Consortium – a nationwide group of universities launched in 2019 by Northeastern University in Boston, Mass. The consortium is designed to broaden participation in the tech sector through the development and proliferation of bridge programs that connect students from all backgrounds to graduate degrees in computing. 

CSCE Director Dr. Sarah Lee notes that employment in computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations between 2022 and 2033. The projections indicate an estimated 682,000 new jobs will be created over that period, with a median annual wage of $100,530.

“There are a lot of people who want to enter these higher wage jobs but lack the formal education in computer science needed for many of the positions,” said Lee. “Historically, persons with undergraduate degrees in content areas other than computer science have faced barriers to entry to the Master of Science in computer science due to a long prerequisite chain that could take two years to complete.”

The consortium currently has more than 30 member institutions. Members range from the University of California, Riverside to the University of South Florida. USM is the first university or college in Mississippi to join.

Lee points out that being a member of the consortium has enabled her to benchmark with other universities to learn what has worked for creating this type of equitable entry point to the Master of Science in computer science.

“It also brings awareness to USM’s leadership role in computer science education in the State of Mississippi with like-minded computer science education researchers throughout the country,” said Lee. “We have created two courses at the graduate level that students from other content areas can take to get them ready for higher level computer science coursework in the Master of Science degree program. This is in contrast to two years of undergraduate coursework that most MS in CS programs require for entry.”

By lowering barriers to the Master of Science in computer science through graduate level prerequisite courses and offering the program fully online as well as in-person, CSCE is furthering its mission of providing inclusive access to computing education that leads to higher-wage job opportunities.

“In the School of CSCE, we recognize that by bringing persons with diverse backgrounds to the tech industry, we are positively influencing the future of innovation,” said Lee.

To learn more about the School of Computing Sciences and Computer Engineering at USM, call 601.266.4949.

Learn more about the MS Pathways to Computing Consortium.