New School Of Thought – Universities are reaching a new generation with innovative programs that marry IT and other disciplines, including art, business, and biology

Declining enrollment in traditional computer-science and computer-engineering courses is a legitimate concern, but not a cause for hand-wringing despair. The next generation of IT professionals may be better prepared than any preceding one to balance the demands of being both a businessperson and a technologist, thanks to a growing number of innovative programs at prestigious schools that combine IT studies with business courses and high-demand skills, such as game design.

Such a program was exactly what Josh Froelich wanted. Froelich–now a junior partner at Megaputer Intelligence Inc., a developer of data- and text-mining tools and E-commerce personalization–found the right mix at Indiana University’s School of Informatics, which blends computer science and liberal arts. School of Informatics students "are more specialized than business majors in technology, but not overly specialized in only computer programming," says Froelich, who graduated in May 2002.

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Another example is Stanford University’s Technology Ventures Program, which focuses on high-technology entrepreneurship education. Throughout the nine-month fellowship, students get to work with 20 or more entrepreneurs and venture capitalists in class. They also pair up with mentors from companies where they’ll work over the summer. This helps students better understand the company’s business objectives and allows them to develop an early relationship with potential employers.

By Elena Malykhina
InformationWeek

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