SBU Announces New Major in Web Systems & Design
Unique Interdisciplinary Computing program has ties to Marketing, Art, and Communications
Southwest Baptist University News Release
Contact: Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications
BOLIVAR, Mo. – Southwest Baptist University’s Department of Computer and Information Sciences (CIS) announced today the approval of a new major leading to a bachelor’s degree in Web Systems and Design (WS&D). The degree, which meets the growing need for web-based, visual and mobile software design and development, joins two other bachelor degree programs housed in SBU’s nationally-recognized Department of Computer and Information Sciences.
According to Dr. Tim DeClue, CIS department chair, “The World Wide Web is what made the Internet a success. Prior to the Web, the Internet was a technical phenomenon…it was the introduction of the browser about 20 years ago that changed things and made the Internet available to everyone. Now almost everything we do is touched by the Web.
"When we use a cell-phone, we use the Web. When we watch a movie, we use the Web. When we pay bills, communicate with our doctor, attend classes, we use the Web. Even the military uses the Web. This degree is designed to produce individuals who can design, build, implement, and manage web and mobile software systems, especially as they relate to software engineering, visual content, business value, and security.”
“Demand for individuals with a WS&D degree will be high,” Dr. Declue said. “Dice.com, a leading technical career search engine, returns over 14,000 job opportunities using web systems as the search term. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also reports high demand for computer professionals through 2018, and PayScale.com reports that web system designers can expect salaries in the $55,000 to $70,000 range depending on location and experience.”
The WS&D degree joins two other bachelor’s degree programs in the CIS Department, Computer Science and CIS. According to Dr. DeClue, the WS&D program is similar to the others because of its software development focus, yet different because of its web, marketing, and art orientation. “All three programs are incredibly good and complementary,” he added. “Computer Science retains a strong connection to the traditional scientific and mathematical basis for all computing while CIS focuses on the business application of computer science and software engineering.” Every student in the CIS Department—including WS&D majors—completes a 28-hour core of CIS courses before specializing in their specific degree requirements.
For individuals with a strong desire for a quantitative and scientific degree, computer science remains the best known and strongest preparation for a career in scientific computing, software engineering or graduate school. A computer information science degree prepares you for business oriented software development career or a graduate program in a technical MBA or software engineering. The CIS Department also points out that most computer science majors double major in mathematics due to the large amount of math required by the CS degree. This situation creates a defacto fourth degree program (computer science and math) which fits the needs of many quantitatively-talented students.
SBU’s Computer and Information Sciences Department is home to approximately 80 students, four full-time faculty members and two faculty associates. CIS students enjoy the benefit of over 80 years of combined faculty experience which includes teaching, writing, research, and experience in industry. In 2011, the SBU CIS Department’s curriculum was recognized by the National Science Foundation’s Technical Committee for Parallel Processing, and in the last six years SBU CIS students have brought home over thirty national awards including four national championship trophies.
The CIS Department’s competitive programming teams have been the Central Plains regional champions in the Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges (CCSC) five of the last six years.
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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.
SBU’s Office of Marketing and Communications is available to news media 24 hours a day at (417) 399-7918.
“The CPP is the most rigorous, prestigious, recognized professional designation in the international security community,” said Grabowski, “and I am honored to be one of only a few individuals with a CPP in Southwest Missouri. 
