New minors offering exciting opportunities

NEW MINORS OFFER EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES

by Lisa Kochanowski, Assistant Director of Communication

Holy Cross College is excited to announce the creation of four new minors. Students are now able to minor in Public Health, Environmental Science, Computer Science, and Mathematics.

PUBLIC HEALTH MINOR

Disease outbreaks in recent years have increased the importance of a strong public health system. In conjunction with our mission to educate global citizens with the competence to see and courage to act, Holy Cross College has implemented a public health minor.

“The public health minor is a set of courses within the discipline that will complement almost any major at the college. The minor brings to the forefront various health issues affecting populations, such as infectious disease, environmental hazards, violence, and substance abuse, and how these health issues can be mitigated or prevented through science-based policies and procedures. Like all minors at Holy Cross College, there is a set of required courses that must be taken and a subset of elective courses needed to earn the minor,” said Rodney Robichaud, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Physical and Life Sciences and Assistant Professor of Biology.

PROGRAM ADVANTAGES AND GOALS

Many benefits are available to undergraduates, including small classes (average class size is 14), internships to apply classroom teaching to real-world problems, and the ability to conduct research alongside the University of Notre Dame or Saint Mary’s College students.

“Students will benefit from earning a minor in public health in a number of different ways. Successful completion of the public health minor will provide the foundation for students to pursue career opportunities in local, state, or federal public health departments, hospitals, and health care

systems, non-profit organizations, or to further their education in graduate or professional schools,” noted Robichaud. “A public health minor can also strengthen a student’s preparation for clinical careers, as a physician, physician assistant, nurse, or mental health professional. Even if not used directly to follow one of the prementioned professions or career paths, the multidisciplinary approach to public health will provide students with a versatile skill set of enhanced communication abilities and teamwork that will complement their major.”

“There were several goals in creating the public health minor for Holy Cross College. First, to make students aware of the great opportunities that exist within the field of public health.

Often incoming students that want to work in the health field, will have a narrow vision of what career paths exist, pre-med, pre-nursing, for example. Public health offers tremendously diverse career opportunities where one can have a large impact on the health and wellbeing of many people. Second, the minor was created for any student at Holy Cross wanting to enhance their major degree with the minor, because under the broad spectrum of the field of public health, graduates with a business, psychology, communications, as well as biology major, can find ample employment within the field. Third, besides offering potentially great career opportunities, the public health minor strongly supports the College mission and helps define our niche in the tricampus area, as neither the University of Notre Dame nor Saint Mary’s College offers a public health minor,” continued Robichaud.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

The public health minor prepares students to pursue a graduate degree or embark on a wide range of career options.

“The public health minor will provide the foundation for further education and career opportunities within the field. Careers within public health can be at the local, state, and federal government levels, within private companies or hospitals, and non-profit organizations. The minor can also enhance one’s ability to get into clinical careers and lead to further education in graduate schools. The public health field has many prospective career pathways which are really focused on the health and wellbeing of various populations of people, ” said Robichaud.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

Global climate change, pollution, and plastic waste hurting our environment are in desperate need of advocates to help. To fill the demand, Holy Cross College has created an environmental science minor.

“The environmental science minor is a set of courses within the discipline that will complement the biology major. Specifically, the minor investigates how humans interact with their natural world, defines environmental problems, and works to find solutions. Like all minors at Holy Cross College, there is a set of required courses that must be taken and a subset of elective courses needed to earn the minor,” said Rodney Robichaud, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Physical and Life Sciences and Assistant Professor of Biology. (continued on next page).

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PROGRAM ADVANTAGES

Many benefits are available to undergraduates, including small classes (average class size is 14), internships to apply classroom teaching to real-world problems, and the ability to conduct research alongside the University of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College students.

“Students will benefit from the environmental science minor through a focused exploration of the minor’s topic area. The minor will help prepare a student majoring in biology for job opportunities within the broad spectrum of environmental sciences after graduation or to better prepare them for a deeper examination of the field in graduate school,” noted Robichaud.

MINOR GOALS

The planet needs advocates that understand the challenges facing the environment, and are equipped to confront those challenges head-on.

“Three main goals were in mind in creating the environmental science minor. First, the creation of the minor was to enrich the biology program here at Holy Cross College. Second, though the environmental science minor can be earned by any students at Holy Cross, it was specifically designed for biology majors to broaden the program’s curriculum and to offer one of a growing number of focused areas of study. Finally, the environmental science minor is one of many steps in the development of the Colleges biology program to define our specific ‘niche’ and what we can uniquely offer our students,” said Robichaud.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

As a result of coursework, internship experience, and the opportunity to conduct meaningful research, a student is prepared to pursue an advanced degree or go to work immediately.

“A graduate with a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in environmental sciences can find employment as environmental specialists or technicians, park rangers, or research lab or field technicians for private or governmental labs,” noted Robichaud. “However, if the graduate decides to further their education within the field of environmental sciences in graduate or professional schools, a greater number of professional opportunities are possible, including becoming a conservation scientist, working in environmental law or engineering, or becoming more specialized as a climatologist or hydrologist, to name a few.”

COMPUTER SCIENCE

Technology is a constantly growing field of interest and study, and Holy Cross College is staying current with a new computer science minor.

“The Holy Cross College computer science minor through five courses, gives students the option to learn an introductory level of a broad array of topics in computer science and theory or focus on a specific group of courses including cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data analytics, ethics, and programming languages without having to fully commit to a computer science major,” said Matthew Cloud, Professor of the Practice, Computer Science. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow 11 percent from 2019 to 2029, faster than the average for all occupations. These opportunities will add about 531,200 new jobs. Demand for workers will stem from greater emphasis on cloud computing, the collection and storage of big data, and information security.

In courses ranging from computer security to principles of artificial intelligence to algorithm development, Holy Cross computer science minors hone their programming skills and learn to apply the latest technology to real-world problems.

“Students in the computer science minor will learn about the theory behind computer science, including the mathematical basis, while also being able to apply practical skills using the liberal arts philosophy to guide them and reduce bias,” said Cloud. “They will have the knowledge to be able to automate tasks through at least one language, but as well know how to use artificial intelligence to enhance their roles.”

Holy Cross College has three goals in creating a minor in the computer science field.

“One, it allows students to add the critical skills in computer science

needed in any industry and provide for interesting combinations such as a biology major with a computer science minor could go into the field of bioinformatics. Another example is business students could focus on data analytics by combining the computer science minor. Two, students looking to transfer to the University of Notre Dame or Saint Mary’s College would be able to transfer to the Data Science, Data Analytics and the Computer Science Engineering programs,” noted Cloud. “Finally, the minor is the first step in establishing a full computer science major which should be in place by Fall 2022 with an emphasis on data science, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. Students who find interest in computer science through a minor will be able to easily continue towards a bachelor’s degree in computer science or complete a master’s in computer science, data science, or data analytics quicker.”

“The computer science courses will be infused with artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity throughout. According to Cyberseek.org (sponsored by the National Security Agency), there is an overwhelming current need for people to enter the cybersecurity field. Forbes has projected there will be 58 million new jobs which are AI-enhanced jobs by 2022. The World Economic Forum projects 133 million new roles may emerge as companies shake up their division of labor between humans and machines, translating into 58 million net new jobs being created by 2022. Not everyone will need to create the AI tools themselves, but millions will be needed to use them effectively in an ethical manner, a major facet of being a Holy Cross College student who will help lead that future,” said Cloud.

MATHEMATICS

From the algorithms that drive our interactions online to the critical thinking that shapes many of our everyday decisions, mathematics is embedded in virtually everything we do. As a result, a mathematical mind is increasingly valuable in our global economy, regardless of which career path you choose.

“Mathematics is an important foundational discipline for many fields of learning,” notes Deborah Arangno, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Mathematics and Mathematics Program Director. “Mathematics is the foundation of most academic and professional disciplines in a world that increasingly requires technical competency. This includes most business activities, engineering disciplines, and sciences, as well as information technology and computer science.”

This minor provides benefits to several academic areas. “The mathematics minor provides science, social science, and business majors fundamental knowledge of the important concepts, techniques, and problem-solving methods of mathematics that are universal to physical laws and essential to reasoning and analytic studies. Students will acquire precision and clarity in the oral and written communication of mathematical ideas; proficiency in the use of technology in mathematics; proficiency in abstract reasoning; acquaintance with the formulation and construction of proofs; proficiency in problem-solving, and modeling, both in groups and independently; and appreciation of mathematical exploration and the advancement of mathematical knowledge,” said Arangno.

Through program studies, students acquire a conceptual understanding of differential and integral calculus through multivariable calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, and an area of specialization including cryptography, probability, graph theory, algebra, or real analysis.

“Math students have gone on to pursue advanced degrees and thrive professionally in fields ranging from engineering, economics, and computer science, to mathematics, law, medicine, and the health sciences,” said Arangno.