College unveils new majors

^{By: Andrew Mees, Director of Institutional Communications and Campaign Marketing               communications@bloomfield.edu}

Bloomfield College will offer two new majors to its students for the 2015-2016 academic year, the institution announced today.

For the first time, the school will offer a Bachelor of Science degree in game programming and has also revamped its political science major, with the program now titled government and international studies.

The game programming major will be an interdisciplinary degree of study, combining the College’s Computer Science (CS) and Creative Arts & Technology (CAT) divisions into a hybrid program that meets the needs of a rapidly expanding industry. The degree will transition from a Bachelor of Arts into a Bachelor of Science, allowing for a more programming-specific curriculum giving students a better opportunity to gain admission to Master of Science programs in the field.

“After 10 years of successfully running a game programming option within the Bachelor of Arts in Creative Arts & Technology program, we knew we had to take the next step to fully support this important discipline,” said CAT professor Tom Toynton. “A Bachelor of Science is the standard for programming degrees and was the obvious choice for this move. And by taking the core curriculum in math and science found in top computer science programs, and melding it with our collaborative group game project and capstone courses, we have created a program that will make our students top candidates for the growing number of jobs in this area.”

To adapt to the College’s mission of preparing students for success in a multicultural and global society, the institution’s Division of Social & Behavioral Sciences has revised the government and international studies curriculum to center on a multidisciplinary, policy-oriented approach, combined with an understanding of government in an international context. The restructured program will give the students the chance to better understand the cultural, economic, political and environmental challenges facing today’s world.

"The revamping of our government and international studies program allows for new thinking and training opportunities for our students, providing a wider lens and allowing them to become creators of best practices in the new arenas of government,” said Division of Social & Behavioral Sciences associate professor Glenda Kirkland. “Our world is facing significant issues: fractious or no communication between governments, a humanitarian displaced persons crisis to solve. Bloomfield College students will be opened to these issues and the world as it is now, and they will be prepared through this program to take on these challenges."