Daily News

Bay Path Combines Digital Technologies, Liberal Arts in New Degree Program

LONGMEADOW — After a long push for emerging professionals to be proficient in technical skills upon graduation, employers are now advocating for a slight twist: employees still need soft skills, too. The American Women’s College at Bay Path University, known for its ability to offer degree programs specific to workforce needs, recently announced a degree that combines a liberal-arts education with the technical skills in high demand.

The digital information design and society major offers students a curriculum that combines traditional liberal-arts skills in critical thinking, ethics, analysis, communication, and research with technical skills in coding, programming, data science, text mining, web development, modeling, and mapping.

“We really wanted to think about what the future of work looks like and how we can train our students to meet those needs that employers are asking for,” said Emily Thompson, academic director of Liberal Studies and Communications at the American Women’s College. “Employers need people with tech and STEM skills, but they also need people who can write well, think critically, and possess emotional empathy in the workplace.”

While a degree in liberal studies has always been an interdisciplinary program, the addition of quantitative and computational thinking skills allows students to apply their knowledge base across career fields. The program, in which students will earn a bachelor of arts degree in liberal studies, also allows students to tailor their curriculum to best suit the direction they want to head in post-graduation.

“We’ve left elective space open to allow students a broad spectrum in where this degree can take them,” Thompson said. “While one student may be interested in public policy and can choose electives that focus on that field, another may be interested in instructional design or new media design, and can choose electives that support those fields.”

Upon graduation, students will be equipped to enter fields like academic and health administration, digital communications, media production, learning design, and public-relations strategy.

For more information on the digital information design and society concentration, visit www.baypath.edu/digitalinformationdesign.