Two new degrees offered in applied sciences, data science

Two new academic degrees will be offered in the College beginning this fall.

The department of applied physical sciences will offer a B.S. in applied sciences that connects engineering to the liberal arts. The undergraduate degree is a first for the decade-old department, which offered a Ph.D. when it launched in 2013, and introduced a popular minor in applied sciences and engineering in 2020.

The new major will initially offer tracks in materials engineering and environmental engineering.

In the materials engineering track, students will work with materials and technologies that are the building blocks of industry, such as next-generation energy storage, polymer membranes for clean water, green plastics and medical devices, to design new products and improve existing ones. These upper-level courses will be taught by faculty in applied physical sciences.

In the environmental engineering track, students will learn how to use scientific and engineering methods to protect people from pollution and other negative effects of environmental degradation and to design solutions for sustainable resources, human health and environmental restoration. Faculty in the department of environmental sciences and engineering in the Gillings School of Global Public Health will teach these upper-level courses.

UNC will offer two new undergraduate degree programs in data science this fall. The B.S. in data science will be in the new School of Data Science and Society, while the B.A. in data science will be in the College. The B.S. degree is the first undergraduate degree for the School of Data Science and Society.

The B.A. degree program will be based in the College’s department of statistics and operations research, or STOR. This degree has an emphasis on applied data science training for students pursuing a variety of career paths. A minor in data science, launched in 2021, is also offered through the College and housed in STOR.