In mid-December, The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) unveiled more details about its new College of AI, Cyber and Computing.
The college will formally launch in the fall of 2025 and is expected to enroll more than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
It will feature four specialized departments in computer science, computer engineering, information systems and cyber security, and data science and statistics.
UTSA added that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has predicted job growth in data science and cyber security will exceed 35% by 2031, equating to millions of new jobs.
In statement, university officials explained that they followed "recommendations from an advisory task force that launched in January, as well as deep and broad consultation with internal and external stakeholders over the past year."
They pledged to work with local employers to ensure the college's curriculum properly prepared graduates for their industries' specific needs.
The statement added: "Building on the success of the UTSA School of Data Science, launched in 2018, the establishment of the College of AI, Cyber and Computing represents the university’s next step in meeting the region’s growing demand for skilled professionals. As a key component of UTSA’s downtown expansion, the college will serve as a dynamic hub for education and research while deepening UTSA’s connections with industry and government partners."
The college will work with UTSA's AI Consortium for Human Well-Being, which, the statement explained, is "dedicated to transformative research on designing and deploying AI technologies to enhance human life." It will also partner with "the Open Cloud Institute [which] supports university-wide initiatives in cloud computing, data science, AI and machine learning, driving innovation and discovery across multiple domains."
The college will also oversee the Institute for Cyber Security, the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security, and the Cyber Center for Security and Analytics.
The college will be based in San Pedro I, one of the newest additions to UTSA's Downtown Campus, and San Pedro II, still under construction.
The statement added that the search for the college's first dean begins in January, and the first students will be in classes by August.