PITTSBURGH-Beginning this fall, Carnegie Mellon University will offer a Bachelor of ComputerScience and Arts (BCSA), a new interdisciplinary program that will equip students to explore and expand the connections between computation and the arts. Students enrolled in the program will work toward degrees that combine coursework in the university's world-class School of Computer Science with complementary studies in itsinternationally renowned College of Fine Arts, which comprises the schools of Art, Architecture, Design, Drama and Music.

The BCSA program is an "integrated double major," which combines a sequence of full-strengthcomputer science courses with a rigorous concentration in studio or performing arts.

"The unified Bachelor of Computer Science and Arts degree will allow a new generation of artisttechnologiststo create new forms of knowledge and influence culture at the highest possible level, by bridgingfields in totally new ways," said Franco Sciannameo, director of the BCSA, Bachelor of Humanities and Arts(BHA) and Bachelor of Science and Arts (BSA) programs. In creating the BCSA program, Sciannameocollaborated with faculty and administrators from the College of Fine Arts and the School of Computer Science.

Sophomore Alyssa Reuter, who will join the first cadre of BCSA students, highlighted some of thepossibilities the new program could facilitate. "Computer science and art are already fused in fields like characteranimation, game design, electronic music, interactive graphics and information visualization and robotics," Reutersaid. "Meanwhile, new tools like rapid prototyping, motion capture and broadband Internet are spawningrevolutions in architectural design, live performance and participatory culture. And computer science itself isincreasingly oriented towards personal, expressive media. It's exciting to have this chance to exercise both sides ofmy brain and the opportunity couldn't have come at a better time."

Eight Carnegie Mellon students are scheduled to transfer into the BCSA degree program this spring,while several first-year students are poised to enter the program in the fall.

About Carnegie Mellon: Carnegie Mellon is a private research university with a distinctive mix of programs in engineering,computer science, robotics, business, public policy, fine arts and the humanities. More than 10,000 undergraduate and graduatestudents receive an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinarycollaboration, and innovation. A small student-to-faculty ratio provides an opportunity for close interaction between students andprofessors. While technology is pervasive on its 144-acre Pittsburgh campus, Carnegie Mellon is also distinctive among leadingresearch universities for the world-renowned programs in its College of Fine Arts. A global university, Carnegie Mellon hascampuses in Silicon Valley, Calif., and Qatar, and programs in Asia, Australia and Europe. For more, see www.cmu.edu.