The aim of the ICS program is to develop people who can bridge the worlds of computer technology and of the users (and potential users) of this technology. Graduates of the program will serve as "bridge people" in their discipline -- able to communicate the needs of users to computer scientists and, conversely, to explain computer applications and their potential to users. They will also be able to develop appropriate user-friendly software for their field of interest. Graduates will be on the cutting edge of, and provide leadership in, this pioneering transfer of technology to various fields.

Students have many opportunities for individual attention from faculty. In addition, professionals and developers working with information technology visit campus regularly to participate in the ICS Speaker Forum, a weekly event designed to bring students together to discuss thesis topics and to learn about research and projects involving information technology transfer.

Recent graduates have found employment with companies and educational institutions developing discipline-oriented products as well as with companies such as Apple Computer, Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems and Ingress in the areas of multimedia product development and user interface design. Internships at these and other companies can often be arranged for students in the program.

The primary candidates for the program will be students with a liberal arts background who wish to acquire experience in computer science which they can apply in their field and who wish to explore the broader issues and implications of the increased use of computers in our society. Students in the program have access to department computing systems for developing and exploring interactive multimedia projects -- Macintoshes, NeXTs, and multimedia tools for digitizing images, sounds and text -- as well as the Mills student public computing facilities.