New School Blueprint
Launching the first new school at William & Mary in more than 50 years is an exciting, multi-year, multi-faceted process. While an implementation committee and a new dean will finalize particulars before the school in computer science, data science, applied science and physics opens in Fall 2025 in the new ISC 4, a broad blueprint outlines the contours of the new school.
All four units currently feature vibrant programs that nurture the growth of a distinctive culture focused on research, external grants and career preparation for W&M scholars and future academics. The new school is expected to address growing student and employer demand, elevate W&M's national profile, strengthen research and faculty recruitment and promote interdisciplinary collaborations.
"So many areas of modern life benefit from these accelerating fields. Data science allows us to explore the impact of social media on democracy – then apply universal language networks to address manipulation on the platforms. Computer science advancements surround us: ensuring our “smart” devices are also safe and private. Applied science helps us understand – and maybe even embrace – the coming AI revolution. Physics undergirds all of these fields while reaching for the next breakthrough: using AI to accelerate experimental nuclear physics, for example, or deploying machine learning to pursue commercial fusion energy.
"Into this dynamic world we welcome William & Mary undergraduate students to come study with faculty members and graduate students working at the forefront of their fields, sufficiently resourced in both terabytes and talent."
— Provost Peggy Agouris
Membership and Academic Offerings
The new school will consist of the four units of Computer Science, Data Science, Applied Science and Physics. As of 2022-2023, these units house 71 faculty members, 23 post-doctoral researchers, four visiting/adjunct faculty members and nine administrative assistants. They are currently conducting searches for seven faculty hires, including five tenure-eligible.
Undergraduate students in good standing will be admitted in their second year at William & Mary as long as they meet minimum criteria; the new school will not admit undergraduate students directly. Faculty in the new school will continue to staff COLL courses in Arts & Sciences, offer their popular service courses for majors of all A&S majors and serve on university committees.
Degrees Conferred
| Undergraduate degrees |
BS and BA in Computer Science (major, minor) BS in Data Science (major, minor) BS in Physics (major, minor, Engineering Physics and Applied Design tracks) Minors in Applied Science (Bioengineering, Materials Science, Engineering tracks) |
|---|---|
| Graduate Degrees |
MS and PhD in Applied Science, including Data Science track, other current concentrations MS in Computer Science, including 5-year BS+MS program MS in Computer Science, specialization in Computational Sciences and specialization in Computational Operations Research PhD in Computer Science; PhD in Computer Science, specialization in Computational Sciences Graduate Certificate in Data and Computer Science PhD in Physics |
Organizational Structure
The structure of the new school's administration will be determined by an implementation committee working with a new dean. W&M has laid out broad contours of a nimble administrative model for the new school, which might include a new dean, a director of finance and an associate director for advancement & outreach. The new school may also feature associate dean positions for undergraduate programs and for research & graduate programs, more likely to be filled by existing faculty members. Additionally, an advisory board will support the new school by providing the dean guidance and feedback.
