{"id":619772,"date":"2024-09-13T16:00:02","date_gmt":"2024-09-13T20:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=619772"},"modified":"2024-09-16T10:33:36","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T14:33:36","slug":"back-to-school-meets-future-ready-new-academic-programs-at-rochester-619772","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/back-to-school-meets-future-ready-new-academic-programs-at-rochester-619772\/","title":{"rendered":"Back-to-school meets future-ready: New academic programs at Rochester"},"content":{"rendered":"

The range of recently launched degree programs reflects what students, the workforce, and the world need and want to become ever better.<\/h2>\n

Design a rocket.<\/p>\n

Master artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n

Scat with a Grammy winner.<\/p>\n

These are just some of the building blocks of several new academic programs at the University of Rochester<\/a>. The latest degree offerings add to the 200-plus programs of study<\/a> for undergraduate and graduate students. Some were developed to meet the workforce needs of growing industries. Others double down on areas of historic distinction for the University. A few of the programs are brand new, while the rest debuted in the past few years. But all of them have a distinctly Rochester spin to them.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look at some of the newest programs being offered in the 2024\u201325 academic year.<\/p>\n

\"\"2024: A space odyssey<\/span>
\n<\/em><\/strong>Minor in Aerospace Engineering<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Want to learn how to design and develop aircraft and spacecraft\u2014or repair them? Students in the new aerospace engineering minor<\/a> take courses that can open doors to mechanical design and manufacturing jobs in the aerospace.<\/p>\n

The minor is open to all Rochester undergraduate students but particularly compatible with engineering and physics majors. The courses offered include Introduction to Aerodynamics, Aeorspace Structures, and Advanced Dynamics. Mechanical engineering majors must take four aerospace courses, while others take three aerospace courses and one mechanical engineering course.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur students have been enthusiastically asking about aerospace courses, careers, and credentials, and that\u2019s why we built this new minor,\u201d says Douglas Kelley, the director of undergraduate studies and a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering<\/a>. \u201cThe industry is booming, with SpaceX single-handedly putting satellites into orbit more quickly than what the whole world could do 20 years ago, and with other companies not far behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Two
OUT OF THIS WORLD:<\/strong> Lee Feinberg \u201987 (left) and Laryssa Sharvan Densmore \u201983 are among the dozens of faculty and alumni who contributed to the design of the James Webb Space Telescope, which began sending images back to Earth in 2022. (NASA photo \/ Northup Gruman photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kelley adds that the minor incorporates the study of aerospace optics, a longtime strength at the University (ICYMI dozens of Rochester faculty and alumni contributed to the successful launch of NASA\u2019s James Webb Space Telescope a few years ago).<\/p>\n

While the new minor represents a small step for undergrads, a giant leap may be coming soon for graduate students in the form of a master\u2019s degree in aerospace engineering, which could be ready by fall 2025.<\/p>\n

\"\"Lights, camera … sound<\/span><\/em>
\nBA in Audio Arts and Technology<\/h3>\n

Ever wonder how sound is designed, recorded, and broadcast for video games or live sporting events? It\u2019s as much art as it is science, so it only makes sense that a degree program would combine the two.<\/p>\n

At Rochester, the audio arts and technology bachelor\u2019s program<\/a> lets students combine creative and expressive abilities with technical skills to embark on productive careers in sound and audio fields such as music recording and media production, sound design for media and games, live event support, and broadcasting. The program offers flexibility in combining studies in numerous disciplines.<\/p>\n

\"\"
SONIC YOUTH:<\/strong> Grace Stensland \u201923 in the control room of the recording studio in Gavett Hall, one of several such spaces on campus. (University of Rochester photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s for the student who has a deep connection to developing new sonic textures and wants to push the boundaries in audio,\u201d says Stephen Roessner, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering<\/a>. \u201cFrom music to podcasting, film to gaming, students can dip their ears into creative trends in audio production.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"iconCroon with a Grammy winner<\/span>
\n<\/em><\/strong>BM in Jazz Performance\u2014Jazz Voice<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Speaking of cool sounds, you can harmonize with an award-winning artist at the world-renowned Eastman School of Music<\/a>, one of the nation\u2019s\u2014and the world\u2019s\u2014best music schools<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Eastman offers a new jazz voice degree<\/a>, a track within the jazz studies and contemporary media program, that\u2019s designed and led by Grammy Award\u2013winning vocalist Sara Gazarek<\/a>. She\u2019s part of s\u00e4je, an all-female vocal group whose single, \u201cIn The Wee Small Hours of the Morning,\u201d won the 2024 Grammy Award for best arrangement, instrument, and vocals.<\/p>\n