2020-70

Motion Introduced by:  Curriculum and Academic Programs Committee

Date of First Reading:    March 30, 2020

Date of Second Reading: April 27, 2020

Title of Motion: Request from the School for the Future of Innovation in Society – for the establishment of a graduate degree – MS in Public Interest Technology

Action Requested: This curricular proposal has received all college, school, unit and university administrative approvals, and is being presented to the Senate for review and voting decision.   

Rationale: The MS in Public Interest Technology asks a fundamental question: is technology being applied for good? When studying the public interest, it is vital to see how new technologies pose new challenges and opportunities to society. Graduates will acquire the ability to work in cross-disciplinary teams and gain a fluency that permeates technology and society issues and solutions. Graduates will be able to think analytically, design new systems and processes, and gain exposure to emerging technologies that have a positive social impact. People working in this field ask communities what their needs are first, using a co-design approach to innovation with values in mind and cultural awareness. Public interest technologies are equally relevant to public, private, not-for-profit and non-government organizations who seek to embed the goals of human rights, technology assessment, social justice, sustainability and environmental justice in their workforce, products and processes. Some of the jobs available in this field include: analysts and designers, planners and solutions advisers, content strategists and advocacy coordinators, big/open data managers, communications and outreach officers, public health leaders and public policy analysts, policy managers, privacy and data engagement officers and privacy data misuse analysts, integrity trust and safety officers, regulatory, and environmental affairs managers.