William & Mary’s first new school in 50 years — the School of Computing, Data Sciences & Physics — launches this July.
Bringing together four of the university’s units — applied science, computer science, data science and physics — the school will expand the university’s ability to prepare students to thrive in a data-rich world. High-impact research will converge with academic and professional career preparedness, meeting employer demand while achieving goals from the university’s Vision 2026 strategic plan.
In October 2024, Douglas C. Schmidt ’84, M.A. ’86, an internationally recognized scholar with more than three decades of experience in academic and government leadership roles, was named the school’s inaugural dean.
In anticipation of the school’s launch, W&M News recently asked Schmidt a few questions about:
- What current and prospective students need to know about the new school
- How the school builds on William & Mary’s liberal arts & sciences legacy
His answers have been edited for length.
What do students need to know?
Q. How do students become part of CDSP? Will there be a formal application process? Will a student need specific prerequisites?
A. Undergraduate candidates will not apply to the school directly. W&M second-year students in good standing will be able to enter the school as long as they meet the criteria established by the school and the specific major.
Q. What is the best preparation for those who hope to major in CDSP?
A. CDSP will use holistic advising: Students with a GPA lower than 3.0 in the foundational sequence will meet with an advisor to craft a success plan.
Q. What degrees will be offered under the CDSP brand?
A. CDSP will offer:
- B.S. Computer Science
- B.S. Data Science
- B.S. Physics
- Graduate M.S./Ph.D.
The school is contemplating several other degrees, including a B.S. in Artificial Intelligence, which will be announced on the CDSP website as they are approved.
Q. How can students complete the requirements for a double major?
A. Students will continue to have the opportunity to double major or minor in areas offered by other W&M schools and programs. Interdisciplinary collaborations between the school and the rest of the university will be expanded, combining cutting-edge innovation with William & Mary’s distinctive strengths in the liberal arts and sciences.
CDSP curricula are built around modular “clusters” (30–32 credits) that overlap with general education and partner majors. Shared electives and well-advised sequencing will allow most students to finish two majors in four years.
Q. Will non-majors be able to participate in the school’s offerings?
A. Yes. CDSP will offer an array of options to non-majors including:
- Campuswide Digital Fluency Certificates (nine credits + micro internship)
- AI & Society COLL 200 courses satisfying general education requirements
- Computer Graphics COLL 200 exploring the intersection of computing and the arts, satisfying general education requirements
- Cybersecurity COLL 300 courses that explore protection of critical infrastructure in an international context; COLL 300 also satisfies general education requirements
- Guest-friendly hackathons, speaker series and one-credit skill sprints open to all students
CDSP will prepare students for a wide range of careers, spanning the sciences, government and education. Some examples:
- Software and systems engineering
- Cybersecurity engineering
- Data analytics
- AI/machine learning engineering
- Quantum computing & photonics research and development (R&D)
- Computational biology & climate informatics
- National security program acquisition, test and evaluation
- Tech-savvy policy, law, consulting and product management roles
Q. Will there be additional fees for CDSP courses?
A. Yes. CDSP fees will be implemented at a rate of $250 per credit hour for selected courses starting in the fall 2025 semester. CDSP fees are only applicable to new students who enroll in fall 2025 or later. More information about fees can be found here.
Building on W&M’s traditions
Q. How does this school fit into the W&M tradition of liberal arts & sciences education?
A. William & Mary’s liberal-arts tradition has always balanced breadth of perspective with depth of inquiry, producing graduates who can think critically, write persuasively and act ethically. The new School of Computing, Data Sciences & Physics deftly updates that formula for the 21st century. By embedding computing and data courses within a curriculum steeped in the arts and humanities, the school preserves W&M’s hallmarks — small classes and faculty mentorship — while equipping students to interrogate technology’s societal impact with the same rigor once applied to Locke or Kant.
Looking forward, the school doesn’t just fit the liberal-arts mold — it stretches it in exciting directions. The result is a campus where “double major” isn’t a workaround but a strategy: Synergy becomes the default, innovation the byproduct. If the liberal arts teach us to ask why, and the sciences to uncover how, the new school ensures our graduates also master what now? — blending soul and software to invent the humane technologies the future demands.
Q. How will CDSP amplify awareness of W&M’s brand as an institution that is doing cutting-edge research?
A. By bringing physicists, data wizards, and computer scientists under one roof — and backing them with AI Impact Labs and a next-generation Computational Research Hub — the new School of Computing, Data Sciences & Physics will turbocharge W&M’s research engine. The school’s “best-sized” scale means undergrads co-author papers with professors, while faculty land high-visibility commercial and federal projects, quickly re-branding William & Mary as a launchpad for frontier science and technology.
Discovery is only half the battle — amplification seals the deal. The school will turn labs into living showrooms. Annual “Innovation on the Green” festivals will pair AI-generated art installations with lightning talks from faculty-industry duos, while strategic partnerships with technology media outlets, federal agencies and Fortune 500 R&D arms broadcast each win far beyond Williamsburg. In short, the school doesn’t just do cutting-edge work — it builds a spotlight bright enough for the whole world to see William & Mary.
Q. How will the importance of externally funded research mesh with W&M’s legacy of specializing in undergraduate teaching?
A. Externally funded research isn’t a distraction from William & Mary’s undergraduate teaching mission — it’s the fuel that keeps that mission current. When faculty in the School of Computing, Data Sciences & Physics win industry grants to probe quantum algorithms or explore human-centered augmented intelligence, they don’t vanish into ivory-tower labs; they bring those discoveries straight into class and labs where undergraduates co-author papers and prototype solutions side-by-side with faculty and Ph.D. students. The result is a “best-sized” feedback loop: Small seminars still thrive, but their content is sourced from the scientific frontier, ensuring every W&M student learns from educators who are simultaneously creators of the knowledge they teach.
That same research engine projects the W&M brand far beyond the brick paths of Williamsburg. When federally funded teams in our new school publish breakthroughs, they position William & Mary as a go-to collaborator for agencies and Fortune 500 R&D shops seeking innovation. Each award amplifies visibility, attracts top faculty and students and signals to donors that W&M isn’t merely recounting history — it’s writing it.
Q. What other aspects of W&M will play a role in the success of CDSP? Are there synergies with existing programs?
A. Success for the new School of Computing, Data Sciences & Physics is a campus-wide jam session. Philosophy and law provide the ethical and regulatory grooves that turn AI into responsible innovations, while the Mason School of Business and the Entrepreneurship Hub lay down the beat that transforms prototypes into venture-backed products. Biology and applied science add harmonies while partners like the Global Research Institute and the Institute for Integrative Conservation supply global impact. The result is a multidisciplinary ensemble where students can double-major in data science and government, tackle quantum-security capstones with physics and law mentors and publish papers that quote Aristotle and reference PyTorch in the same breath.
Backing the academics is an infrastructure tuned for amplification. The Studio for Teaching & Learning Innovation and W&M Libraries will co-produce short-course sequences that boost campus-wide data fluency, the Career Center syncs employer pipelines with faculty research agendas and alumni networks plug students into internships. Add live-streamed demos from proposed AI Impact Labs, policy briefings hosted by the School of Education and community hackathons on the Sunken Garden, and W&M’s “best-sized” ecosystem becomes a megaphone for the school’s incredible breakthroughs.
Q. How will interdisciplinary courses factor into CDSP’s curriculum?
A. Interdisciplinary courses are the curricular heartbeat of the new school. Flagship degrees like the proposed B.S. in artificial intelligence and the B.A. in digital analytics require electives drawn from ethics, policy and domain sciences. Proposed AI Impact Labs will convert theory to practice, embedding course credit inside cross-college research teams that tackle global topics. Undergraduates don’t just learn multiple languages; they learn to speak them in the same sentence.
CDSP’s interdisciplinary engine also powers the rest of campus. Short-course sequences co-designed with the libraries and the Studio for Teaching & Learning Innovation let history majors learn Python for text mining, while business students earn micro-credentials in cloud analytics through weekend intensives. Courses slip so easily across departmental borders that every W&M student—whether from music or mathematics — can plug into the digital future without unplugging their liberal arts & sciences identity. That synergy turns the curriculum into a campus-wide conductor, orchestrating tech fluency and human insight into one education.
Susan Corbett, Communications Specialist