Additions to all four colleges reflect the growing technology industry and pressure on student career readiness and workforce integration.
Winthrop University will introduce a variety of new degree programs and concentrations for the Fall 2025 semester. These include the following: B.A. in Sociology with a concentration in pre-law, B.A. in Sociology with a concentration in user experience, B.S. in Applied Software Engineering, B.S. in Artificial Intelligence, B.S. in Financial Technology, B.A. in Game Design and B.S. in Educational Studies with a concentration in youth impact.
For the College of Arts and Sciences, two new concentration paths in pre-law and user experience will be added to the already existing Sociology B.A. Chair of the Sociology, Criminology, & Anthropology Department Dr. Brad Tripp discussed the intentions behind the addition of these concentrations.
Both pre-law and user experience concentrations will ideally refine the major and better prepare students for their life after Winthrop. “The big part of these two concentrations is to provide specific career readiness for students,” Tripp said.
The pre-law concentration accomplishes this goal by equipping students for law school and a future legal career. While this has already been a goal of Winthrop sociology students, with Tripp saying, “Our department does have a long history of putting students successfully into law school,” the concentration creates a particular set of required courses that ensures their preparation.
Tripp elaborated that the pre-law track will center on qualitative research methods, such as in-depth interview studies, and is “kind of a hybrid of all the [sociology] programs,” including criminology, anthropology and social inequalities. In designing the concentration, the Chair paid special attention to the American Bar Association’s list of standards and best practices for a quality pre-law program, applying these to courses already offered by the university.
The user experience concentration additionally equips students for professions requiring skill in social research and analysis of human behavior. Tripp shared that although this degree track centers on jobs in user experience or customer experience (commonly called UX or CX), its graduates should be well-versed in all types of sociological research.
“The goal is to provide students with the skill set to go out and find jobs and be successful in all sorts of research fields,” Tripp said.
By partnering with Winthrop’s psychology department, the Chair created a “research heavy set of courses” that encourage students to work with all types of data, especially qualitative data.
Tripp agreed that this concentration reflects the growth of the tech industry and its integration with higher education. For students, work in user experience allows for an entrance into the industry without requiring a programming background. He additionally hopes that students will be able to apply their degree to jobs or internships in the banking center of Charlotte, North Carolina, which is always looking for ways to improve the experience of their many customers.
For more information, please contact Dr. Brad Tripp, Chair of the Sociology, Criminology, & Anthropology Department, at trippb@winthrop.edu.
Within the College of Business and Technology, three new degree programs are expected to be introduced for the Fall 2025 semester including Applied Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence and Financial Technology.
Dr. Adriana Cordis, Chair of Accounting, Finance, and Economics within the college, commented on Winthrop’s Bachelor of Science in Financial Technology program, notably the first in the state of South Carolina. Similar to additions made within the Sociology department, this program aims to enhance career opportunities for students by elevating the traditional finance degree.
In differentiating Financial Technology from existing degree offerings, Cordis said, “[It] builds on traditional finance and equips students with knowledge of data-driven financial modeling and cutting edge tools such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, algorithmic trading, robo-advising and others.” These tools are increasingly popular within financial institutions, making an academic background with new technology highly valuable.
She continued, “Winthrop’s B.S. in [Financial Technology] distinguishes itself from other finance programs in the state and region by requiring students to complete a mix of coursework in finance, computer sciences, and analytics.”
Cordis said, “Knowledge of [financial technology] provides opportunities for new and highly compensated career options.” This includes work at technology startups, as well as jobs within the healthcare and insurance industry.
The college seeks to align itself with transformations happening within the world of business, particularly regarding technology. “Financial technology is pushing the field of traditional finance to rethink the way it conducts business to create value for individuals and organizations by delivering services more securely, cheaper, and faster.”
For more information, please contact Dr. Adriana Cordis, Chair of the Accounting, Finance, and Economics Department, at cordisa@winthrop.edu.
The College of Visual and Performing Arts displays a similar focus on new technology with the introduction of a Bachelor of Arts in Game Design. Dr. Brad Young, associate professor of game design at the college, spoke on the program and its relevance to today’s booming gaming industry.
Young described the B.A. as a “Professional degree now giving students a more broader interdisciplinary approach and opportunity.” Compared to the already existing concentration in game design, this degree provides more control over curriculum and allows for minors in subjects outside of the college, such as computer science or Spanish.
He advertised access to gaming research groups, collaboration with Winthrop’s Esports team and new gaming technology the program will provide students with. The department hopes to become chapters of different professional gaming groups such as DIGRA, the Digital Games Research Association, so that students have opportunities to network and prepare for employment.
Although student interest has already been identified, it is likely that the program will grow in tandem with the industry. “If you actually look at the statistics for the entertainment and gaming industry, it’s a massive industry and worth a lot of money, not only globally, but locally, in South Carolina […] if you look at the arts and entertainment industry, it’s a big income earner for the state,” Young said.
For more information, please contact Dr. Brad Young, professor of game design, at youngb@winthrop.edu.
*All missing degrees in education and CBT are due to professors not communicating in time after multiple attempts*
