By Drew Teague

One major seems to be shooting for the stars, and it’s not on the ‘Arts and Sciences’ rocket.

The computer science major has seen a steady increase in its students over the past two years and wants to continue to grow.

According to the Taulbee Survey, which UK was involved in, over the past two years there has been a 14 percent increase in students majoring in the computer science field during their college career.

Dr. Jerzy Jaromczyk, director for undergraduate studies for the computer science department, said he is glad to see this trend emerging and the number rising.

“The current enrollment for Spring 2010 in our computer science undergraduate program is on the level of 200 students,” Jaromczyk said. “In the two previous years it was 174 and 184 students, respectively.”

With this increase, Jaromcztk said there are many reasons why so many students are coming into this major and pursuing degrees, the main explanation being the rapid development and importance of technology in our lives.

“With computers and other computing devices, including mobile phones, more and more important in our lives, many students recognize that developing new software and working in very interdisciplinary environment is a very exciting profession,” Jaromczyk said.

With the rise in the number of students, the entire department is welcoming the incoming students next year in a special way.

“We are glad to see this increase and are able to accommodate our students and many more,” Jaromczyk said. “We will welcome them in a new building next year and we are working on improving our instructional space.”

Jaromczyk and the rest of his department are constantly preparing in the ever-changing field of computer science, because they are always expecting the interest and students in the major to increase.

“I believe that it will (continue to increase),” Jaromczyk said, “and at the same time, computer science departments, including ours, develop new curricula that reflect emerging needs.”

With all of the various reasons students settle on particular majors, Jaromczyk said computer science is a very interesting field that would be a good fit for many students.

“It is natural to consider all the factors in selecting profession,” Jarmoczyk said. “I think, however, that computer science is a safe choice for motivated students.”