Columbia has been feeding the creativity of its students since Mirron Alexandroff changed it into a liberal arts college in 1961. However, recent changes to the Audio Arts and Acoustics Department may present a variety of new opportunities for the college and its science and math conscious students.

The college recently made a historic change to its curriculum when it created the Bachelor of Science degree for the acoustics major. This is the first Bachelor of Science degree for the college and the only program of its kind available nationally at the undergraduate level.

“The conversion had to happen [because] it gives a better, more appropriate title to the type of education the students in this concentration receive,” said Pantelis Vassilakis, chair of the Audio Arts and Acoustics Department. “It allows them to be as competitive as they can when they go to compete for graduate school or a job.”

The department was in the process of altering the degree from a Bachelor of Arts to a Bachelor of Science for approximately 10 years. Vassilakis said a number of variables in recent years made it possible for the change to be completed. He said the key change was faculty numbers increasing from five full-time faculty in 2005 to the 12 full-time professors and three administrative assistants currently working in the department.

Other main reasons Vassilakis cited included a well-prepared proposal and more time to collect information and data on what the program needs.

To compile this information, Vassilakis said the department looked to alumni and professionals in the field to learn where the program was excelling and where improvements could be made.

“If we give them the degree that has the appropriate name and take the opportunity to revamp it, beef it up and make the most of this opportunity, we become unique,” Vassilakis said. “We can tell proudly that we are the only institution in the U.S. that [offers the degree program].”

The degree will require the acoustics curriculum to change from 120 credit hours to 128 because it’s specialized. It will also allow for a more science-and-math-focused education.

Vassilakis said the department looked to other colleges, such as the University of Chicago’s graduate program, to benchmark its courses. He said what the department discovered was most of the courses needed were already available within other departments in the college, such as the Science and Mathematics and Interactive Arts and Media departments.

“The most important thing it does is put the right name on the program and raises the profile of Columbia in an entirely new pocket of industry,” said Benjamin Kanters, associate chair in the Audio Arts and Acoustics Department. “We’re up there with [the Massachusetts Institute of Technology] and Stanford University.”

Two additional courses in the Audio Arts and Acoustics Department, Fundamentals of Systems Integration and Introduction to Electro Acoustics, will be introduced. Material Science will also be resurrected from the Science and Math Department.

“We compiled a very strong curriculum that is deep in science and mathematics, but also retains the liberal arts focus of the college that sets us apart from an engineering school,” Vassilakis said.

In addition to increasing students’ job and graduate school opportunities, Vassilakis said he expects retention and enrollment to increase.

Dominique Cheenne, professor in the Audio Arts and Acoustics Department, said this is a new tool the college can use to recruit students who would otherwise not think of attending Columbia.

“It’s a winning situation because it’s going to bring more diversity to the population of the department and the college,” Cheenne said. “It was a long time

in the making and I am so glad we made it happen.”