UPEI’s computer science degree programs receive three-year national accreditation from Canadian Information Processing Society
The
University of Prince Edward Island’s Computer Science and Information Technology
department has received national accreditation for its degree programs for the
first time from the Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS).
Gerald Caissy, president of the CIPS-Charlottetown Section, made the announcement at a professional development event held by the local group recently. On behalf of Sylvia Osborn, chairperson of the CPIS Computer Science Accreditation Council, he presented a plaque to Dr. Christian Lacroix, dean of the UPEI Faculty of Science, and Professor Wayne Cutcliffe, of the Computer Science and Information Technology department.
The department offers a major and an honours degree in computer science, and a computer science co-op education program.
“Accreditation ensures that our programs meet national standards with respect to the core body of knowledge taught in our courses,” says Cutcliffe. “It allows our graduates to qualify for the Information Systems Professional (ISP) designation after they acquire two years of professional experience. Certification of IT professionals is, and will become, more important as the public will demand not only technical competency, but also assurance that IT professionals are acting in the public interest. At the national level, CIPS is engaging IT industry and government leaders in the benefits of having employees who set high standards for the profession.”
A computer science accreditation review team visited UPEI in March 2007 and prepared a report for the CIPS Computer Science Accreditation Council. Over its summer meetings, the council granted accreditation for the university’s computer science programs for three years.
In his remarks at the event, Caissy noted that UPEI now joins regional institutions such as Dalhousie University, University of New Brunswick, Saint Mary’s University and Acadia University in the computer science CIPS accreditation arena.
Founded in 1958, CIPS is the professional association for Information Technology (IT) practitioners in Canada, representing more than 6,000 IT professionals on important issues affecting their industry and profession. It is also responsible for pursuit of the legislation and regulation of the ISP designation.
