Even a global pandemic won’t stop Duke from adding to its growing list of academic programs.
The School of Medicine recently added a doctorate program in occupational therapy, while the Pratt School of Engineering updated their graduate programs to meet the ever-expanding needs of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
New programs in Pratt include a master’s program in cybersecurity, a master of engineering and graduate certificate in artificial intelligence for product innovation and a master of engineering in financial technology.
The doctorate in occupational therapy will welcome their first cohort of twenty-eight students in August 2021. The program was approved by the Board of Trustees this summer and will require full-time study for three years, according to the School of Medicine.
Meanwhile, the master’s program in cybersecurity will begin in fall 2021, in person and online. The program aims to “help meet the need for specialized engineers who can design and defend secure systems,” according to a news release.
“By combining a highly interdisciplinary structure and technical instruction with business skills development, this Duke Engineering degree is designed to develop professionals with the skillset that organizations need to protect their vital networks and systems,” program director Jimmie Lenz said in the release.
The degree will require 30 credits and a capstone experience, which can be an internship or a research project.
Also starting in fall 2021 is the new master of engineering in artificial intelligence for product innovation, a 15-month program that requires no application fee or entrance exam.
“The level of depth, faculty interaction and high-quality virtual approach set Duke’s apart from other AI certificates,” program director Jon Reifschneider said in a news release.
Pratt and the Duke Financial Economics Center collaborated on the master of engineering in financial technology, which is currently working with its first cohort of students.
The 30-credit curriculum is one of the first of its kind in an engineering school, serving the increasing demand for technical demand in traditional emerging finance sectors. Program directors announced in April that they would launch the online program a year earlier than originally scheduled, welcoming students June 29, according to a news release.
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Kathryn Thomas is a Trinity junior and news editor of The Chronicle's 118th volume.