Increasing numbers of academic programs about the Web are emerging at the undergraduate level, although they have been present in graduate studies longer. Students at institutions such as Brandeis, Cornell, and the Centenary College of Louisiana can earn minors that focus on the Web and its effects on society. A graduate program at Marlboro College deals with instruction employing Internet tools. Steve Jones, head of communications at the University of Illinois at Chicago and president of the Association of Internet Researchers, said his institution likely will soon have a Ph.D. program on Internet studies. Brandeis' Internet program offers classes in security, Web design, and e-commerce, as well as classes dealing with the social aspects of the Web. Although many colleges and universities now offer Internet-related courses, only a handful have organized them into degree programs or even an area of concentration. Jones said, "It's an incredibly exciting time, the point of birth of an area of academic studies." (Associated Press, 22 April 2001)

University of Iowa CIO news archive