By: Octavius Toliver-Flient
McPherson College is once again expanding by adding two new majors: Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering. With these new majors, the college will increase the number of educational opportunities for students on campus. Not only will this benefit students currently on campus, it will also draw in new recruits who are interested in these areas of study.
Now for some insights on what the majors will look like. According to Dr. Tim Frye, Assistant Professor of Mathematics at McPherson College, the institution used to have an Information Technology (IT) major, but it was discontinued more than a decade ago. Dr. Frye shared that there have been a lot of visiting students who are interested in pursuing a career in computer science, specifically data security and programming. In response to this, McPherson College is working to develop a Computer Science major and hopes to even hire a professor with expertise in that area. The major is still under construction, but is expected to be available to students at McPherson College by the fall of 2026. The Computer Science major will recruit students with good programming skills. This is important because technology is only getting more enhanced, so the need for computer science experts is rising, making the major’s worth even higher.
The second major is Mechanical Engineering. This area of study has already been approved by the Higher Learning Commission but will not go into effect immediately because the college needs to hire professors. The current plan is to hire professors during the 2025-2026 school year and then to begin accepting students in the fall of 2026. By building knowledge in this area of study, students will learn to design and build things that can solve world-like issues. This is a great thing for McPherson College because Mechanical Engineering is so different from the other majors currently offered.
Although this announcement may be news for students, the development of these majors has taken a long time. Dr. Frye shared, “as for the timeline, all of these have been ideas for discussion as long as I have been here—since 2020.” The hope is that now that the classrooms and offices on campus are shifting, there will be more space for computer science and mechanical engineering classrooms.
This is an important step in expanding the number of opportunities available to McPherson College students. Little by little, step by step, McPherson College is emerging as a top school. Overall, this was a great decision by the college; it makes me more grateful to be part of this institution.
