Welcome to USC’s DCISM

Overview

The long history of the Department of Computer, Information Sciences, and Mathematics (DCISM) began with the establishment of the Department of Mathematics in 1962 with Fr. Michael Richartz, SVD, Ph.D. as the first department chair, with an initial offering of the Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Master of Science in Mathematics programs to address the lack of college mathematics teachers in the region. In 1990, the Department of Mathematics has renamed the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science following the introduction of the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science curriculum prompted by strong demand from foreign direct investments and local industries. With the development of wireless technology and in response to the needs of the IT industry, the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology program was also offered in 2000 and the Master of Science in Information Technology program in 2003.

In 2004, the Higher Education Development Project of the Commission on Higher Education identified the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science as a delivering Higher Education Institution for its scholarship grant for Master of Mathematics which aims to improve the quality of mathematics instruction in higher education institutions. Due to the increasing number of students enrolled in Information and Computer Technology, the Computer Science section separated from the Department of Mathematics in 2010 with Jacqueline Fat‑Yara as its first chair. The department is a founding member of the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology (CEDF‑IT) and Oracle Academic Initiative (OAI). The department was recognized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) as a Center of Development for Information Technology Education in January 2016.

Meanwhile, the Department of Library Science was established in 1966 under its first chair, Nenita Po Sy. Library Science as a discipline had an even longer journey, beginning as a minor in the Bachelor of Science in Education program in 1950, then as a Bachelor of Arts program in 1958, while a Master of Science in Library Science program was offered in 1970. Prompted by the Commission on Higher Education, the bachelor’s program became an A.B. in Library and Information Science in 1998, before standardization in 2005 resulted in the offering of the Bachelor of Library and Information Science, the Master of Library and Information Science, and the Master of Science in Library and Information Science programs.

Currently, the Department of Computer, Information Science, and Mathematics has five academic sections, namely Computer Science, Information and Communication Technology, Information Technology, Library and Information Science, and Mathematics.