AMMAN — The King Hussein School for Computing Sciences at Princess Sumaya University of Technology has announced the opening of a newly-accredited bachelor’s programme in data science and artificial intelligence.

The programme is the “first of its kind” in Jordan, combining several years’, worth of research into the international and local labour market and collaboration with experts from major companies and institutions, PSUT said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times.

Several “internal and external bodies” have also evaluated the programme and found it “outstanding”, the statement indicated.

University President Mashhoor Al Refai has said that the programme will encourage student creativity, self-dependency and independent learning while continuing to fulfil the vision of HRH Princess Sumaya, chairperson of PSUT’s board of trustees.

The data science aspect of the degree will specifically focus on teaching students to analyse large amounts of data in order to make statistically informed decisions — a skill essential to jobs in “big data science” companies like IBM and Hewlett Packard, he said in the statement.

Commenting on the introduction of the new major at the university, Information and Communications Technology Association of Jordan ([email protected]) CEO Nidal Bitar calls the programme’s focus a specialty that “puts Jordan on the right track” to fill a current “gap” in the Jordanian labour economy.

“We have been working with other stakeholders to produce bootcamps [for students] to gain new skills,” Bitar said, noting [email protected]'s role as a “bridge” between Jordan’s private sector and university faculty. He also believes that PSUT’s programme is the “first of many of its kind”, setting an example that will “encourage other universities to follow”.

Chairman of the National Sectors Skill Council Alaa Ensheiwat said his volunteer-based organisation is also working with PSUT’s faculty to “enhance” the new degree programme as well as other university programmes in information, communication and technology.

“We need to do something good for the students of Jordan,” Ensheiwat told The Jordan Times, noting that out of the 4,000 Jordanians graduating yearly in these fields, only 1,000 find a job.

According to PSUT’s statement, the fields of data science and artificial intelligence are some of the most quickly advancing in the world. Jobs in data science, in particular, are expected to come into high demand worldwide as more workers are expected to adapt in a rapidly-transforming digital environment.

The data science and artificial intelligence programme is the fourth BSc in science degree to be offered at King Hussein School of Computing Sciences, which also provides degrees in computer science, computer graphics and animation and software engineering.