Belhaven is first MS university to pair with Amazon for new curriculum. Read details here

Mary Boyte, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
·2 min read

Belhaven University is the first college in Mississippi to pair with Amazon to offer a new data science curriculum.

The university announced Tuesday morning that it will work with Amazon Web Services Academy to create the curriculum, which will center around cloud computing.

The curriculum aims to shape the next generation of the growing tech workforce.

This new curriculum comes during a time of significant investment by Amazon Web Services in Mississippi. AWS recently initiated a $10 billion project in Madison County. The project will build two hyperscale development centers.

A group of students walk toward the McCravey-Triplett Student Center on the campus of Belhaven University in Jackson on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023.
A group of students walk toward the McCravey-Triplett Student Center on the campus of Belhaven University in Jackson on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023.

More project details: Amazon jobs in Madison MS will be more than announced

Cloud computing is a rapidly growing concept in the tech industry, demanding a workforce with tailored skills.

A "cloud," according to AWS, is a pay-as-needed data server accessed over the internet. Smart phone users are most likely familiar with the fact that a personal cloud can store pictures and documents without having to physically upload the data to external storage.

"Cloud computing," according to AWS refers to the delivery of tech services by a cloud provider, such as Amazon.

The new Belhaven courses, debuting in fall 2024, will include lectures and labs. Experts at AWS have designed the courses to pair well with existing Belhaven curriculum.

More on Amazon in Mississippi: What is a hyperscale data center? How much energy does it take? Is Madison ready? We answer

Belhaven professors will receive training to meet the courses' demands.

In a Tuesday press release, Brett Andrews, dean of Belhaven's school of business and program director for data science, said he is proud of the new curriculum.

"The rapid rise of computing is creating a growing number of high-quality jobs at organizations around the world," Andrews said. "The technical skills that students develop through this program will position them well for their careers today and in the future."

Got a news tip? Contact Mary Boyte at mboyte@jackson.gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Belhaven is first MS university to pair with Amazon for new curriculum