A USC sociology, history or dance major may not be attuned to the discipline of quantum computing, but the university's soon to open School of Advanced Computing will open its doors to all -- as well as dramatically expand the number of degrees it confers in technology-related fields, officials announced Thursday. The new University of Southern California school comes at time when jobs for computer and information research scientists are in high demand and fast-growing, projecting to increase 21% from 2021 to 2031, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A major component of the school will be dedicated to teaching data science and information technology to non-computer majors -- an offering that officials say will allow all students to develop their understanding of elements that shape the digital world, such as coding. "We want to develop a digital backbone across USC that touches every student and every graduate," said Ishwar Puri, senior vice president of research and innovation. "So when they go out into the world, they understand what computing is."

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Microsoft believes that lessons from a liberal arts education are necessary for the proper development of AI. In 2011, Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates told a panel of American governors that a liberal arts education would hold back college graduates in the modern economy . Seven years later, Gates' company is siding with Jobs. Microsoft president Brad Smith and EVP of AI and research Harry Shum wrote in their new book " The Future Computed " that "one of the most important conclusions" of Microsoft's recent research into artificial intelligence is that lessons from liberal arts will be critical to unleashing the full potential of AI . The two executives imagine a world in which our daily lives will be inextricably linked to AI .

Microsoft believes that lessons from a liberal arts education are necessary for the proper development of AI. In 2011, Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates told a panel of American governors that a liberal arts education would hold back college graduates in the modern economy. A few days later, late Apple cofounder Steve Jobs declared that "it's technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the result that makes our heart sing." Seven years later, Gates' company is siding with Jobs. Microsoft president Brad Smith and EVP of AI and research Harry Shum wrote in their new book "The Future Computed" that "one of the most important conclusions" of Microsoft's recent research into artificial intelligence is that lessons from liberal arts will be critical to unleashing the full potential of AI.