SANTA CRUZ -- UC Santa Cruz is offering a new major that will provide students the opportunity to learn about networks and digital technology without focusing soley on engineering or computer science.

Students who enroll in the Baskin School of Engineering's new network and digital technology major will earn a bachelor of arts degree.

The program provides students with in-depth knowledge of networks and computer technology, while giving them the flexibility to specialize or combine the major with other interests.

The department of computer engineering will administer the new program, and students can start enrolling this fall. The requirements for the degree in network and digital technology are less intensive than those for the department's bachelor of science degrees in computer engineering and robotics engineering. The flexible requirements for the degree will allow students to specialize, through the elective courses they choose, in a specific area associated with computer engineering.

"This degree is intended for students who have an interest in the technology but don't aspire to be engineers," J.J. Garcia-Luna-Aceves, Baskin professor and chair of computer engineering, said in a statement.

Job opportunities in computer networks and digital technology are likely to grow, he said.

Graduates of the program will be prepared to contribute to engineering design teams, work on technology development, do technical marketing or sales, or join the computer networking workforce.

"Not everybody needs to be an engineer to work in this field," said Martine Schlag, professor of computer engineering and undergraduate program director for the department, in a statement. "A person with an understanding of computer systems and networks who also has a background in economics, for example, would be very valuable."