On Oct. 2, the North Carolina House and Senate passed a bill that will  require future high schoolers to take a computer science course before graduating. This requirement will join current English, math, arts, science and social studies credits  for all graduating students. The bill was subsequently signed into law by Governor Roy Cooper.

This law allows schools to add computer science as part of the Standard Course of Study as early as the 2024-25 school year, which would be enforced for all students entering high school after the 2026-27 school year. 

According to the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Catherine Truitt, the aim of the bill is to give future students a background in computer science to better equip them for the skills required in today’s workforce.

Green Hope computer science instructor Daniel Nolan shared his reaction to the new graduation requirement.

“Honestly, it surprised me,” he said. “I think that this is a really good step toward preparing students for the digital world that we live in.” 

He elaborated on the importance of computer science skills in the coming decades. “That’s why I teach computer science,” he said. “I think it’s where the world is and not just where we are heading any more. It also helps to make sure that students understand what is going to be required of them after high school in the digital world. It’s exciting to make it a requirement, and it’s a big jump from students choosing to take computer science classes to being required to take them.” 

Once the bill goes into effect, classes such as Adobe Visual and AP Computer Science, along with courses on data analytics and artificial intelligence, will satisfy the new requirements. In the coming years, North Carolina is also expected to see a significant influx in the number of computer science and jobs in related fields available.