This month, The Berkeley Center for New Media (BCNM) at the University of California, Berkeley, launched the Certificate in Global Digital Infrastructure(link is external), the first and only program of its kind in higher education.Created and led by internet infrastructure expert and Professor Nicole Starosielski(link is external) of UC Berkeley’s Department of Film & Media, this groundbreaking certificate will begin in Summer 2025 and is available to all UC Berkeley students and universities around the world. The curriculum is designed to introduce students to the multifaceted world of global digital infrastructure, encompassing technical, economic, legal, environmental, and social dimensions.
Subsea internet infrastructure underpins contemporary economic and social life, yet it remains invisible. This is a problem for the digital infrastructure industries: data center and subsea cable companies are deeply concerned about the next generation of their workforce. This is also a public problem: as sectors increasingly depend on digital infrastructure and services, a basic literacy of these infrastructures is needed to ensure continuity of service, sustainability, and resilience. Until now, outside of Starosielski’s classes, there has been no defined academic track for students to learn about these systems and enter the field. This program fills that gap, offering a comprehensive, accessible, and future-facing education in the infrastructure behind our digital lives.