Computer Science (CSC)
The emphasis here is on scientific computing and problem solving. Students develop strengths in programming - the ability to instruct computers - so that the machines (not necessarily people) are more productive. Students explore techniques to make hardware devices (computers, robots etc) perform tasks they've never done before, but were always capable.These may be new ways of representing or transferring data from one source to another, fitting more data in less space, encrypting data etc.
Students pursuing a degree in computer science have several ways of fleshing out their education. They can pick from one of several tracks - data science, game development (others coming too) - or choose a minor to fill in the 21-24 hours of electives available. A minor is usually a well-ordered group of 7 to 8 courses that may have to be taken in the proper sequence. For those needing a more flexible and varied education, the electives may be filled with classes from a variety of disciplines subject to meeting the number of credits to be earned at the JR/SR level. It is best that this be discussed with the adviser.
Typical choices for minors include math, business, computer information systems, electro-mechanical technology, cybersecurity, physics etc. Care must be taken to follow the sequence in which these courses are to be taken. Students cannot afford to put off decisions till their senior year as they may not be able to get all the classes required to complete the minor in one semester or two. Please consult an adviser in the Minor program.
Core competencies:
- Programming
- Database design
- SQL
- Mobile computing
- Operating systems
- Algorithm design
- Software engineering
Typical Employers:
- Manufacturers of Defense systems (missile deployment and control)
- Control systems (designing NC machines)
- Operating systems
- Remote sensing software
- Aerospace applications Robotics
- Game programming and many others
- Lately there is a lot of interest for Computer Science majors in the growing software industry in Biology called BioInformatics.