Majoring in Computer Science
Become an experienced problem solver who is well-versed in computing theory and programming paradigms by majoring in computer science. You gain substantive research experience and learn how to think independently. You can integrate your computer science major seamlessly with other majors and minors, one of the five centers for interdisciplinary scholarship, or one of the new Pathways. Whether you have experience with computers or not, majoring in computer science challenges you to learn and be creative.
Research opportunities
Research is a priority for computer science majors. It allows you to immerse yourself in a topic of interest, contribute to the advancement of the field and prepare for graduate studies and future employment. Recent topics include entertainment software design, realistic avatar development, game agent learning, robot colony experiments, algorithmic game theory, music alignment, tonal classification, visualization, image and sound processing, algorithms for routing and scheduling, mobile device tour system development and bioinformatics. Students have presented their work at conferences across the globe. You are expected to complete at least two semesters of research.
Facilities
If you’re doing research or taking an advanced course, you have 24/7 access to campus labs. Facilities include standard UNIX and PC labs, as well as labs in robotics, multimedia and digital signal processing, and graphics and virtual reality. The robotics lab is equipped with workbenches, construction tools, a laser cutter, a 3D printer, robots and a colony space. The multimedia and signal processing lab has high-end graphics workstations, head-mounted displays, force feedback devices, development environments for multimedia content processing and software for producing animations. The graphics and virtual reality lab has high-end graphics workstations, 3D trackers, a full-body motion capture system, touch screen monitors, wearable computing devices, 3D camera and a 4.5 x 12-foot 3D visualization wall.
