Mission

The mission of the Computer Science program is to provide graduates with a solid foundation in computing concepts and skills that will enable them to:

  • achieve a detailed quantitative understanding of the computational aspects of human-made and natural systems;
  • devise new computing techniques, and design new computing systems that effectively address problems across the spectrum of human inquiry and endeavor, taking ethical and social considerations into account;
  • pursue graduate study or employment in a wide variety of fields that require computational reasoning.

Our program is intended to imbue students with a deep understanding of fundamental computing ideas that transcend particular computing technologies, an integrative view based on current research and practice, and a desire and readiness for continued learning throughout their lives.

Through the Computer Science program, graduates should acquire:

  • general problem solving skills, including the ability to effectively apply the techniques of problem abstraction and decomposition;
  • an ability to devise correct and efficient algorithms, and to implement them in contemporary programming languages while making rational choices of information representation, manipulation, and presentation;
  • an understanding of the mathematics required to model and to harness complexity and uncertainty;
  • a knowledge of the design principles of contemporary computing machinery;
  • an ability to communicate technical concepts to a wide audience.