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Overview
Mission
Our commitment to quality teaching and research in computer science helps provide our undergraduate and graduate students with an excellent education in the major. It aims to recognize and respond to the ever-changing needs of society through concentrated areas of research, teaching programs and initiatives which are reviewed and revised accordingly.
Computer Science
Computers
are a very prominent part of modern business and society. Many
of the most important and exciting technological developments
today involve computers and computer systems. The expanding
role of computer-based systems has caused a high demand for
computer professionals, a situation that is expected to continue
well into the future.
Computer
Science is an extremely exciting, challenging, and rewarding
area of study. It incorporates an excellent combination of theoretical
and intellectual content on the one hand, and practical application
and societal importance on the other. By some standards, it
is the strongest discipline in academia today, and has been
for the past one or two decades.
It
is a broad and multidisciplinary field. Its general focus is
on the design, analysis, and use of computer hardware and software.
As an academic discipline, it does not focus on just one technology,
programming language, or computer architecture. Rather, it seeks
to ground the student in fundamental concepts that are applicable
to many environments. This produces graduates who are able to
perform a wide range of tasks in the present environment, and
who can also successfully adapt to the rapid changes that are
certain to occur in the field. Computer science students not
only study specific software, hardware, and algorithms, but
they also study generalities and basic principles essential
for future growth.
The rich diversity in our student body enhances our programs
by providing heterogeneous perspectives that complement our research, teaching, and service,
as well as propels the frontiers of knowledge. Our varied backgrounds and experiences mirror
our community at large. By training the next generation of leaders and scholars in the field of
Computer Science, we promote opportunities propagated well beyond our region. Our programs are
committed to providing equal access to educational opportunities through recruitment, admission, and
sponsored programs.
What we offer
The
curriculum offered by the Department of Computer Science in the College of Science at
Southern Illinois University Carbondale prepares its graduates
for positions in the computer industry, as well as for advanced
studies and research. The Department offers an undergraduate
major leading to the Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees, an undergraduate minor, and a graduate programs leading
to Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. The Bachelor of Arts degree enables students to pursue a fifth year of studies leading to an MBA degree. In support of these degree
programs, the department offers courses covering all the major areas of computer science, including software engineering, data structures, programming languages, networks, wireless computing, database systems, computer architecture,
analysis of algorithms, systems programming, systems administration, operating systems, computer graphics, visualization, artificial intelligence, multiagent systems, VLSI design, fault-tolerant
computing, parallel and distributed computing, computer security, web application development, bioinformatics, and applications in mathematics and business.
Undergraduate Curriculum
The
bachelor's degree programs in computer science are designed
to provide students with the technical background necessary
to use, design, analyze, and implement computer software and
systems. Computer science differs from vocational programs that
focus on training students in the use of prepared software or
a single software system. The undergraduate curriculum is based
on models proposed by the Association for Computing Machinery,
the major professional society for computer scientists. All
students must complete the required University core curriculum
and satisfy the College of Science requirements. Computer science
majors are required to take a core of approximately eight courses
in computer science dealing with programming, discrete structures, data and file
structures, computer organization, operating systems, algorithms, and social issues
of computing.
Having
completed these core courses, computer science majors may choose
courses to complete their departmental requirements from a broad
selection that covers all principal areas of computer science:
languages, networks, databases, architecture, graphics, software
engineering, artificial intelligence, and parallel computing.
The curriculum specified for the Bachelor of Science is more
traditional and somewhat more flexible than that for the Bachelor
of Arts. It prepares students for a wide range of technical
careers as software developers, systems administrators, database
administrators, and network administrators. It also prepares
students for entry into graduate degree programs in computer
science. The Bachelor of Arts program includes eight business
courses, it provides students with a combined background in
computer science and business, and it prepares students to pursue
a fifth year of studies leading to an M.B.A. Degree.
The
Department offers a minor in computer science that consists
of six courses in the core curriculum. The Department also offers
service courses for students who wish to acquire some computer
literacy but do not desire to become computer professionals.
CS majors can enrich their computer science degree with a secondary
concentration, minor, or double major in areas such as mathematics,
engineering, business, communications.
Graduate Curriculum
The
Master of Science degree program is designed to provide students
with a solid graduate-level education and to prepare them for
careers as professional computer scientists or for advanced
doctoral level study. Students are required to take at least
33 hours of graduate work, including at least 12 hours of lecture courses at the
500 level in addition to 6 hours of thesis credit. Students are required to write a thesis and pass
an oral exam over the thesis and coursework. After graduation, students are eligible to enter a cooperative program between the Department of Computer Science and the College of Engineering to pursue a Ph.D. in Engineering Science.
Careers in Computer Science
Career
opportunities in computer science are excellent, both now and
into the foreseeable future. The work of computer professionals
involves much more than just writing programs. It also encompasses
the analytical and technical skills needed to design algorithms
and data structures, understand and exploit the sophisticated
hardware and software systems available today and in the future,
and to develop new systems for myriad applications.
Graduates
find careers in computer science available from a variety of
employers and in all regions. Some of the companies that have
recently hired SIUC computer science graduates are: Microsoft,
Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, Motorola, Caterpillar, State Farm Insurance,
Trans Union Credit, United Airlines, Nortel Networks, and TAOS.
The positions these graduates have filled include software
engineer, systems analyst, programmer, and systems administrator.
University
Career Services coordinates a vigorous placement program for
all students. It offers assistance with resume preparation and
interview skills. For a small fee, they will provide job notices
and mail your cover letters, resumes, and references to specific
job openings. The office also plans and publicizes campus-recruiting
visits by employers, and will help you arrange interviews with
recruiters. They will help you maintain a placement file with
the University for as long as you like.
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