What is Computer Science

Curriculum
The Computer Science department supports four programs of study:
• Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science
• Bachelor of Arts in Numerical Computation
• Computer Science minor
• Pre-Computer Engineering program
Computer science is the study of computation. The computation we study is rarely arithmetic
though - often the computation is more sym!olic. "e might as# a!out how to compute a good
mo$e in chess. %r we might as# how to draw a picture of a three-dimensional scene. As
computer scientists we loo# for models of computation. And we as# what we can - or cannot -
do with these models.
Computer scientists learn to program computers !ecause a program is an e&cellent way of
precisely descri!ing a particular computational techni'ue. "e also study programming as a
profession !ecause it is an important (o! in today)s society.
Thus a computer science student can e&pect to study all of the following 'uestions.
• *ow do you design an algorithm +a step !y step plan, to sol$e a pro!lem-
• *ow do you write a computer program to implement your plan-
• *ow can you analy.e a program)s speed-
• *ow does a computer wor# to e&ecute a program-
• "hat social responsi!ilities do programmers ha$e-
• *ow can we de$elop relia!le software systems-
• "hat are the mathematical properties of computation-
/ou can e&pect a large emphasis on computer programming and on mathematics.
E'ually important is what computer science is not. 0t does not emphasi.e the use of computers in
a corporate en$ironment. /ou can li#en it to the difference !etween an aerospace engineer and
an airplane pilot1 computer science is more li#e aerospace engineering. Computer science
students do not learn how to use spreadsheets word processors and other application programs
as part of their study of computer science !ut may de$elop those s#ills on their own or through
wor#shops offered on campus. "hen we study operating systems or networ#s we emphasi.e the
internals not how they should !e configured for use. 0f you want to study these topics you want
to loo# for an information technology or information systems program. +2any schools offer a
ma(or in information systems1 CSB3S45 does not at this time.,
"e also are not computer engineering. Computer engineering emphasi.es how computer
hardware wor#s. Computer science students learn a!out the fundamentals !ut only as much as
needed to understand how computer software wor#s. +CSB3S45 does not offer a ma(or in
computer engineering !ut we do ha$e an agreement with the 5ni$ersity of 2innesota where a
student can study with us for two or three years and then go to 5 of 2 to complete the
engineering degree.,