Computer Science, B.S.

Program Overview

Lenoir-Rhyne's computer science program strives for academic excellence by offering rigorous courses designed to challenge the qualified and motivated student and to liberate the mind through an emphasis on quantitative and abstract reasoning, problem-solving, critical thinking and strong communication skills.

A major in computer science prepares students for positions in business, industry, education and graduate programs in computer science, information systems and information technology. The computer science major leads to a Bachelor of Science degree and includes courses that provide a balance between the development of science, mathematics and business-related applications. Available courses provide the necessary theoretical fundamentals for the study of algorithms, programming the design of computer systems and the application of computing to business and management. The wide variety of electives allows the student to tailor the major to theoretical computer science or to information systems.

Learning Outside the Classroom

Computer science majors have numerous opportunities to gain firsthand experience outside the classroom. Students are encouraged to take advantage of internships and mentor opportunities, allowing them to work with and learn from experienced computer science professionals. There are also opportunities to attend conferences that highlight new developments and opportunities in the growing and exciting field of computer science.

Career Opportunities

Students who complete degrees in computer science generally have bright professional futures in a fast-moving field. As computing technologies continue to expand and evolve, professional opportunities will arise for individuals with expertise in developing and maintaining computers and computer systems. Opportunities exist across a surprisingly diverse array of professions:

• software engineering, programming and development
• systems and database analysis and administration
• computer and network engineering
• web development and application design
• quality assurance, software testing and cybersecurity

Students who can combine technical skills with the ability to communicate, collaborate, think critically and assess analytically will possess a distinctive advantage. Lenoir-Rhyne's rich integration of professional preparation with a deep grounding in the liberal arts provides an excellent model for professional practice.

One Year Practical Project

Before graduating computer science students have an opportunity to use their new skills in a one-year software development team capstone project.

Students will have the ability to explore the inner workings of constructing a software program that will be used in the real world. They will also learn teamwork skills and how to interact with other software developers. This one-year experience can boost students' résumés and provide powerful talking points when interviewing for a job after graduation.

In the fall semester of the senior year, a CSC-400 course covers methodologies that can be used when starting with an idea and then developing it into actual working software. Throughout the first four months, students will discover many intricate design and software engineering details involved in building programs.

In the following spring semester, the CSC 460 course gives students hands-on experience creating a complete set of working software. Teams meets with real-world clients and implement a software solution for their needs. Once teams understand multifaceted requirements, the fun part of software development begins. This is a time when the team experiences the thrill and excitement of real project teamwork.

For many students, this is a lasting memory that stays with them for a lifetime and also provides an experience that helps them land that dream job.

Major Requirements

Computer science courses focus on computational science, operating systems, programming languages, computer architecture, system analysis and design, network security, data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

While in this major, there are many options to tailor the degree. Students can take electives in areas of interest, and participate in an optional one-year individual honors project on a topic of choice. There is also an option to concentrate on Analytics and Machine Learning, which includes data visualization, artificial intelligence and advanced analytics such as neural networks, random forest, decision trees, clustering and much more.

NOTE: For students wishing to double-major in Computer Science and Information Technology, required courses for both majors must be satisfied, and at least 15 unique credit hours must be earned in the second major.

Honors

Students majoring in Computer Science who are judged qualified by the faculty may, upon invitation, elect to pursue honors work in Computer Science. To graduate "With Honors in Computer Science" students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a minimum major GPA of 3.2. In addition, they must complete twelve credits of honors work in Computer Science, including an acceptable senior project, complete an original thesis to be submitted for approval of the faculty, and pass an oral defense of the research.