What is Computer Science?

Computer science is an exciting, growing, challenging field that is critical to many aspects of everyday life. You can make an impact on the advancement of medicine, clean energy, entertainment, communication for the disabled, climate research, and automotive technologies to name a few. For some, the most motivational aspect of being a computer scientist is being involved in creating the next great technology that will help people the world over.

Computer Science Degree(s)

Computer Science, BS

As a computer scientist, you can make an impact on the advancement of medicine, clean energy, entertainment, communication for the disabled, climate research, and automotive technologies to name a few. Western's program provides the problem-solving and analytical background that ensures programmers and systems analysts can produce creative programming solutions.

Contact

Mary Hall, CS Undergraduate Advisor
Mary.Hall@wwu.edu | 360-650-2300

Mathematics/Computer Science, BS

Degree Type: Interdisciplinary

Western’s Mathematics/Computer Science Program provides excellent preparation for graduate study or for careers in the technical, scientific, and mathematical application of computers. Students are able to apply their knowledge and expertise in the development of computer-based solutions of complicated mathematical problems.

Contact

Tjalling Ypma, Mathematics Department and Undergraduate Advisor
Tjalling.Ypma@wwu.edu | 360-650-3785

Data Science, BS

Degree Type: Interdisciplinary

The skills you will obtain in the Data Science program will enable you to obtain, process, organize, analyze, visualize and model the troves of data out there. Data science empowers you to solve important, challenging problems that are otherwise impractical or impossible to solve. It is interdisciplinary, drawing from the fields of computer science, mathematics, statistics, and information science, among many others.

Contact

Kjatosia Ruvalcaba, Undergraduate Advisor
ruvalck@wwu.edu | 360-650-2971

Computer Science — Secondary, BAE

Degree Type: Teaching Endorsement

If you want to teach computer science, just being knowledgeable in the field isn't enough. This program is designed to provide exposure to the breadth of topics required to satisfy K6-12 students’ curiosity about how computers and technology, now so central to daily life, actually work, and how students can personally leverage the learned knowledge to create their own futures.

Contact

Kjatosia Ruvalcaba, Undergraduate Advisor
ruvalck@wwu.edu | 360-650-2971

Secondary Education Information, Woodring College of Education
wce.advising@wwu.edu | 360-650-3347

Computer Science at Western

Western's program provides the problem-solving and analytical background that ensures programmers and systems analysts can produce creative programming solutions. The program is composed of core classes organized around the study of design and analysis techniques used to write software in various application domains along with details about the internal workings of computers and networks. Elective classes in areas such as artificial intelligence, mobile device programming, robotics, graphics, web programming, bioinformatics, computer security, and video game programming allow students to explore areas of individual interest. 

Related Courses

CSCI 321 - Game Programming 

CSCI 372 - Robotics: Applications of Artificial Intelligence 

CSCI 402 - Artificial Intelligence 

CSCI 463 - Cyber Defense 

CSCI 474 - Bioinformatics 

CSCI 580 - Advanced Computer Graphics 

CSCI 584 - Scientific Visualization 

Computer Science majors at Western get a first rate education with lots of one-on-one time with the faculty, but they also enjoy facing challenges together. The best thing about computer science, though, is you can get excited about a new idea and pursue it until it’s a real product.

Geoffrey Matthews

Faculty

Mathematics/Computer Science Program

Western’s Mathematics/Computer Science Program provides excellent preparation for graduate study or for careers in the technical, scientific, and mathematical application of computers. Students are able to apply their knowledge and expertise in the development of computer-based solutions of complicated mathematical problems, including environmental and ecological modeling, scientific and engineering calculations, and statistical analysis.

Organizations and Clubs

Other students get involved with many of the Computer Science clubs

  • Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) 
  • Association for Women in Computing (AWC) 
  • WWU Game Design Club
  • Collegiate Cyber Defense Club

Students in the program participate and compete in local, regional, and national events:

  • Microsoft Imagine Cup 
  • National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (WWU recently won the Northwest Regional Competition and went on to Nationals)
  • ACM Intercollegiate Programming Competition
  • WWU Hackathon
  • Bellingham Startup Challenge

Internships and Scholarships

As part of a hands-on approach, the Computer Science Department encourages students to get involved outside the classroom. 

Recent student internships: 

  • BDS Intern for Boeing 
  • IT Program Manager Intern at Microsoft
  • Software Engineering Intern at US Nexus 
  • Software Development Engineering Intern for the Files Systems Validation team at Isilon
  • ResTek Intern for Western Washington University

While at Western, I interned as a developer for Vitech Business Group, a supply chain management consulting firm in Bellingham, and as a program manager at Microsoft. The internship at Microsoft turned into a full-time job and now I work as a program manager in the Windows Live team at Microsoft. Being a program manager is great because I get to help plan what the team builds from the ground up and follow my product through each stage of development until it's shipped.

Amanda Font

Student

What can you do with Computer Science?

Advances in areas such as the World Wide Web, robotics, video games, multicore computing, artificial intelligence, and cyber security are obviously central to the discipline of computer science, and other fields such as genetics, atomic physics, renewable energy, and health care depend upon computers for advancement as well.

Computer scientists are highly sought after and can attain lucrative jobs directly out of college. Graduates often begin their careers doing computer programming, which is a creative process that spans a wide range of areas of expertise and is heavily influenced by the application for which the programs or software is being developed. With the Bachelor of Science degree, students are prepared for graduate study or careers in industry as systems analysts and/or designers. 

Graduates of Western's program find work at companies such as Boeing, Microsoft, Vitech, and Amazon with job titles such as: Software Development Engineers, Systems & Data Analysts, Technology Technicians, Implementation Consultants, and Sustainability Analysts.

86.8% of Computer Science graduates are either employed or continuing their education within six months of graduation, of those who responded to Western's 2015-2016 Employment Survey

Computer Science careers

  • Computational Scientist
  • Computer Engineer
  • Data Scientist
  • Database Administrator
  • Educator
  • Game Programmer
  • IT Consultant
  • Network Engineer
  • Project Manager
  • Research Analyst
  • Robotics Programmer
  • Software Engineer
  • Systems Administrator
  • Systems Analyst
  • Systems Engineer
  • Technical Writer
  • User Experience Designer
  • Web Developer