The computer and Internet revolutions have fundamentally altered relationships between humans and information. Computer-based tools allow scientists, engineers and ordinary citizens worldwide to easily communicate, conduct business, and economically access, gather, and analyze vast amounts of information. These new markets have created a tremendous demand for knowledgeable and skilled computer programmers and analysts.

The Department of Computer Science is helping to meet this demand by preparing students for careers in such areas as software engineering, scientific and technical programming, computer interfacing, data communications, web and database programming, and systems analysis.

Recent graduates have taken positions with a number of major corporations such as Lucent, Hewlett-Packard, Boeing, Sprint, AT&T, Cerner, and Texas Instruments, as well as local firms such as O’Reilly Automotive, Willowbrook Foods, Jack Henry, Paperwise, and Duck Creek.

The department offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science. This program requires 70 credit hours of computer science, mathematics and physics. The mathematics courses required for this program meet the requirements for a mathematics minor. Requirements for a physics minor may be met by taking one additional physics course.

All students, regardless of major, are required to satisfy general education requirements of approximately 50 hours. A total of 125 hours is required for graduation.

The Computer Science program requires calculus and calculus-based physics. High school students can best prepare for this program by taking as much college preparatory mathematics as possible. High school physical science courses (such as chemistry or physics) are also appropriate. In addition, good communication skills are important, so students are encouraged to take courses that will develop and enhance their reading, writing, and speaking abilities.

The Computer Science Department also offers a Computer Science emphasis in the interdisciplinary Master’s of Natural and Applied Sciences program (MNAS). This program enables students to gain expertise in an application area while doing graduate level study in Computer Science. Secondary emphasis areas have included Geography, Mathematics, Biology, Management, and Computer Animation.

The following is a representative list of the courses offered by the Department of Computer Science. Please consult the Missouri State University Catalog or department web site for course descriptions and specific degree requirements.

• CSC 130: The World of Computer Science
• CSC 131: Intro. to Computer Science I
• CSC 232: Intro. to Computer Science II
• CSC 320: Computer Architecture
• CSC 325: Algorithms and Advanced Data Structures
• CSC 333: Languages and Machines
• CSC 335: Database System Concepts
• CSC 365: Internet Programming
• CSC 399: Cooperative Education in Computer Science
• CSC 423: Digital Simulation
• CSC 450: Software Engineering
• CSC 460: Operating Systems
• CSC 482: Seminar in Computer Scienc
• CSC 521  Compiler Construction
• CSC 525: Computer Graphics
• CSC 540: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
• CSC 545: Computer Speech, Music and Images
• CSC 565: Computer Networking
• CSC 567: Wireless Networks
• CSC 587: Computing for Bioinformatics

Related Courses

• MTH 261: Analytic Geometry & Calculus I
• MTH 280: Analytic Geometry & Calculus II
• MTH 215: Discrete Mathematics
• MTH 345: Statistics for Scientists and Engineers
• PHY 203: Foundations of Physics I
• PHY 204: Foundations of Physics II
• PHY 220: Intro. to Structure/Logic of Digital Computers
• PHY 324: Instrumental/Computer Interfacing

Computer Science faculty offer experience and interests in the areas of programming languages, data mining, robotics, pattern recognition, graphics, multimedia and software engineering. Class sizes, even for introductory courses, are limited to 30 students or less. All courses in the degree program are taught by full-time faculty. Our faculty are dedicated to undergraduate education and the approximately 150 students majoring in Computer Science.

The Department of Computer Science maintains three networked PC laboratory classrooms in Cheek Hall plus a dedicated PC-based Unix server on which Computer Science students may have an account. Faculty equipment includes networked PC’s and a Silicon Graphics workstation. The University provides numerous computer services through networked servers and numerous PC- and Macintosh-equipped laboratories. All dormitory rooms have network connections. An increasing number of services, such as email, registration information, access to your own student records (using ID and PIN), course syllabi and even entire courses, are available via the University web site (www.missouristate.edu). The University provides free off-campus dialup access to these services and various Windows-based servers.Special Opportunities and Services.

Organizations

Missouri State University has an active student chapter of ACM, the national society for computer scientists. The chapter sponsors a number of professional and social activities. In addition, a select group of Computer Science students participate in the ACM Regional Programming contest each fall.

Cooperative Education

A number of our junior and senior Computer Science students participate in cooperative education, where they work full- or part-time for one or more semesters or summers and receive academic credit. This frequently serves as an internship for permanent employment upon graduation. Cooperative employment programs have included Associated Electric, O’Reilly Automotive and City Utilities locally, as well as Sprint, Cerner, AT&T, Boeing, Texas Instruments, and various government agencies.

Service Learning

Each semester, Computer Science students have the opportunity to gain real-world software development experience through Missouri State University’s Citizenship and Service-Learning (CASL) program. Our Department participates in this program by coordinating classroom instruction with selected projects in which students develop software for local government and service organizations. Students receive academic credit and provide community service as they learn their craft by integrating its theoretical and practical aspects.

Scholarships

The Department annually offers several $1,000 and $500 scholarships funded by major corporations, as well as the Mel Foster and Pete Sanderson scholarships, endowed by former faculty. These are available to Computer Science students at various levels. In addition to University-wide general scholarships and financial aid programs, there are a number of campus employment opportunities, primarily as assistants in the computer labs.

Our Bachelor of Science degree program has achieved national recognition through accreditation by the Computer Science Accreditation Board (www.csab.org). Only one other institution in Missouri has achieved this. Accreditation recognizes that the department’s faculty, student support, curriculum, objectives, computing resources and institutional support all meet or exceed the accreditation board’s rigorous criteria. Accreditation, a talented and dedicated faculty, and small classes all indicate our commitment to high quality education.