It is challenging, creative, and full of employment opportunity. Computer Science is the study of problem-solving machines: How to use them, how to design them, and how to expand them beyond their original capabilities.
The Art of Problem Solving
Throughout history, mankind has built machines to solve many types of problems. During World War II, machines were designed to help break military codes. During more recent times, computers have solved all kinds of problems, from unraveling the human genetic code to entirely animating full-length, motion pictures. Computer Science is not merely the study of how to use these machines, it is the art and science of deciding what problems can be solved using computers, how they can be solved, and how fast they can be solved.
Hands-on and Fundamental
Like all science majors at Siena, we offer a laboratory-intensive curriculum. Our graduates succeed because they can solve problems and communicate the solutions to others, which are the primary goals of the laboratory experiences. Many of our faculty offer opportunities for individual research with students, and many of our students participate in for-credit internship programs to gain work experience. Because of the fast-moving nature of the field, we aim to convey the lasting, fundamental aspects of Computer Science. Thus, while you will learn many kinds of software, both old and new, we do not rely on these alone, because the software that is popular right now may soon become obsolete.
Opportunities Abound
Computer science is still expanding to new areas, and the number of qualified people in the field has not yet caught up to the number of jobs and graduate student slots currently available. Computer Science is one of the few fields where a Bachelors degree can lead directly to high-paying, professional positions. Many of our graduates have gone on to work for IBM, General Electric Research & Development, Lockheed Martin, Map Info, John Hancock Financial Services, etc. Some of our graduates have gone on to graduate studies at John Hopkins University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Syracuse University, University of Maryland, University of Pennsylvania, etc.