The Major

Wooster offers a major and a minor program in Computer Science. The major consists of ten courses in computer science as well as three mathematics courses. Required Computer Science courses are: Computer Programming I and II, Principles of Computer Organization, Algorithms, Theory of Computation, Programming Language Theory and Compiler Construction, and the two-semester Senior Independent Study thesis.

Students must also select two upper level courses from: Machine Intelligence, Operating Systems, File and Database Systems, and Computer Graphics. In the Mathematics Department, majors study one semester of Calculus and Analytic Geometry; Discrete Mathematics or Combinatorics and Graph Theory; and Linear Algebra.

The Computer Science major prepares students for graduate school in computer science as well as for work in industry. The core courses provide the student with a comprhensive background in the analytical and problem solving techniques required to support the effective specification, creation, and maintenance of quality software products. The major expands on these core courses by offering choices in several categories that extend the student’s understanding of the field. Overall, the major provides groundwork in computer programming, computer systems, computer-based file and data structures, and a basic understanding of the translation and implementation of programming languages, as well as required mathematical concepts and techniques.

As computing becomes an important component of other disciplines, interest in a double major with Computer Science has increased. In recent years, students majoring in such diverse fields as Economics, Mathematics, Music, Art, Theater, Physics, and International Relations have chosen to pursue a double major with Computer Science.