Computer Science

As a computer science major at Wilkes, you’ll use your creativity and reasoning to design the hardware, software and data solutions that can change tomorrow’s world.

Program Snapshot

Program Type Format Credit Hours
Major, Minor On Campus 120 (17 for minor)

Why Study Computer Science at Wilkes?

As a Wilkes computer science student, you’ll enjoy small class sizes, opportunities to conduct research with faculty as well as travel to conferences to present your research.

The computer science program is highly flexible; both a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of science are offered. The BA is for you if you’re interested in management and social sciences, and the BS is more focused in the engineering, natural and physical sciences.

Technical and free electives give you the opportunity to take advanced courses in areas such as information retrieval, computer graphics, and artificial intelligence. You also have the flexibility to combine a computer science major with a minor in mathematics, computer information systems or computer engineering.

Curriculum  Admission Requirements  Faculty & Staff

What Will You Learn as a Computer Science Major?

  • The Computer Science curriculum consists of theoretical as well as application-oriented courses and is based on a strong foundation in mathematics, and is designed to help students develop problem-solving skills that can be applied to many disciplines.
  • Courses provide a solid base of computer software, hardware and theoretical knowledge and practical experience in software development, computer architecture and theoretical computer science to prepare you for success in the computer industry or graduate school.
  • You’ll learn programming in multiple languages, analysis of algorithms, architecture, software engineering, operating systems, and theoretical computer science.
  • You’ll gain the ability to develop software to solve real-world problems.
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Program Highlights

Senior Project

For your senior project, you’ll design software as part of a team, including documentation, and present it at the end of your last semester. Examples of past senior projects include an iPhone robot, robotic chess, a Wilkes mobile app, and a website for the student development office, and applications that support faculty research.

Internships/ Cooperative Education

The CS program allows flexibility for internships and cooperative education. Students have interned at NASA Space Center, the Tree of Health Center, N.J, and Dick’s Sporting Goods Corporate. The credit-bearing cooperative education component includes placement in a private or public organization related to your academic objectives and career goals.

Facilities

Hands-on, experiential learning takes place in our computer laboratories, which house 25 workstations with Quadcore i7 processors and Linux/OS/X. Our open source lab provides students with eight computers, all with dual monitors and Quadcore processors.

Chu

I love Wilkes’ close-knit community, as well as having professors who truly care about students’ well-being. I also appreciate the opportunities Wilkes has given me. 

Simon Chu '20 - PhD candidate in Software Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University

 

Careers & Outcomes

Computer science careers continue to grow and evolve as technology changes. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for computer and information research jobs is expected to increase by 15% from 2019-2029, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. Professionals with a bachelor's degree in computer science can pursue careers in a wide variety of industries. 

Careers

  • Systems Administrator
  • Computer Programmer
  • Software Engineer
  • Game Developer
  • Web Developer
  • Software Developer
  • Systems Analyst
  • Mobile App Developer
  • Research Scientist
  • Information Analyst
  • Database Administrator

Employers

  • Google
  • NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
  • IBM
  • Intel Corp.
  • Booz Allen Hamilton
  • Lockheed Martin
  • Keystone Automotive
  • Benco Dental
  • Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield

Graduate Schools

  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
  • Binghamton University
  • University of Arizona