www.cs.wwu.edu

PROGRAMS

The computer science department offers Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree programs, accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012, phone 410-347-7700, and cooperates with the departments of mathematics and accounting to offer joint majors. The department also offers a computer science minor, an interdisciplinary minor in Internet Resource Creation and Management, and three certificate programs (Web content development, Web programming, and Web site management). The ISC minor and certificate programs are designed so that computer science majors, as well as non-computer science majors, may gain the technical and communication background necessary for developing, maintaining, and managing Web pages and resources.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Computer science graduates often begin their careers as computer programmers or systems analysts. Expert programmers are widely sought and bring to bear a wealth of knowledge and creativity far surpassing mere knowledge of a programming language and/or its syntax. The Bachelor of Science degree provides a problem-solving and analytical background that is typical of the expertise employed by very good programmers and systems analysts to obtain programming solutions. Systems analysts assess the needs of a project for computer hardware and software, then proceed to design systems that meet those needs. Systems analyst positions are not entry-level positions, but rather are the typical career path for computer scientists with a bachelor's degree.

INTERNET STUDIES CENTER AND MINOR IN INTERNET RESOURCE CREATION AND MANAGEMENT

The Internet Studies Center provides an adjunct program to a regular degree program. The center offers courses in Web site development and management that enable students to apply their major field in the world of Web-based communications and enterprise. Students completing a sequence of these courses are eligible for certification. The courses follow three different tracks. Students from a wide variety of liberal arts and science majors can earn certification in Web content development. This certifies that students have sufficient technical knowledge and skill to work effectively as Web content producers in a development team where they must work with programmers and project managers to produce a professional Web site. The Web programmer certification track provides a deeper technical program for CS majors to master programming skills pertinent to content delivery in large, dynamic Web sites. Finally, the Web site management certification track, offered in conjunction with the finance, marketing and decision sciences department of the College of Business and Economics, provides students with in depth knowledge of large Web site management for E-commerce and other enterprise applications. Those students interested in Web development but not seeking certification may take a set of courses that leads to a minor in Internet resource creation. This minor complements degrees in disciplines outside computing, providing students with the ability to publish and maintain material on the World Wide Web. This minor will enhance students' standing in applications to entry-level positions and helps increase the marketability of their major degree. The curriculum for this minor and all of the center sponsored courses adapt to changes in Internet technology as the Internet evolves.