Try to imagine a world without digital devices and the software that brings them to life, Can’t do it? From science and medicine to engineering and commerce to music and the arts, computers are everywhere. So are the software engineers and computer scientists who bring them to life. We design software for industry and science, implement the next generation of video games, use computation to unravel the mysteries of human intelligence, build increasingly sophisticated machines—and this is just a start. Computers define our age. They are to the 21st century what writing, moveable type, steam power, railroads, the internal combustion engine, and electricity were to our forbears. Computers are transformative. We are not our grandparents plus computers. We are a different people living in a transformed world. Software engineers and computer scientists are at the very center of that transformation.
Gonzaga University offers a B.S. in Computer Science through its School of Engineering and Applied Science. Our graduates frequently begin their careers in software engineering at some of the best-know firms in computing, companies like Amazon, Boeing, Microsoft, and Google. Software engineers are responsible for the design, development, and maintenance of the software that makes computing possible. Software engineers designed the operating system on your computer, the applications on your cell phone, and the air traffic control systems that make air travel possible. The Bureau of labor Statistics says that “software engineers are projected to be among the fastest growing occupations from 2008 to 2018….The number of computer software engineers is expected to rise much faster than the average, as businesses are looking for new ways to get ahead of competition and make their computer systems the fastest.”
An increasing fraction of our students go on to fully-funded doctoral work in computer science. When finished with their studies, they work as computer scientists in academic, government, and industrial research labs. Computer scientists are responsible for the theoretical breakthroughs that make modern computing possible. In recent years, computer scientists have developed new techniques for speech recognition, new ways to approach machine learning, novel uses for networks of sensor devices, new cryptographic algorithms, and new programming languages. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that “computer and information research scientists are likely to enjoy excellent job prospects, as many companies report difficulties finding a sufficient number of these highly skilled workers.”
Built on a foundation of science, mathematics, intensive programming, and computer architecture, the Computer Science program at Gonzaga offers the major a broad range of advanced computer science topics. These include artificial intelligence, computer graphics, robotics, computer networks, database management systems, cryptography, computer security, and natural language processing. Exceptional students can assist faculty in their research on sensor networks, speech recognition, database management systems, and mathematical modeling.
The Computer Science department at Gonzaga has multiple computer labs, a dedicated server, a cluster for parallel computation, along with a dedicated laboratory for student-assisted faculty research. The School of Engineering and Applied Science, home to the Department of Computer Science, is one of a handful of engineering programs chosen to be members of the Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network (KEEN). The mission of KEEN is to integrate an entrepreneurial mindset into engineering education.
Gonzaga is also heir to the 450 year-old tradition of Jesuit pedagogy. The Jesuit tradition honors the whole person, while valuing critical thinking, self-knowledge, and educational rigor. At the same time, it looks beyond the self to our increasing global interconnectedness—made possibly by computing—as it promotes justice and human dignity around the world. We believe that our integration of the most advanced technology with a pedagogical tradition that dates to the high Renaissance makes Gonzaga special. Couple this with generous funding to promote an entrepreneurial mindset, and we become very special indeed. Visit us. See for yourself!