Mission and Program Goals

Bachelor of Science Mission

The primary mission of the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science program is to provide access, through education and state-of-the-art technology, to the enormous and ever growing professional opportunities available in the fields of computer science, including computer security.

Our primary mission is fulfilled by providing a highly intensive exposure to the fundamentals of computer programming and computer science needed to succeed in the very competitive computer science job market. Students who concentrate in a curriculum of information assurance courses accredited by the National Security Agency may receive transcripted recognition for a Computer Security Certificate. The internship program provides invaluable real-world exposure enhancing the student's confidence, knowledge, experience and employability.

The Computer Science Department is fully committed to:

  • The continual re-assessment of our programs in this ever-changing environment, so as to provide a curriculum which is always technologically and scientifically up-to-date.
  • Providing state-of-the-art hardware and software appropriate for computer science programs. In this regard, the Department's computing needs are distinct from those of the University at large.
  • Incorporating cutting-edge technologies, especially computer security, into our programs.
  • Excellence in teaching, with small, focused classes.
  • The scholarly growth of the faculty so as to contribute to the scientific community, to maintain a current perspective in teaching, and to enhance awareness of medium and long term trends in computer science.
  • Providing reliable service to the University community by way of general education courses, which focus on elementary computer science and application software.
  • Educating a diverse body of students in an atmosphere conducive to the learning process.

Bachelor of Science Program Goals

The program goals for the in Computer Science can be categorized in terms of the WCU Plan For Excellence Transformations as follows:

  1. Responsiveness Transformation. Responding to the region's educational and cultural needs

    1. Promote the professional growth of faculty, including interactions with computer science professionals in academia, industry and research, to enhance our knowledge of the discipline and the future directions in which it is likely to be headed so that the undergraduate program can be kept current.

  2. Student Success Transformation. Making student success the University's defining characteristic

    1. Introduce the tracking of students after they have left the University so that we may gauge the value and utility of our programs.

    2. Hire new faculty members with expertise in areas in which we need to offer courses but are currently understaffed.

    3. Continue to advise students, especially those from groups currently underrepresented in the profession, about the enormous return on the educational investment computer science offers in terms of income, satisfaction, and job flexibility, growth and portability, which, in today's environment, is unmatched by other professions.

    4. Communicate directly with the career counselors at area colleges to make them aware of our graduate program, especially our prerequisite program, excellent candidates for which are to be drawn from those recent graduates of other disciplines who are uncertain as to which career avenue to pursue.

    5. Take advantage of the University's resources to advertise our graduate program, but especially our graduate prerequisite program.

  3. Human Capital Transformation. Investing in creativity, renewal and leadership

    1. Promote the professional growth of faculty.

    2. Maintain up-to-date curricula as an on-going affair.

    3. Continue to enhance our technology base and to integrate it into the learning environment.

  4. Resourcefulness Transformation. Diversifying resources and improving management

    1. Maintain excellent departmental laboratories.

    2. Provide increased technical support for the Department's laboratories.

    3. Focus on providing quality software and UNIX platforms for the undergraduate program.

    4. Seek to improve the departmental budget so that it is appropriate for a department of computer science with our mission.

Back to top of page.