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Computer Science

CS@UCM - Preparing for Career Success

The computer science program at the University of Central Missouri has a long history of academic excellence. The curriculum is designed according to ACM's and ABET's accreditation guidelines, and is periodically revised to meet the fast changing pace of today's information technology. It consists of classic topics in computer science, as well as a strong component of application programming and system design to align with the computer industry standards. Besides the software development arena, the curriculum also provides significant coverage of system programming and hardware design techniques. As a result, our graduates are well-prepared for computing careers either in application software or system software (including firmware) design and development. In addition, the curriculum offers two different concentration areas to accommodate diverse career goals of our students. Highly qualified and dedicated faculty who are experts in their research areas teach all computer science courses. The department has state-of-the-art computing facilities to support both teaching and research needs.

Program Outcome

The study of computer science at UCM develops critical thinking and problem solving skills, technical virtuosity and life long learning. A graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from UCM will use the knowledge and skills obtained in the program to:

  • Design, implement and analyze algorithms in appropriate contemporary computer programming languages (e.g. C/C++, Java, Visual Basic).
  • Design and implement basic computing devices using theoretical and applied knowledge of digital logic design techniques.
  • Design, implement and analyze computer systems using theoretical and applied knowledge of computer architecture and operating systems.
  • Develop and maintain system software using theoretical and applied knowledge of compiler, system programming and assembly programming languages.
  • Develop and maintain medium to large scale application software using theoretical and applied knowledge of software engineering, interactive systems design, programming languages and computer graphics.
  • Design, implement and analyze computer and communications networks using theoretical and applied knowledge of web programming, networks and mobile computing (e.g. TCP/IP, network programming techniques).
  • Design and implement database systems using theoretical and applied knowledge of discrete structures, data structures and relational database systems (e.g. Oracle, SQL, PHP).
  • Design and analyze computer graphic systems using theoretical and applied knowledge of computer graphics (e.g. OpenGL) and apply it to practical applications (e.g. game design).
  • Design and implement expert systems using theoretical and applied knowledge of artificial intelligence (e.g. PROLOG, LISP).
  • Prepare students to have the knowledge and skills to adapt to a dynamic multidisciplinary technological environment through teamwork, ethical concerns, and effective communication.
  • Prepare students to use their education to address the needs of society with a sense of professionalism.
  • Prepare students for a career in computer related industry or for graduate study in computer science.
  • Stay abreast of advancements in the area of computer science.

Opportunities Abundant

"We need more computer scientists whose passions are art, language, literature, education, entertainment, psychology, biology, music, history or political science. We need them because computers have an impact on all areas in our world. We need people with passion and vision from every area to drive the development of computer technology as well as applications."

- Maria Klawe, "Refreshing the Nerds", Communications of the Association for Computing Machinery (July 2001)

Computer Science touches nearly every human endeavor. The students majoring in other disciplines are invited to consider a minor or a double major in computer science.

Please check the links listed on the right column of this page to find out more information about our computer science program.

If you require more information on the Computer Science major in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, please fill-out the following online form.