Our cadets in action ...

An overview of USMA Computer Science

If you are a cadet interested in Computer Science, contact ANY instructor of the Department to be directed to an Academic Counselor.  If you're considering signing up for the CS Major or Sequence, cadets can also view our CS Cadet Communications Site (you must be on the internal network to view this site).

Our Computer Science program is based on enduring fundamentals of the Computer Science field that will serve our graduates well throughout a full career of service and professional practice in the field.  The program is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012 - telephone: (410) 347-7700.

Degrees we offer are:

• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (see 2010 template)
• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with Honors

The Honors degree provides cadets at the top of their year group the opportunity to excel and be acknowledged for scholarly accomplishments beyond those of the standard program.

Cadet studies in Computer Science consist of carefully chosen "threads" woven throughout the program and designed for both breadth and depth of learning.  Always our emphasis is on deliverable products--working software and systems.

The threads:

• Theoretical fundamentals.
• Computer programming.
• Software design and construction.
• Hardware and software technologies.
• Information assurance.

For further information, the links at the left will take you to a listing of courses in the CS major and our objectives--what our graduates are able to do as a result of their good work in their CS major.

Our computing laboratory facilities are first rate, as is our support staff of dedicated professional technicians.

Outside the classroom, many computer science majors participate in clubs and activities that are great fun and professionally rewarding.  A few examples...

• Our award-winning Information Assurance student chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery.  The ACM Special Interest Group on Security, Audit and Control (SIGSAC) that provides cadets a forum for learning about Information Assurance, Information Warfare and Computer Security.
• Our monthly computer programming contest, which culminates in an annual tournament with Navy and Air Force.
• National Society of Black Engineers student-sponsored events and conference attendance.
• Workshops on topics of interest to plebes and yearlings.  Some examples of previous workshops include the "Build-a-Cantenna" and "Linux in the Barracks."

Finally, we sponsor exciting summer opportunities for cadets to apply their knowledge in research and operational settings at locations throughout the world, normally for four to seven week periods.

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