information
Why study computer science at Augustana?
Why not study computers at an engineering or state school? They have more money (which translates into better facilities and more faculty in specialized areas), you also have the option to take more computer related classes. You don't have to take as many classes in areas such as History or English.
So what's the point in having a computer program at a liberal arts school?
There are quite a few reasons that people offer for studying at a liberal arts school. I won't get into those; I'll leave them to the Admissions representatives. But I will give you my reasons. Please feel free to take them or leave them, ultimately the choice is yours, and which school will be the best fit for you.
I chose to come to Augie because a liberal arts education was important to me. I had a strong desire to develop my character and critical thinking skills by taking difficult classes in areas such as English, History, Government, Philosophy, Religion, Communication, Physics and Psychology (just to list a few). I also wanted to get a solid education in the theory and fundamentals of computer science. I wasn't looking specifically at computer security, web development, or game design. And I didn’t merely want to learn how to program.
Many of the top engineering schools will provide you with the same fundamental understanding of computer science that Augie would provide you with. However, they won’t be providing you with any more fundamentals. The extra computer science classes (beyond the fundamentals) that you would take at an engineering school would typically be in a specific area or areas of interest. At Augie, instead of taking those extra computer science classes you will be taking classes that teach to you write well, develop your critical thinking abilities and develop better interpersonal skills (the list could go on).
As a Computer Science major at Augustana you will also have the opportunity to participate in research as early as the fall of your sophomore year. Research at Augustana is not limited to the “best and the brightest” or the those at the top of the class. Research is open to all students and it is almost always paid research. This current summer (2005) we have numerous students doing research for NASA. One is at Johnson Space Center in Houston and the others are working through EROS Data Center in Sioux Falls.
Augustana is also in an ideal location. It’s not in a huge city where it takes an hour and a half to get to your internship, but it isn’t in the middle of nowhere (like some liberal arts schools – we won’t be pointing any fingers) where there are no real business opportunities for Computer Science majors. Students have internship and career opportunities at businesses like CitiBank, LodgeNet Entertainment, Electrip Pulp, Wells Fargo, EROS Data Center, and many, many more.
Return to the Information page