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Bachelor of Science

Computer Science

 

About Computer Science

The B.S. in Computer Science gives you the broad computational thinking, programming, and problem-solving skills you’ll need to succeed as a computing professional in a range of emerging careers and industries — from automated vehicles to biomedical devices and sensor-based technologies.

Curriculum

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Problem Solving the Next Big Thing

Whether you select from one of three concentrations (game development and simulation, cyber-security, software engineering) or choose from advance topics, you will graduate with a comprehensive foundation that enables you to adapt to new disruptive technologies and changing demand.

 

Careers in Computer Science

While computer scientists work across every industry, two — transportation and logistics, and finance — provide good examples of how a B.S. in Computer Science degree will always be relevant, and why you might want to further specialization as you advance through your career.
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Job Growth

The US Department of Labor anticipates that employment of computer scientists will remain strong, predicting that the three STEM jobs with the most growth will all be in computing:

  • 22,000 new software development jobs each year
  • 12,500 new systems analysts jobs each year
  • 11,000 new computing support jobs each year
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Salary Ranges

Software developers earned an average salary of $108,080 in 2018. Comparable jobs earned the following average salary in 2018: IT managers made $152,860, computer network architects made $111,130, computer systems analysts made $93,610, and computer programmers made $89,580.

 

Computer Science Stats

At Florida Poly we’re educating the next generation of STEM leaders.
#1 
Ranked by job site Glassdoor for undergraduate majors ranked by median base salary ($70,000).
 
10
Top identified skills according to LinkedIn researchers were all computer skills, including expertise in cloud computing, data mining and statistical analysis, and writing smartphone applications.
 
73%
Of growth in STEM jobs will be in computer occupations according to a study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
 

 

Meet the Faculty

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Associate Professor (Computer Science)
 
 

 

Computer Science Research with an Impact

Florida Poly faculty researcher Karim Elish is the lead author of a paper recently published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing about malware collusion in Android devices. He is working to identify ways to determine which seemingly innocuous apps become malicious when paired with others on a device.
Research.
The technique we developed is based on static analysis. We analyze the source code or the byte code of the apps and try to extract some kind of features that distinguish the malware collusion from the regular benign apps."
Karim Elish
Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Co-authors of the research paper are Haipeng Cal, a faculty member at Washington State University; Daniel Barton, a software engineer at Lockheed Martin; Danfeng Yao, a faculty member at Virginia Tech; and Barbara Ryder, emerita faculty member at Virginia Tech.
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Make Your Passion a Career

We're here to give you the resources to land your dream internship, work alongside faculty in groundbreaking research, and to develop leadership skills to stand out in the workplace.  
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Internships are an important part of setting up you up for success after college and are a requirement for you to graduate. 
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Conduct research along side faculty that is improving lives and changing businesses, with impact ranging from local Lakeland community to the outer-reaches of space. 
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We understand the importance of feeling prepared, and we are committed to your success here and beyond. That's why we have resources to support you in your continued career development.

Get Involved Outside the Classroom

We have an active student organization community with more than 35 clubs that vary based on specific academic interests, professional development, and activities just for fun. 
Programming Club

Programming Club

 Florida Poly’s Programming Club is a place where people with an appreciation of programming and any level of skill can go and learn and have fun. 
Purple Fire Robotics

Purple Fire Robotics

Students focus on building Combat, VEX, and other robotics and entering them in competitions around the region and across the nation. The Purple Fire Robotics team welcomes students of all skill levels to join. 

 

Concentrations in Computer Science

Students can design their own four-course concentration within the major based on their personal academic and professional pursuits. This unique combination of courses works in concert with other co- and extra-curricular activities, including research experiences, internships, and a wide variety of opportunities in our student organizations. Advanced Topics offers the student the flexibility in curriculum choices to grow with their changing interests as they look forward to graduation, graduate school, and their professional endeavors.

Students in the Artificial Intelligence concentration would be exposed to a range of specialized courses and practical experiences that delve into the exciting world of AI. Students will have the opportunity to explore advanced topics such as deep learning, neural networks, natural language processing, and computer vision.

Students in Big Data Analytics learn to collect, manage, and optimize large-scale structured and unstructured data sets to facilitate information and decision-making. Students in Big Data Analytics develop a strong foundation in essential programming skills, quantitative analysis, and hardware and software solutions for facilitating effective use of big data.

Game Development and Simulation is an interdisciplinary concentration that applies the rigor of computer science to the creative challenges of game development. With a core curriculum in computing, mathematics, and science, this concentration combines advanced technical skills with training in the visual arts to prepare students to develop innovations in digital gaming.

With the increasing footprint of networked businesses, embedded computers, and global conflict, the demand is increasing for individuals to help protect and monitor security measures against hackers and breaches. The cybersecurity concentration focuses on information assurance and computer security and will provide you with hands-on experience designing systems and strategies for safeguarding information.

Students focusing on autonomous systems learn programming, hardware, and security for use in complex networks or collections of networks. Autonomous systems increasingly run our workplaces, vehicles, and even our homes.

Software engineers apply the principles of engineering to software development. This growing field includes application software engineers who create and maintain computer applications, and systems software engineers who analyze the client’s technical needs and develop and maintain optimal solutions. Because nearly all employment sectors rely on complex software solutions, software engineering is one of the fastest-growing occupations in the world.

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Program Educational Objectives

1. Our graduates will possess strong and competitive skills and foundations in computer science.
2. Our graduates will assume professional responsibilities in industry, government, or entrepreneurial endeavors.
3. Our graduates will stay current with the advances in computer science.

Student Outcomes

Student outcomes describe what students are expected to know and be able to do by the time of graduation. Upon completion of the Computer Science program, graduates will have the ability to:

  1. Analyze a complex computing problem and to apply principles of computing and other relevant disciplines to identify solutions.
  2. Design, implement, and evaluate a computing-based solution to meet a given set of computing requirements in the context of the program’s discipline.
  3. Communicate effectively in a variety of professional contexts.
  4. Recognize professional responsibilities and make informed judgments in computing practice based on legal and ethical principles.
  5. Function effectively as a member or leader of a team engaged in activities appropriate to the program’s discipline.
  6. Apply computer science theory and software development fundamentals to produce computing-based solutions. 

Program Requirements

Your future as a trusted professional and confident problem solver begins with some essential skills. Your General Education courses give you:

  • Critical Thinking Skills…so that you can both make and follow a reasoned argument and develop habits of organized thinking and rational analysis.
  • Communication Skills…so that you can translate thoughts into words (spoken and written) and make the complex simple.
  • Exposure to Arts/Humanities and Social/Behavioral Sciences … so that you see all problems in their larger human context.
  • Mathematical Reasoning…so that you find and follow the quantitative thread connecting all scientific inquiry.
  • Scientific Reasoning…so that you can apply the scientific method to phenomenon big and small.

Your B.S. in Computer Science requires 120 credits — typically 15 credits across eight semesters. You will complete 12 general education credits (Arts/Humanities and Social Science).

Click here for your complete plan of study for the B.S. in Computer Science.

Click here for your complete program description for the B.S. in Computer Science.

Click here for your complete degree planner for the BS in Business Analytics. 

Ready to be a Phoenix? Learn about our admissions requirements. 

 

Computer Science in the News

 

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