Computer Science

Converse is a great place to study Computer Science.  Small classes allow subjects (and sometimes even whole courses) to be tailored to the interests and abilities of individual students. Our instruction strikes a balance between hands-on practice—how things are done today—and grasping the underlying reasons why things are done that way, which will continue to inform how things are done tomorrow in this fast-changing field.

Solving real-world problems is a persistent focus right through the Computer Science minor curriculum, so our graduates arrive in the workplace with experience working on problems that extend beyond the classroom.

Computer Science at Converse offers motivated students rich opportunities for taking part in original research. These experiences give students an understanding of real-world computing challenges that classwork alone cannot match.

• Computer-science minors Gretchen Marlow ‘18 and Alex Schlesener ‘18 built the first site on the World Wide Web focused on assisting American Sign Language students to find the meaning of an unfamiliar sign.
• A series of students built a visualization tool for organic chemistry reactions that is currently used to teach Converse’s organic-chemistry sequence.
• Haley Cromer ’20 is working on tools that use sound and kinesthetics which assist students who are blind or visually impaired to program computer graphics.

Using computers to solve general problems takes programming.  Accordingly, the computer science minor sequence begins with two courses on programming and the principles that shape it.  The other prescribed course in the minor is on database design, which is essential to data science and to a great deal of business programming.

Beyond those three courses, you are free to choose three more electives from a wide variety of CSC courses, as well as discrete mathematics and statistics. The minor consists of 20 credit hours.

Computer Science Minor Worksheet

For full course requirements, see the academic catalog.

What are common careers in Computer Science?

Computer science mixes well with a wide variety of fields–there are possibilities to match nearly any interest. Converse graduates who minored in computer science have gone on to graduate study in a wide variety of areas, including:

• English
• Mathematics
• Operations research
• Digital production arts

They work in fields including:

• Software
• Information technology
• Banking and finance
• Business