Texas State CS > Department Overview

Department Overview

Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Computer Science is to advance the knowledge of computer science and technology through teaching, research, and service to produce computer scientists and computer literate individuals for the betterment of industry, government, and society.

Mission Goals:

• Goal 1: Graduates with a BS in Computer Science will have strong technical backgrounds in computer science.
  
• Goal 2: Graduates with a BS in Computer Science will have additional specialized skills for employment in computer related fields.
  
• Goal 3: Graduates with a BS in Computer Science will have a positive image of their undergraduate education.
  
• Goal 4: Graduates with a BS in Computer Science will understand the values and requirements of responsible professionalism including the necessity of ethical behavior, the impact of computing technologies on society, appreciation for life-long learning, and the need for professional relationships.
  
• Goal 5:Faculty in Computer Science will enjoy an environment in which they can develop and apply their abilities in teaching, research, and service.

Click here for details on the Mission Goals.

Current Computer Science Strategic Plan

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Students and Curriculum

The Department has approximately 400 undergraduate majors working on the BA and BS degrees in Computer Science, and more than 150 graduate majors working on the MA and MS degrees. The department also has a number of students who have selected Computer Science as their minor. In addition, students in Computer Science can obtain teacher certification.

The undergraduate curriculum consists of about 30 courses: some required, some elective. The elective courses include such topics as automata theory, software engineering, numerical analysis, hardware, networks, translators, human factors, operating systems, databases, mathematical modeling, artificial intelligence, expert systems, computer science education, real-time applications, computer center management, simulation techniques, UNIX programming, object-oriented programming, and computer graphics.

The graduate curriculum consists of about 35 courses: some required, some elective. For the most part, the graduate courses cover the same topics as various undergraduate courses, albeit in more detail and depth. Additional topics include algorithm analysis, computational geometry, formal languages, concurrent programming, system reliability, parallel processing, distributed computing, computer vision, and neural networks.

Texas State Computer Science classes are relatively small, usually numbering fewer than 40 students per class and often numbering 20 to 30 students. Classes, for the most part, are taught by regular, full-time faculty members who are uncommonly accessible to students outside of class time.

Some financial support is available for selected students. Most financial aid is arranged with Texas State's student financial aid office. Some scholarships, lab assistantships, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships are available directly from the department.

Computer Resources

Students have access to a large number of computing platforms ranging from Digital Equipment Corporation's 64-bit Alpha mainframe to a very large number of personal computers and workstations running various operating systems with a wide range of applications software.

Students have unlimited access to Internet via several computer labs around campus, including different WWW browsers. Thus, students can communicate (E-Mail and bulletin board conferences) with their friends and colleagues at Texas State as well as at other institutions in Texas, in the U.S., and around the world.

Industrial Advisory Board (IAB)

The Department of Computer Science also has an Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) comprising approximately 45 Chief Executive Officers, Vice Presidents, or top management for Texas's top computer science industries. The IAB Board members' host companies are interested in providing financial support in the form of co-op internship programs or scholarships. And, not only do the IAB Board members provide advice regarding keeping the department curriculum up-to-date so as to satisfy the needs of the employers of our students, but they also provide employment to our alumni.

Disability Assistance

Texas State has a firm commitment to assist any person who has a disability. Anyone who needs such assistance should please contact the Texas State Office of Disability Services at 512-245-3451.

For contact information please visit the Contact Us page.