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Welcome!
Welcome to the Computer Science department! We are glad that you’re
interested in our department! Hope College is an exciting place to study
computer science. Our department strives to provide an environment where
students are challenged and stretched to become the best students of
computer science they can be. We use hands-on learning in an environment
that encourages students to get to know their professors. Classroom learning
is complemented by opportunities to perform collaborative research with
faculty members, as well internships and independent study opportunities.
The department provides an RSS feed with announcements about news and events happening within the department. Click here to get more information.
Common Questions and Answers
We've compiled a list of questions students interested in the Hope College
Computer Science department frequently asked. These questions are listed
below. To see the answer to a specific question, click the link labeled "Show
Answer."
Or, you can click on "Show All Answers" below to show all the
answers.
If there's a question, you would like to ask that is not listed here,
please use this form to contact us.
Show All Answers
- What distinguishes Hope's computer science program from other colleges? Show
answer
Hope College is a national leaders in undergraduate research,
and this includes the computer science program. Students are given
the opportunity to participate with faculty on their research,
and those students who don't pursue research still benefit from
the way faculty members bring their research and other professional
experience into the classroom environment.
Hope's small class sizes and individual attention available to students make it much
more likely that you'll get the in-class and out-of-class benefits
of personal relationships with your professors.
- What is the difference between Computer Science, Computer
Information Systems, Information Technology and Computer
Engineering? Show
answer
According to the Association of Computing Machinery's Computing
Careers site, Computer Science "spans the range
from theory through programming to cutting-edge development of
computing solutions, with the work that computer scientists do
falling into 3 categories: a) designing and building software,
b) developing effective ways to solve computing problems, and
c) devising new and better ways of using computers."
Computer Engineering students "study the design
of digital hardware and software systems including communication
systems, computers and devices that contain computers. ... An important
area within computing engineering is the development of embedded
systems. Devices such as cell phones, digital audio players, digital
video recorders, alarm systems, x-ray machines, and laser surgical
tools all require integration of hardware and embedded software,
and are all the result of computer engineering.
Hope College offers a degree in Computer Science as well
as a Computer Engineering emphasis within the Engineering
department.
Information Systems, on the other hand, is "concerned
with the information that computer systems can provide to aid a
company, non-profit or governmental organization in defining and
achieving its goals. ... IS people are concerned with the relationship
between information systems and the organizations that they serve,
extending from theory and principles to application and development.
Many IS professionals also are involved in systems deployment and
configuration and training of users."
Degrees in Information Technology prepare professionals
who
"possess the right combination of knowledge and practical,
hands-on expertise to take care of both an organization's information
technology infrastructure and the people who use it. They assume
responsibility for selecting hardware and software products appropriate
for an organization. ... In IT, programming often involves writing
short programs that typically connect existing components.
Hope College does not offer degrees in Information Systems or Information
Technology. Students who get degrees in Computer Science are
able to transition into such jobs, however.
- Does Hope offer a degree in computer engineering? Show
answer
The Engineering department, in coordination with the Computer Science department,
offers an emphasis in Computer Engineering, which currently requires
5 or 6 computer science courses. For more information about this
program, please see the most recent version of the college
catalog.
- What courses are offered by the Computer Science department? Show
answer
The Computer Science department offers a wide range of courses
in its computer science curriculum, including foundational programming
classes, topical classes such as Computer Networking, Operating
Systems, and Programming Languages, as well as special topics courses
that address timely topics. For a full list of courses, click here.
- What are the requirements for a major/minor in Computer Science? Show
answer
A degree in
computer science requires at least 32 credits in CS, with a number
of courses selected by the student based on his/her interests. For
complete details of the degree requirements, see this page.
- What is the difference between the Computer Science B.S. and B.A.
degrees? Show
answer
Most students studying Computer Science at Hope get the B.S. degree,
which includes more diverse science requirements and a bit more
mathematics than the B.A. Students who are double-majoring in a
non-science field, such as Business or a Foreign Language, often
have a difficult time fulfilling the extra science hours outside
of Computer Science and earn the B.A. degree. However, these students
still frequently add the Computer Science courses required for
the B.S. to their B.A. plan of study.
- How much mathematics are required for a computer science major? Show
answer
This depends
on whether a student completes the B.S. or B.A. degree. For the B.A.,
there is no mathematics requirement other than the college's general
education requirements (see the college
catalog) and a course in Discrete
Mathematics. For the B.S. degree, students complete two semesters
of Calculus along with one other upper level Mathematics course along
with the Discrete Mathematics course.
- Can I get credit for AP classes I took in high-school? Show
answer
You sure can! You will
need to have taken one of the Computer Science AP Exams. Our current
policy regarding the necessary scores on these exams to receive credit
is as follows:
Advanced Placement Exam Credit Policy
| EXAM |
Score |
Credit Awarded/Recommendation |
| Computer Science - AB Exam |
3-5 |
Students receive credit for CSCI 225. |
| Computer Science - A Exam |
4-5 |
Students receive credit for CSCI 225. |
- Is it possible to double major? Show
answer
Many students who
complete Computer Science degrees double-major in other fields as
well. Some recent second majors include Mathematics, French, Japanese,
Communications, International Studies, and Music.
- What programming languages do you teach? Show
answer
As with everything else in the world of technology, the lifetime
of a programming language is quite short. Usually, the hot programming
language today will be old news within 10 years. Because of this
fact, a computer science major at Hope College will get exposed
to a number of programming languages. Our goal is that students
will understand the concepts of programming in a number of different
languages and types of languages, and will have experience in learning
to adapt to new environments, since that happens so frequently.
Having said that, we of course do have to choose some language
for our courses. Our introductory programming language is currently
Java; students can get exposure to C++, Perl, C# and several other
languages during their time at Hope.
- What types of careers do majors in Computer Science pursue? Show
answer
Degrees in Computer
Science are useful in a large number of different careers. In fact,
that's one of the things that makes having a degree in Computer Science
so exciting. To give you a sampling of the kinds of things that our
graduates do, we've put together a page highlighting some of our
graduates. The page can be found here
- Why should I study computer science at a liberal arts institution like Hope? Show
answer
When employers of computer science graduates are asked what are the most important qualities that they look for when they hire students right out of college, unanimously the top two on the list are "problem solving ability" and "the ability to communicate." These are both strengths of students coming from a liberal arts environment. In addition, in today's ever changing global environment, liberal arts students with an understanding of different cultures and a knowledge base beyond the technical are highly valued in the workplace.
- What is the job placement rate for graduating seniors? Show
answer
Our students have no difficulty finding good jobs in the field. It is not possible to give an accurate job placement rate since not all graduates seek employment directly after graduation. To give an idea of the number of opportunities that are available to our graduates, take a look at a website that lists opportunities that are available right now. You will see that there are many positions open.
- I'm interested in computer generated graphics/design and animation,
does Computer Science include study in these areas? Show
answer
While Computer Science itself doesn't explicitly address these
areas in the way that students often think about them, having a
major or minor in Computer Science can be a benefit when working
in these types of fields. For example, web designers who are able
to communicate better with programmers when implementing interactive
web sites will have a leg up on those who don't understand the
processes and limitations of programming. Many computer animation
environments provide the capability of "scripting" their
actions, allowing for automation of routine tasks.
- Is there a major that will help me learn to repair computers? Show
answer
We do not offer
degrees in this area. These skills typically fall outside of the
scope of a degree in computer science, and are better learned elsewhere.
- What about that dot-com crash and overseas outsourcing? Will I be
able to find a job with a CS degree? Show
answer
Reports of the impacts of outsourcing and offshoring on the technology
field are widespread. Recently, the Association of Computing Machinery
commissioned a task for on Job Migration to examine the impacts
of Globalization and Offshoring of Software. The task force produced
a report on their findings, whose conclusion states:
Globalization of, and offshoring within, the software industry
will continue and, in fact, increase. This increase will be fueled
by information technology itself as well as government action
and economic factors and will result in more global competition
in both lower-end software skills and higher-end endeavors such
as research. Current data and economic theory suggest that despite
offshoring, career opportunities in IT will remain strong in
the countries where they have been strong in the past even as
they grow in the countries that are targets of offshoring. The
future, however, is one in which the individual will be situated
in a more global competition. The brightness of the future for
individuals, companies, or countries is centered on their ability
to invest in building the foundations that foster innovation
and invention.
So while the report does indicate there will be some impacts
on the job market for Computer Science graduates, it also indicates
that the future still looks bright. For those who are interested,
the entire report is available at http://www.acm.org/globalization/report.
- Are there jobs for computer science majors while on campus? Show
answer
Computer science majors
are frequently in high demand for employment, both on- and off-campus.
Several of our students work for the college's Computing and Information
Technology department, performing a variety of tasks from computer
trouble-shooting and maintenance and technical support to writing
code. Other students are employed by the Tech Lab in the library,
providing support to other students working on technology related
projects. We have opportunities for students to serve as teaching
assistants and as paid research assistants during the academic year.
Some students serve as systems administrators/web site administrators
for other academic departments. Finally, local companies often look
to hire our students for part-time positions or internships.
- How large are computer science classes? Show
answer
Since all of our courses
are taught in our innovative Tablet PC classroom, the maximum course
size is 20 students. Most upper level courses are smaller than that,
with between 10 and 15 students.
- What courses should I take my first semester? Show
answer
There are a couple of options available to you. If you have some prior
experience with computer programming, you should most likely sign
up for CSCI 225. You should also take CSCI
112 your first year, so
if this fits into your schedule during the first semester, you can
take it in addition to CSCI 225.
If you haven't had computer programming courses before, or if you
want to explore what computer science is about before taking CSCI
225, you should enroll in CSCI 114. Note that this course includes
the material in CSCI 112, so you'll be completing that requirement
at the same time as getting an introduction to computer programming.
- What kind of computer and hardware/software configuration should
a computer science student have? Show
answer
Probably whatever kind of computer you would plan on bringing
will be just fine. The one key thing that you'll probably want
to make sure is that your computer is capable of connecting to
our network using a standard Ethernet connection (almost all reasonably
new computers come with this option standard). Laptops and desktop
machines are about equally popular with computer science students.
It is unlikely that any of the applications that we use in class
will tax your computer's resources any more than other applications
that you run on it. But if it does, the machines in our lab are
very capable of handling any thing that you throw at them. In terms
of software, most of our classes use languages and tools that are
freely available on the Internet; most of these tools will run
in both Windows and Mac environments. We also participate in a
program with Microsoft that allows students to install their development
environments for free in conjunction with a class/research project.
Links of Interest
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