Computer Science

Computers are ubiquitous in modern life. In addition to high-tech machines like aircraft and medical imaging systems, everyday devices as diverse as automobiles, vending machines, refrigerators, and videogame consoles now contain some type of computer. Computers help design our highways, bridges, pharmaceuticals, electronic circuits, and buildings; handle banking, stock trading, and other financial transactions; assist in management decisions; control communications, utilities, and manufacturing processes; and analyze farm production. Computers watch over our health, security, and safety. Computers serve as vital research tools for scientists, from those exploring the farthest reaches of the cosmos to those searching for subtle patterns in the human genome.

Explosive growth in computer gaming, digital entertainment, and multimedia-based education has spawned entirely new industries in recent years. Computers are linked together in worldwide networks that provide information and computing power to nearly anyone who wants it, anywhere in the world. (See article from the Princeton Review about NC State’s game design).

Designing computer systems, and the software that runs on them, is the job of computer scientists. Computer scientists can find demand for their innovation, design, analysis, and engineering skills in the full gamut of professions. As a direct consequence of the increasingly critical role of computers in society, the discipline of computer science has enjoyed rapid growth for many years. And the trend looks likely to continue: the most credible employment projections indicate a serious and worsening nationwide shortfall in the supply of people skilled in information technology, and a resulting steady rise in demand and salaries, for decades to come. Computer Science graduates from NC State are in high demand, including by employers that are extremely selective in their national recruiting.

Game Development Concentration. It is now possible to pursue a B.S. in Computer Science with a Concentration in Game Development. Over the last ten years there have been significant advances in computer game development technologies. In addition to the more familiar entertainment sector, these advances also have applications to such areas as training, education, visualization, and social interaction forums — so-called “serious games.” North Carolina is now among the top tier of US states with centers of excellence in game development. As the games industry continues to grow, demand by North Carolina companies for new graduates with strong background in computer science with a focus on game development will also expand.

Courses include:

Programming Concepts, Computer Organization & Assembly Language, Concepts & Facilities of Operating Systems, Discrete Math, Introduction to Numerical Methods, Data Structures, Software Engineering, Ethics in Computing, Senior Design Project

Additional Information:

A Closer Look at Engineering

In’s and Out’s of Engineering CODA

Video: What is Computer Science?

Video-Engineering Majors Exploration

Video-The Creativity of Engineering at NC State

14 Grand Challenges for Engineering 

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  • Engineering
  • Technology
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  • Computer Science
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  • Creative solutions
  • Technical communication
  • Information processes
  • Teamwork
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