Academic Program in Computer Science
Program Requirements
Overview
Oberlin’s Department of Computer Science offers a broad complement of courses that integrate computer science into the liberal arts curriculum. Our faculty are devoted to preparing students for their future as leaders in computer science by teaching them fundamental problem-solving skills, and challenging them to derive innovative solutions to new problems.
Faculty actively participate in research and scholarship, collaborating with colleagues inside and outside of the college.
Computer science majors will become well-rounded in both theoretical and applied areas, and well prepared for graduate study or work in industry and business. We emphasize core concepts, analytical thinking, and problem-solving throughout the curriculum. Students have opportunities to conduct research through senior honors projects or with faculty during the summer.
With a solid foundation in computer science, Oberlin students are empowered with the problem-solving skills to tackle tomorrow’s challenges. Since computer science affects so many other disciplines, our students often pursue computer science along with another major. Some students complement another major with computer science courses to improve their marketability after graduation.
The major requires a minimum of 10 courses in computer science, plus at least two specified courses in mathematics. The major starts with a two-semester introduction and overview of the field and is followed by a sophomore-level course sequence that explores intermediate and advanced concepts. Courses beyond these fundamentals allow students to delve into specific areas of computer science and to explore a broad range of subdisciplines.
We regularly offer advanced courses in computer graphics, artificial intelligence, security, and computer systems and networking. These courses give students the opportunity, for example, to render new computer graphics, to design their own programming language, to create advanced network applications, or to construct neural networks that simulate the organization of a human brain.
We also offer a number of courses for non-majors. We have courses in HTML/CSS and programming specifically designed for non-science majors. Our faculty also offer modeling courses of interest to other natural and social science disciplines.