Apr 24, 2024  
ARCHIVED 2016-2017 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
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ARCHIVED 2016-2017 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Computer Science

Department Chairperson: Dr. Stephen C. Renk
Computer Science Faculty

Mission Statement

The mission of the Computer Science Department is to create effective problem solvers who understand and can apply the principles of computer science and information management to serve the research and business communities, as well as society in general.

The Computer Science Department offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees with a curriculum based on national guidelines developed by the ACM and IEEE computer societies.

The objectives of the curriculum are to:

  • Introduce students to the fundamental concepts of computer science applicable to a variety of computer systems, languages and areas;
  • Help students develop strong problem-solving skills leading to the construction of effective problem solutions;
  • Provide students with pragmatic, usable knowledge built on a strong theoretical foundation;
  • Promote the development of effective communication skills;
  • Allow students, through a variety of advanced electives, to gain knowledge and experience in areas of special interest.

Degrees offered: B.A. and B.S.

Facilities and Software: North Central College supports an excellent computing environment with up-to-date hardware and software. Students have access to over 250 Windows-based PCs and 80 Mac workstations, all connected to the College’s fiber-optic network and the Internet. Laboratories include scanners, black and white and color laser printers, photo printers, video capture equipment and additional hardware and software for creating and editing digital audio, video and image files. DSLR and point-and-shoot cameras, audio recorders and microphones are available for student projects as well as a sound booth and green screen room.

Coursework exposes students to a wide variety of software for the development of client server, desktop, mobile and web applications. Through coursework students gain experience with operating systems such as Windows, Linux and Android; databases such as ORACLE and MySQL; programming frameworks and APIs such as OpenGL, XNA, Maya and ZENworks; and programming languages such as Java, C, C++, C#, Perl, Ruby, Python, PHP, SQL, JavaScript and ActionScript.

Research: Working one-on-one with a faculty member, students have the opportunity to perform original research and explore areas and topics of personal interest.

Internships: North Central’s ideal location offers students many opportunities to engage in paid internships and cooperative learning experiences with leading corporations and research laboratories. Students are encouraged to take advantage of these opportunities, and it is common for our undergraduates to work in areas related to their computer studies during much of their junior and senior years. Up to six credit hours of internship may be applied to a computer science major, and up to three credit hours to a computer science minore

Transfer Students: Many computer science courses from other institutions can be used toward an NCC degree, as long as they are sufficiently current. Course substitution guides from many Illinois community colleges are available to help students determine which courses are accepted so they can plan a smooth transition to North Central.

Integrated Five-Year Bachelor’s/Master’s Program

North Central College’s integrated  program allows a student to earn both a bachelor’s degree and the Master’s of Science degree in Computer Science, normally in five years of study. Information on admission and program requirements can be found in the  section.

Programs

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