Computer Science

Computer science at Union takes place within an interdisciplinary environment that mixes theory and practice and encourages creative problem solving.

You will explore the field through a variety of mid-level and upper-level electives, including web programming, game development, language processing, modeling and simulation, robotics, visualization, parallel computing, user interfaces and bioinformatics.

Our program prepares students for a range of future opportunities. You can choose to major in CS or pursue an interdepartmental major that combines CS with another field. You can also minor in CS; in digital media, which explores explore the interaction between creative and computational processes; or in data analytics, which promotes the application of core skills in programming and statistics.

Students graduate with a strong knowledge base as well as experience that is relevant for today's computing world.

Professors work closely with students in class, as advisors and on senior research and capstone projects. Many of our students work on faculty research projects throughout the year. Faculty have a range of interests, from algorithms, artificial intelligence and computational complexity to internet security, natural language processing and social robotics.

Our equipment and facilities are top-notch, with three computer labs available 24/7 to students and Wi-Fi throughout campus. We also have a laboratory for robotics and human-computer interaction, known as the CRoCHET Lab – Collaborative Robotics and Computer-Human Empirical Testing. The College uses cloud-based High Performance Computing (HPC) resources to support research computing needs.

There are ample opportunities to intern with major companies and engage in independent research, including Union summer research fellowships. You may join the Sigma Xi national scientific research society and also participate in Virtual Union. This student group runs one of the larger computer systems on campus, maintains student web pages, and offers a chance to learn about and do system administration and web development. An active seminar series has addressed such relevant topics as machine learning in the open world, and recognizing and responding to bias and micro-aggressions.

Complementing your academics is the chance to participate in Virtual Union. This student group runs one of the larger computer systems on campus, maintains student web pages, and gives students a chance to learn about and do system administration and web development.