Bethel offers both a B.A. and B.S. in Computer Science. Either route through a computer science major is a perfect starting place for many careers in software development, but they have particular strengths: The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Computer Science is designed for students wanting a strong introduction to computer science but with more flexibility for a second major such as mathematics, business, or physics; or to do off-campus internships. The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Computer Science is suggested for student who intend to go on for advanced degrees. Employers and graduating students tell us that employers do not distinguish between the two degrees in hiring.
Why should I study computer science?
The Computer Science major prepares students for a career in software development. Nearly every organization needs, and will continue to need, computer science graduates to manage their technical institutional resources, such as servers and websites, and to write custom software to implement the business rules of that organization and manage constituent databases.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for software developers is projected to grow 30 percent from 2010 to 2020, much faster than the average for all occupations. In addition, first-year salaries for students graduating with 4-year degrees in computer science are among the highest of any career. This has been our experience with our 100% placement rate among recent Computer Science graduates, who report starting salaries from $60,000 to $95,000.
What can I do with this degree?
- Information technology architect
- Network architect
- Data scientist, IT
- Senior database administrator
- Management consultant
- Project manager
- Technical account manager
Visit our alumni page to see what our recent graduates have been doing.
What skills will I develop?
- Computer architecture
- Networking
- Web development
- Several major languages, including C/C++ and Java
- Artificial intelligence
- Computer graphics
- Software engineering
- Database systems
- High-performance computing
- Operating systems
You’ll also have the opportunity to participate in the R.E.A.L. Experience—a program specifically designed to help you gain the relevant, hands-on experience employers desire—so that when you graduate, you’ll be as impressive in practice as you are on paper.
What unique experiences or opportunities will I have?
- Semester-long projects in courses like Web Programming and Software Engineering
- Competitions in the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
- Membership in Bethel’s ACM chapter
- Internships for academic credit or to earn income
- Original research with faculty
85
students in the department
$84K
annual median wage of recent computer science graduates
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