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Computer Science

The Computer Science Department prepares students for fulfilling careers in the computing sciences by providing an excellent hands-on educational experience within an engaging and friendly learning community. Many of our courses are project based providing students with real world problem solving and programming experience. Our graduates excel in internships and post graduate jobs because they already know how to solve problems and create software, "They hit the ground running."

Faculty and Facilities

The faculty come from diverse backgrounds, have expertise in a wide variety of computing fields, and are committed to excellence in teaching. Faculty teaching and research interests include networks, programming languages, security, artificial intelligence, machine learning, bioinformatics, computer graphics, computer architecture, database systems, computer theory, security and computer forensics, mobile computing, software engineering, and web programming.

Department computing facilities include two 30-seat computer labs running the Linux operating system and a specialized networking lab. The networking provides students with hands-on experience in computer security and network management. Students design, configure, and reconfigure various types of networks and run analysis experiments on their networks using network-analyzing tools. Students have 24/7 remote access to our Linux servers for coursework. The department is a member of the Microsoft Developers Network (MSDN) Academic Alliance, giving all students free access to Microsoft software including operating systems and various development tools.

Student Organizations

Student organizations provide students with opportunities for networking, activities (e.g., programming contests, security challenges, game nights, hack-a-thons, field trips), and community service. Several national professional societies have active local student chapters: the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Society of Women Engineers (SWE), and the Upsilon Pi Epsilon (UPE) Honor Society. Additionally, there are active local student clubs: Usr0 Information Security Club and Mechanical Keyboard Club.

Chico STEM Connections Engineering

Chico STEM Connections Engineering program is a comprehensive recruitment, retention, and graduation effort which assists underrepresented and disadvantaged students pursuing degrees in engineering and computer science. The program offers tutoring, academic advising, and counseling, and includes a study center.

Cooperative Educational Experience and Post-Graduate Employment

Many undergraduate and graduate students receive paid summer internships and full-time post-graduation positions at a wide variety of companies. The following is a partial list: Adobe, AJA Video, Amazon, American Express, Apple, Aruba, Big Nerd Ranch, BitTorrent, Blue Shield of California, Build.com, California State University, Capital One, CDK Global, Chevron, Cisco, ClockShark, Deloitte, E & J Gallo, Electronic Arts, EXL Healthcare, Facebook, Fujitsu, Google, Grass Valley, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, IBM, Industrial Light & Magic, Infosys, Intel, Intuit, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Liatrio, LinkedIn, Lulus.com, Lyft, Microsoft, NAVAIR, Netflix, Nike, Oracle, OSIsoft, PG & E, Roku, SAIC, Salesforce, Shasta QA, Starz, SurveyMonkey, Twitch, Uber, Unity, University of California, Veeva Systems, VMware, VSP Global, Workday, Yubico.

Career Outlook

Graduates of the Bachelor's in Computer Science, the Bachelor's in Computer Information Systems, and the Master's in Computer Science are prepared for a wide range of jobs in the computing industry. The department's approaches of learn-by-doing and hands-on instruction provide graduates with the skills necessary to immediately start contributing in an industrial setting. Managers that hire our graduates often report that Chico graduates are initially more productive than other new employees.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports “Employment in computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow 11 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations. These occupations are projected to add about 531,200 new jobs. Demand for these workers will stem from greater emphasis on cloud computing, the collection and storage of big data, and information security." Occupations expected to grow especially fast are software developers (22% growth with a 2019 median pay of $107,510), information security analysts (31% growth with a 2019 median pay of $99,730), and database administrators (10% growth with a 2019 median pay of $93,750). See the Bureau of Labor Statistic's web page for a list of computer and information occupations.

Accreditation

Both the BS in computer science and the BS in computer information systems degree programs are accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of http://www.abet.org.

Catalog Cycle:21