People sometimes confuse computer science with computer programming, but CS majors soon find that CS is much more than programming (though programming is still a lot of fun for most of us).

The computer science major (whether AB or BSE) is uniquely flexible. Some of our majors want to create programs and systems that change the world; many end up in Silicon Valley. Others like the theory of computation and the new fields of mathematics it has opened up. We encourage our majors to explore other departments and disciplines, so students apply computing in areas like genomics, music, art, robotics, economics and psychology.

Independent work provides an opportunity to work closely with individual faculty members on topics of significant technical and social interest, like electronic voting, artificial intelligence, and neuroscience. CS majors often serve as lab assistants in intro courses and may have summer jobs creating material for these courses.

Computer science is good preparation for careers in many fields, since professionals who understand computing are far more effective in their work. Many of our majors go on to graduate school, most often in computer science, of course, but also in law, medicine, and business. Some continue with software development, others go into consulting or management, and every year a handful start their own companies.