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Computer Science
Fast Facts:
- Bethel College math and computer science students consistently do well in the ACM North Central Region programming competition for teams of programmers, generally placing at or near the top for Kansas schools in a contest dominated by large research universities such as Wisconsin and Michigan.
- More Bethel Fast Facts...
Computer science is primarily about finding ways to use the computer to solve problems. We begin with the fundamentals of computer programming – formulating a real world problem as a problem that a computer can solve, implementing that solution as a computer program, and then verifying that our program does indeed solve and satisfy the original need. But computer science is more than “just programming.” As computer scientists, we define what it means for one program to be “better” or “more efficient” than another program. We study the nature of computation – what kinds of problems can and cannot be solved by a computer. We study information theory – when it is possible to represent real world objects as a collection of 1s and 0s, and when it is not possible to do so. We also study how a multitude of computing devices can be built out of an amazingly small set of digital circuits.
Computer science at Bethel focuses primarily on developing programming skills and an understanding of the software development process. Successful students are disciplined thinkers and are comfortable with mathematics. Bethel does not offer a computer science major. Even so, there are ways that you can pursue your interests in computer science. Computer Programming I is offered annually in the spring semester, and Computer Programming II is offered in the following fall semester when there is sufficient demand. Directed studies in advanced topics may be offered for motivated students. Students who qualify may also pursue computer science as part of an Individualized Major or as part of a Natural Sciences major.
In addition, Bethel fields computer programming teams that compete in the annual ACM North Central North American regional competition. Historically, our teams have been competitive with colleges and universities many times our size. In 2009, our top team finished in 42nd place out of 203 teams. Only four teams that finished ahead of us were from liberals arts colleges – the rest were from large state schools from across the central U.S. and Canada.
Those seeking hands-on, technical experience are encouraged to apply to work for our department of Information and Media Services, which provides computer technical support as well as audio-visual services to the campus.