College of Engineering

The computer science department recently moved to the College of Engineering from the College of Science, creating strong potential for collaboration and major benefits for the current 320 undergraduate students, 84 graduate students and 34 doctoral students working toward degrees in computer science at USU.

 

Computer science majors are in high demand, and this USU department is ranked highest for students graduating with jobs already lined up among all USU departments, said Dan Watson, interim department head and associate professor.

 

“The wonderful thing about computer science is it’s a great companion to just about everything else,” Watson said. “It's hard to run research experiments without computing tools. It requires someone who is efficient in programming and creating computer systems.”

 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for computer science majors will increase dramatically over the next 15 years. Over 30 percent growth in computing jobs requiring a bachelor’s degree is expected. These statistics prove to be accurate at USU.

Watson says he has at least one employer contact him about potential hires every day.

 

 “Not only do students who graduate from computer science find jobs, they find the jobs they want," he said.

 

Further, at $60,500, the average starting salary for students graduating from USU with a bachelor’s in computer science ranks among the highest among all majors, said Myra Cook, undergraduate academic adviser in the computer science department.

 

Computer science graduates create software applications and systems for a wide range of uses in our daily lives, Cook said, including anything from the software used in banks, schools and hospitals, to mobile applications, computer games and navigation systems, to robotics, dynamic websites, the software that keeps satellites in space and national security issues.

 

“But it’s not just about programming and application development,” Watson said. “USU computer science majors and researchers are at the forefront of core research, extending concepts and capabilities that make computing in today’s society so pervasive. It’s that core innovation that allows successive collaboration.”

 

Over time, the joint collaborative efforts between computer science and other areas in engineering will become more and more visible in research projects. No doubt, many such projects will require participation from both students and faculty, Watson said. Last year, the computer science department logged $897,000 in research expenditures, not including a significant effort with the Space Dynamics Lab.

 

Some computer science faculty members are already teamed up with engineering researchers, making their work possible through specialized computer software. Professor Scott Cannon of the computer science department is one of these faculty members whose work makes engineering research possible. Currently, Cannon is working on satellite telemetry in conjunction with the Space Dynamics Lab and with the College of Engineering. Associate Professor Nick Flann is working on simulating nutrient flow for cancer research. XiaoJun Qi, also an associate professor of computer science, is working on image processing techniques for X-ray momography. Both Flann and Qi’s research, among others, have significant implications in other areas of engineering.

 

“Computer science is an area that is central to much of the technical progress that is being accomplished in our lifetimes,” Watson said.

 

More than increased faculty collaboration will result from this recent move, Watson said. Perhaps, more students will find the computer science major if it’s connected to the College of Engineering, he said, because many universities are organized in that fashion.

 

“By being in the College of Engineering we may attract students who have different characteristics than we have now,” Watson said.

 

When working with computers, it’s important to stay current, which is why computer science students have the option to learn programming applications for smart electronics — a booming industry.

 

“We've recently changed our undergrad curriculum so students can take more industry-relevant classes early on,” Watson said. “We are introducing freshmen and sophomores to developing web applications, and we are opening up a mobile apps class which students have shown a lot of excitement about.”