Computer Science

Major and Minor

Computer science in today's world is broad-based, fast-paced, and crucial to the functioning of everyday life. Computer scientists will be called upon to solve problems in almost every aspect of life. A computer science major at a liberal arts institution combines a firm grounding in the tools of computer science with an appreciation of its connections to other fields.

A liberal arts education gives you the flexibility to deal with the rapid rate of technological change. Knox offers a major in computer science as well as a general minor, which do more than train you to use today's computers—it educates you, the designer of the next generation of computer technology.

The Program
The computer science major and minor integrate the theoretical and applied aspects of the field through completion of the following:

• Introductory computer science courses in problem solving, data structures, and programming.
• Core computer science courses in algorithms, software development, computer organization, information management, operating systems, and networks.
• Advanced courses such as computer graphics, operating systems, compilers, artificial intelligence, networks, software engineering, computer security, natural language processing.
• Support courses in areas such as discrete mathematics, digital electronics, linguistics, and symbolic logic.

The field of computer science is closely allied with mathematics and other sciences, and has important applications in most disciplines. This is reflected in the variety of second majors chosen by computer science students at Knox, which include mathematics, physics, music, art, modern languages, economics, creative writing and international relations.

Resources
Computer science students at Knox have access to the tools and resources necessary to stay up-to-date in the rapidly evolving field, including:

• Intel quad-processor Xeon departmental server running Linux for computer science classes and research, funded by a grant from the Caterpillar Foundation.
• Placeholder for graphics system description.
• Honors project office for undergraduate research.
• Student lab with Intel-based iMacs running Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows XP.
• A reconfigurable "sandbox" lab for advanced systems and networking classes.
• Network software packages.

The College's library system is built around the curriculum and offers more than a quarter million books and 687 periodicals, including 35 journals in the field of computer science.

Knox College has both a campus-wide, fiber-optic Ethernet network and a wireless network that link all academic buildings and student residences.

Knox has a number of computer laboratories running Mac OS and Windows XP Pro on Pentium and Power PC platforms. During the school year, Founders Lab in Seymour Union, a 50-station student computer center, is open 24 hours a day. The Stellyes Lab is used for projection-based teaching and class presentations, the Hughes Lab for scientific computing and imaging, and the Centel Data Analysis Lab for statistical work in the social sciences. Click here to learn more about general technology resources on campus.