Computer Science Major
Why major in computer science at Cornell College?
As a computer science major at Cornell College, you’ll do so much more than write code. During the block, you will dive deep into the technical aspects of your course, and you will end the block by spending the last 4-5 days working with your team members to achieve what may seem to be an unmanageable project. Other than teamwork, you will learn to scope a project, set up milestones, and reassess or rearrange the timeline as the project progresses. From a technical point of view, you will learn about different programming languages, game design, networks, web development, databases, and many more areas of Computer Science.
With our block plan, you’ll have the opportunity to get the hands-on experience you need to excel. Immerse yourself in a subject with no outside distractions. Work side by side with professors who will guide you and mentor you. Spend all the time you need studying or conducting research in our open computer labs.
Interested in taking a block or two for an internship? You can follow in the footsteps of Cornell alumni who have worked for the likes of Facebook, John Deere, and Florida Power & Light, to name a few. Plus, with Cornell’s focus on providing a well-rounded liberal arts foundation, you’ll set yourself apart to employers with your exceptional communication and critical thinking abilities.
STEM studies at Cornell College
Computer science is one branch of our extensive STEM offerings at Cornell. See what our students have to say about their experience studying STEM fields here.
Computer science course and degree requirements
You will begin your journey as a computer science major by taking required foundational courses that will introduce you to a programming language (Python), data structures, computer algorithms, and how microprocessors work. After solidifying your understanding of these core areas of computer science, you will take three to four courses of your choice, such as machine learning, bioinformatics, database engineering, and computer networks.
To complete your degree, you will develop a capstone project of your choice in which you will be lead all phases of the iterative software development life cycle. In the past, the students have built video games, trained AI models to speak in their voices, developed different websites, and developed Android apps.
Opportunities for computer science research projects
You will have numerous on- and off-campus research opportunities at Cornell. You can start your training by working with a Cornell faculty over a summer through CSRI to familiarize yourself with research methodologies and current research development in computer science. Then, you can work with your advisor and your career coach from Berry Career Institute to select and apply for hundreds of research opportunities all over the US and in Europe. Other Cornellians have participated in research projects at the University of Iowa, and the RWTH Aachen University in Aachen, Germany.
Career opportunities for computer science majors
The mean annual wage in 2022 (latest available data) for roles in development and computer systems are generally listed over $100,000 per The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Roles for computer scientists can be found in a wide array of industries whether you choose to work on leading edge application development and programming in the technology sector or you select a role within an organization where you will develop proprietary systems that are industry specific, or taking on support for the data systems for an organzation from non-profits to fortune 500 companies.
