Computer Science

Undergraduate majors: computer science (BA, BS); informatics (BA, BS)

Undergraduate minors: computer science; informatics

Graduate degrees: MCS; MS in computer science; PhD in computer science

Faculty: https://cs.uiowa.edu/people

Website: https://cs.uiowa.edu/

The Department of Computer Science offers undergraduate programs in computer science and in informatics as well as graduate degree programs in computer science. It offers courses that students in all majors may use to satisfy the GE CLAS Core Quantitative or Formal Reasoning requirement and a First-Year Seminar designed for entering undergraduate students. For general information about the department, faculty, and research activities, visit the Department of Computer Science website or the department's office.

Related Majors

Computer Science and Engineering

The Computer Science and Engineering major combines the technical content of a computer science degree and a computer engineering degree into a single program that leads to the Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) degree. The curriculum is jointly offered by the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (College of Engineering). The program provides students with a strong theoretical and conceptual understanding of the principles underlying computer software and hardware along with the engineering analysis, design, and multidisciplinary teamwork skills needed to develop large and complex systems containing both software and hardware components.

Computer science majors may not earn a second major in computer science and engineering. See the BSE in computer science and engineering in the catalog.

Data Science

The BS in data science produces graduates with the sophisticated analytical and computational skills required to thrive in a quantitative world where new problems are encountered at an ever-increasing rate. The major emphasizes the statistical/probabilistic and algorithmic methods that underlie the preparation, analysis, and communication of complex data. With focus on technical foundations, the data science program promotes skills useful for creating and implementing new or special-purpose analysis and visualization tools. It also promotes a fundamental understanding of how to best handle uncertainty when making data-driven decisions.

Student looking intently at a computer screen in a computer lab.

Computer science majors may not earn a second major in data science. The Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science and the Department of Computer Science collaborate to offer the major in data science. The BS in data science is administered by the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science; see the BS in data science in the catalog.