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1995-96 General Catalog for California State University, Fresno.

Department of Computer Science
WALTER READ, Chair
McKee Fisk Building, Room 207
(559) 278-4373
M.S. in Computer Science
Minor in Computer Science
Computer science is applied reasoning using both art and science: It
requires the ability to communicate ideas through a combination of language
and powerful technology. It is concerned with the interaction of man and
machine, and man's conquest of the future through continuing developments
in the application of computers to a myriad of common and specialized problems.
The goal of the Department of Computer Science is to offer programs to a
diverse audience: (1) students interested primarily in computing, (2) students
interested primarily in applying computing to some other field of study,
and (3) students who wish to include computing as part of their general
education.
Faculty and Facilities
The faculty come from a variety of areas including computer systems and
architecture, theoretical computer science, programming languages, software
engineering, computer graphics, distributed systems and parallel processing,
and neural networks. They have in common a desire to provide a program that
will give the student a broad range of experience in computer science as
well as the depth of education that will be needed in the student's later
career, whether professional or academic.
The department houses a networked environment of UNIX-based machines consisting
of a DEC VAX 11/785 and a Macintosh IIci microcomputer laboratory for lower-division
courses; Sun Micro -systems, SGI, and NeXT workstations in an AI/Graphics
laboratory and an INMOS Corporation Transputer system (a reconfigurable
parallel processing machine) for upper-division courses and research projects.
These systems are connected with campus and international networks, allowing
access to other machines and communication with people on campus and around
the world.
Career Opportunities
Computer use is pervading all aspects of our society, and the industry supporting
that use has been growing rapidly for several decades. Graduates from this
program find job opportunities in such diverse fields as computer design,
software development, systems analysis, database design, computer graphics,
and technical programming. Because of the strong theoretical orientation
of our program, graduates are attractive to companies involved in computer
manufacturing and to those industries using computers in high technology
applications.
Our proximity to two of the largest computer use areas in the nation, Silicon
Valley and Los Angeles, provides our graduates with a flourishing and broad-based
collection of potential employers. Graduates have also obtained exciting
and challenging positions at Air Force and Naval bases in California. A
high proportion of our graduates have pursued graduate studies. Students
who obtain the master of science degree will be in an excellent position
to pursue a Ph.D. degree.
Organizations
Student chapters of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the
IEEE Computer Society are very active in the department. They organize field
trips to major computer manufacturers and users in California. The ACM chapter
sponsors the fall Programming Contest and the annual International Computer
Problem Solving Contest for precollege students. The IEEE Computer Society
participates in the international IEEE Micromouse competition.
Computer science majors who have a distinguished academic record in computer
science are invited to join Upsilon Pi Epsilon, the national honor society
for the computing sciences.
Co-op Program
Through the Cooperative Education program, the department encourages full-time
employment for students for one semester in computer-related positions.
This is an excellent opportunity for a student to obtain experience, a reasonable
salary, and college credit in this field.
Computer Science - Degrees
Computer Science - Courses
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