Why Computer Science?

Are you looking for a fun, challenging degree program that will lead to an interesting job that pays well? Then you've come to the right place! According to the US Government of Labor Statistics:

"Employment of computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow 12 percent from 2014 to 2024, faster than the average for all occupations. "
Publish Date: Thursday, December 17, 2015

According to the national ACM, there are lots of good reasons to major in Computer Science. Here are just a few:

• Computing is part of everything we do
• Computing offers great opportunities for true creativity and innovativeness
• Computing enables you to make a positive difference in the world
• Computing jobs are here to stay, regardless of where you are located
• Computing offers many types of lucrative careers

Our Faculty

Our enthusiastic faculty enjoy working with and advising students and teaching our hands-on, lab-based curriculum. Personal attention and quality of teaching are their strong points.

Our Class Size

Class sizes are kept to a minimum (25-35 students) with emphasis on active learning processes.

Student Extras

There are many opportunities to support students and expand their learning beyond traditional courses, including:

• Specialized Scholarships
• Senior Research Projects
• Practicum (Internships)
• Experience in the field through the Software Testing and Development Lab
• Tutoring
• Computer Science Club

Options in Major

Our students take an up-to-date set of courses and participate in exciting projects to develop their programming skills and technical knowledge, to develop their communication and critical thinking skills, and, of course, to have lots of fun along the way.

Computer science majors can choose from two options: Computer Science and Applied Computer Science. Both options require a common core set of courses designed to give students a fundamental understanding of both theoretical and applied computer science.

In addition to the programs for the Computer Science Major, the department offers a Computer Science Minor and a Computer Technology Minor.

Laptop Program

Winona State University offers the e-Warrior program to students, which equips them with a new laptop every two years and technical support for access to the latest technology. This program helps students with everything from printing on campus to downloading the latest software suites from Adobe and Microsoft.

Our program operates on two campuses, one in Winona (main campus) and one in Rochester (WSU-R). Although we have different personnel and student demographics on both campuses, we function as one department in terms of policies, programming, and governance.

History of the Department

The Winona State University Computer Science Department was formed in 1987. The department has taught its core classes in many different languages over the years. Check out the history page to learn more about how we got here!

Future Careers

Working with such rapidly changing computer technology in today’s world is fun and requires a significant level of skill and education. In addition to technical knowledge, companies want professionals who have communication and interpersonal skills, and who can adapt their problem-solving skills to different situations.

Some potential jobs you could pursue with the Computer Science degree include:

• Computer Programmer
• IT Support Specialist
• Software Application Developer
• Database Administrator
• Web Developer
• Software Quality Assurance Tester