Computer science careers are diverse and exciting, employment opportunities are increasing, and starting salaries are among the highest for bachelor’s degree graduates. As a computer science major at Siena, you’ll study topics including Java programming, user interface design, hardware, computer graphics, robotics, databases, web design, and artificial intelligence. We emphasize group projects, hands-on laboratory learning, and one-on-one interaction with faculty.
Siena’s B.S. in computer science requires coursework in computer science and mathematics. As a computer science major, you will also participate in a senior-year capstone experience in software engineering. Most of our students participate in our well-established internship program, as well. We also offer opportunities to conduct research with computer science faculty.
Program Highlights
- The Computer Science Department at Siena is one the largest at any liberal arts college.
- 14 full-time faculty experts specializing in areas such as databases, computer graphics, robotics, artificial intelligence and web application development.
- Students can concentrate coursework in specific career areas or take a broad array of different CS courses to prepare for graduate study.
- Student-centered labs, which are capped at 16 students.
- Independent study courses with faculty mentors.
- Paid internship and summer research opportunities.
- Regional and national conference attendance.
- Project-based software design and development capstone course.
- Student clubs: Association for Computing Machinery student chapter and Women in Computer Science.
- Preparation for careers such as software engineer/developer, project manager, Java developer, application security engineer, web/mobile application developer, web design specialist, database administrator, information technology specialist, web design consultant, data analyst, quality assurance engineer and business intelligence developer.
Requirements for the Major (35 credits)
- CSIS120 - Intro to Programming 4 credits
- CSIS210 - Data Structures 3 credits
- CSIS220 - Assembly Lang and Comp Architecture 4 credits
- CSIS225 - Object-Oriented Design and Programming 3 credits
- CSIS385 - Design+Analysis of Algorithm 3 credits
- CSIS410 - Software Engineering I 3 credits
- CSIS415 - Software Engineering II 3 credits
AND
- CSIS110 - Intro to Computer Science 3 credits
And 3 additional courses between CSIS 310 and CSIS 499 (9 credits) OR 4 additional CSIS electives between 310 and 499 (12 credits)
Note: CSIS-251 and CSIS-351 may not be applied toward the required CSIS credits in Computer Science, however, CSIS-351 (Discrete Structures II) may apply towards the required CSIS credits if a student is a double CS/Physics major taking the Computational Science track for the Physics major.
Auxiliary courses (15 credits)
- MATH110 - Calculus I 4 credits
- MATH120 - Calculus II 4 credits
- MATH250 - Discrete Structures 4 credits
- MATH350 - Theory of Computation 3 credits
.
Success Stats
- 100% of recent graduates are employed or in graduate school
- 40% of students participate in an independent study or research project
- 57% complete at least one internship for credit
- 45% of faculty are female vs. the national average of 15%
- The freshman retention rate is 96%
- Siena is one of two colleges nationally to offer the Computer and Information Science and Engineering Research Experience funded by the National Science Foundation. Students receive a $5,000 stipend along with full room and board during the summer.
Recent Internship Sites
- 3M
- Albany Crime Analysis Center
- BOCES
- Credit Suisse
- Doctored Apps
- Ernst Information Systems
- Google
- New York State Office of Information Technology
- New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance
- New York State Senate IT Department
- Pitney Bowes
Employers of our Graduates
- Amazon
- Bank of America
- CDPHP
- Cisco
- ESPN
- GE
- IBM
- Key Bank
- Lockheed Martin
- MetLife
- National Hockey League
- rewardStyle
- SiriusXM Satellite Radio
- Transfinder
- Vanguard
- Xerox
Job Titles of Recent Graduates
- Application Team Lead
- Associate Engineer
- Business Analyst
- Chief Operating Officer
- Computer Programmer
- Database Administrator
- Developer
- Director of Product Management
- Director of Software Engineering
- IT Engineer
- Lead Technician
- Programmer
- Project Manager
- Senior Technical Consultant
- Senior Security Engineer
- Software Developer
- Software Engineer
- Web Developer
- Web and Mobile Developer