Course work
Our department offers a full computer science program, comparable to offerings at many larger schools. Students have a lot of flexibility in the courses that they take, so that they can tailor their program to their interests. Students often take advantage of that flexibility to double major, with recent students having additional majors in such fields as Chemistry, Communications, Engineering, Japanese and Theater.
Recognizing the rapidly changing nature of our field, we also offer advanced topics courses that allow students to gain exposure to new technologies. Examples include courses in Web 2.0 programming, computer security, tablet PC programming and cryptography.
Research experiences
The summer research program at Hope builds upon the knowledge students gain as part of their course work, allowing them to work closely with a faculty mentor to develop solutions to problems no one has solved before. This work frequently leads to students traveling to conferences to present their work, as well as publishing papers in peer reviewed journals. Information on our research program, including current and past research projects, can be found at http://www.hope.edu/cs/reu/
Internships
Students can take advantage of our internship program to gain experience while they complete their studies. Hope's computer science students are in demand at companies such as Steelcase, Priority Health, Gordon Foods and Lean Logistics. Many students who complete an internship find it to be a great springboard to a career after graduation.
The job placement rate for students with Computer Science degrees is outstanding–every student who has graduated in the last 3 years with a Computer Science degree and sought a job in the field has found one. Many students go on to graduate study at schools such as the University of Michigan, Notre Dame, the University of Texas and many others.
Here's a sampling of what our recent graduates are up to:
Andrew Foster ('10) moved to the Chicago area shortly after graduation to work for Omeda, a company whose business focuses on helping publishing companies market themselves better. Andrew works as a software developer, fixing bugs reported by customers or making small enhancements to the company's software.
Timothy Wahmhoff ('10) is a graduate student at the University of Southern California. One of the projects he enjoyed working on during his first semester was designing algorithms to help a robot navigate its way around a room.
Stephen Cornelius ('10) spent the summer working as a lighting/carpentry production assistant at a summer stock theatre in Auburn, NY. He is currently seeking a position that will allow him to integrate the technical skills he learned as a Computer Science major with his love of the theatre.
Paul Frybarger ('10) is a research assistant at Argonne National Labs in the Chicago area, where he is continuing work he started while a Hope student, developing software for a web-based viewer for bacterial metabolic models.
Matthew Shott ('10) works at Cebos in Brighton, Michigan developing workflow management software. He credits the variety of experiences he gained at Hope through coursework, summer research experiences and internships with helping him land his current position after returning from a semester in Japan.
Crystal Hollis ('10) completed an internship at Lean Logistics after graduation and is now a software tester for Meijer.
Matthew Siehoff ('09) is a freelance web developer in the greater Chicago area.
Kevin Browder ('09) works in Boston for MediaTek, a Taiwan-based semiconductor company that specializes in producing Digital Signal Processors for TVs, cell phones, and various optical devices. His group works to create an integrated development environment that the company's customers use to create systems that work with MediaTek's chips.
Dirk VanBruggen ('09) is a PhD student in Computer Science at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. His most recent research project involved investigating problems involved with keeping information synchronized in delay tolerant networks, which are networks in which there can be long or variable delays in the connectivity between devices within the network.
Cameron Calka ('08) and Kevin Formsma ('08) are software developers for Lean Logistics, a company that develops transportation management software to support other companies' logistical needs.
Jared Wilkening ('08) works at Argonne National Labs in the Chicago area, developing databases and analysis tools for meta-genomic data, on a project funded by the department of Energy.
Sara Henry ('07)completed a master's degree at the School of Information at the University of Michigan, where she now works as an Engineering Librarian.
John Gould ('07)spent several years working with a consulting company and is now pursuing a degree at the University of New Hampshire School of Law.
Kathleen Ludewig ('07) is a project manager for the African Health OER network, an organization that provides a platform for African health academics to freely access and share educational materials.
Many of our other graduates have accomplished great things during their careers. You can find more information by going to our web site at http://www.hope.edu/cs/ and clicking the link for prospective students.