Discussion of Objectives

Taken as a whole, these objectives ensure that students have a thorough understanding of the principles of computing and how these principles can be applied.  Although the broad, overall objectives are the same for all the departmental degree programs, the specific outcomes and levels of expectation for students meeting these outcomes vary with each degree program.

The first objective ensures that all students will understand the basic principles upon which the computing discipline rests.  The depth of knowledge and understanding of these principles will, of course, vary with the level of the degree and how the individual student focuses his or her studies.  At the bachelors level the student will be well versed in the principles that apply across the entire field.  At the masters level the student will have a more advanced understanding, be more focused on a specific area, and will have learned to apply the principles in more complex ways.  At the Ph. D. level the student will have attained a true, intuitive, expert level of knowledge in a specific subdiscipline and be equipped to contribute original research toward extending the state-of-the-art in a specific domain.

The second objective provides students with a broader understanding of the context in which computing is carried out and enables them to work with others to contribute their expertise to solving problems.  Again, this understanding will vary with both the type and level of the degree; in fact, the main distinction between the degrees is in the context in which computing principles are applied. 

The third objective addresses the need for the student to understand the professional, ethical, and moral implications of how what they do affects society as a whole.  Again, this is important for all students, but the societal implications of research carried out at the Ph.D. level may be quite different and have different ethical implications than an application program done by a bachelors level graduate.

Finally, the fourth objective addresses the need for students to find gainful employment, consistent with their field of study and level of education, and begin applying their skills upon completing their courses of study.