Computer Science Degree

Program Offerings

• Bachelor of science in Computer Science
• Master of science degree in Computer Science and Engineering
• Accelerated master’s in Computer Science and Engineering (earn your bachelor’s and master’s in as little as five years)
• Minors: Computer Science and Robotics.

*The BS in Computer Science is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.

What is Computer Science?

Computers are part of nearly every aspect of our lives, so it should come as no surprise that a computer science degree from South Dakota Mines will prepare you for a lucrative and successful career. The profession is projected to grow 19% from 2016 to 2026 as the demand for new and better technology grows.

In the simplest of terms, computer science is the study of computers and computational systems. Computer scientists manage data, using it to solve problems. Computer scientists work in virtually every sector of our economy, from artificial intelligence and virtual reality to healthcare and finance.

What does a computer scientist do?

Computer scientists develop mathematical models that allow interaction between humans and computers. Essentially, they teach computers what to do using the computer’s own language or code.

With a computer science degree from South Dakota Mines, you will learn to program software, create mobile apps, develop websites, secure information, and much more. You will have the opportunity to work with robots, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, cybersecurity, and you’ll be at the forefront of the some of the most exciting technological advancements of our time.

Just a few of the things a computer scientist might do include:

• Assist scientists and engineers in solving complex computing problems
• Invent new computing languages, tools and methods to improve interactions between computers and humans
• Develop and improve software systems
• Design experiments to test software systems

First-Year Courses

Survey of computer science
Computer science I
Calculus
Programming & Techniques
Physics
Composition

Course Curriculum

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Internships and Co-ops

At South Dakota Mines, 77% of students land internships earning an average salary of $20.00/hr. As a Mines computer science major, you’ll have a chance to intern with companies such as:

• Google
• Amazon
• L-3
• Garmin
• NASA
• Lockheed Martin
• Microsoft
• Interstates
• Omnitech
• Raven Industries

Career Outlook

South Dakota Mines computer science graduates typically have some of the highest starting salaries of any of our majors, earning an average starting salary of $73,381. The job placement rate for 2019-2020 South Dakota Mines computer science graduates was 97%.

Computer Science Research

You don’t have to wait to get involved in research at South Dakota Mines. Even as an undergrad, you’ll have the opportunity to engage in research. Some of the university’s research focus areas include:

• Mobile robotics path planning, localization and mapping, and computer vision; evolutionary algorithms, particle and swarm methods, and biologically motivated algorithms
• Scientific visualization, high performance computing, (HPCC), and problem solving environments
• Algorithms and software for multicore architectures, topology aware MPI communications, and scalable checkpointing techniques.