COMPUTER SCIENCE PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Computer science is integral to current technological and cultural changes and to all fields of study. The Computer Science Program at the Al-Quds Bard College for Arts and Sciences offers courses of interest to computer science, science, and non-science majors. The program focuses on the fundamental ideas of computer science and introduces students to multiple programming languages that emphasize different programming paradigms. The curriculum offers broad coverage of theoretical, applied, and systems-oriented topics. Students have numerous opportunities to participate in hands-on courses and research projects in the laboratory. The program is designed to offer many opportunities for students whose interest in computer science arises from its intersection with another discipline. Computer science has many linkages with cognitive science, electronic arts, mathematics, and physics. Students from these fields often begin with an introductory course and later return to take a more advanced computer science course that enhances skills and knowledge they will use in their Senior Project.
The program's main mission is to graduate technically savvy well-rounded computer science graduates who are well versed in current computer science as well as IT topics. Our goal is to produce intellectual, intelligent and inquisitive graduates who can pursue a wide array of careers and can compete in international graduate programs. The Computer Science Program aims to encourage critical thinking among our students by using their acquired knowledge to make responsible decisions about their future career and life and to use their skills to productively contribute to their Palestinian community.
A primary aim of the Computer Science Program at AQB is the education of students to fulfill needs in industrial, commercial, government, and university environments. Such a diversity of settings requires that the students have a strong foundation in the fields of computer science, mathematics, and other information technology related disciplines so as to be capable of productive work anywhere. As a result, we stress the following goals:
- Introduce students to the latest development in the computer science field through interdisciplinary courses.
- Develop the student's technical abilities through practical laboratory experimentation as well as projects.
- Develop the student's theoretical knowledge through competitive interdisciplinary courses.
- A student must learn the concepts underlying many different solutions to problems and extend the knowledge gained in college into new situations.
- The student must also be able to implement the concepts in a variety of environments. Every course in the curriculum requires the student to write computer programs using a variety of programming languages, hardware, and operating systems.
- Enable the student to write in a formal system such as documentation and program descriptions that are an essential part of programming.
- Encourage the student read professional journals, be active in research, join and be active in professional societies, and develop the ability to learn on their own.
- Spread awareness among students about ethical and legal behavior as computers continue to affect more aspects of everyday life and the consequences of inappropriate or unethical behavior become more severe.
Graduates from this program will have a strong set of independent innovative research skills along with an excellent set of reading, writing and communication skills in the English language.
