Distinctions

  • All lectures and laboratories are taught by faculty members.
  • Most computer science courses have a faculty-led two-hour structured laboratory.
  • Small class and laboratory section sizes (15-30) promote student-faculty interactions.
  • Professors utilize a wide range of teaching styles to promote collaborative learning and critical thinking.
  • Three degree programs in computer science : Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering.
  • The three degree programs share a common core of six computer science courses.
  • The first core course CSCI 203 is an innovative introduction to computer science that explores computer science's Big Questions such as "What is computer Science?", "What is computational thinking?", and "Are there well-defined computational tasks that we can't compute?"
  • The first two core courses use the programming languag Python to practice computational problem solving.   In the innovative third core course CSCI 205, students experience the software engineering process through the development of a large, team-based project in Java.
  • The computer science curriculum focuses on fundamental principles that will serve the graduates for many years.
  • In all three programs, student teams investigate, design, and implement a senior design project with an on-campus or off-campus customer.
  • Students have opportunities to conduct research in computer science including software engineering, computer networking, security, compiler design, data mining, and bioinformatics.
  • Students have opportunities to study abroard in a wide variety of places such as London, France, Spain, and Hong Kong,
  • CS faculty members from China, France, and Brazil provide an international perspective on computing and living abroad.
  • Bucknell was an early adopter of using computers in undergraduate education (1957).
  • In June 1980, Bucknell University awarded an honorary degree to Grace Hopper, famous computer scientist who developed the first compiler and co-inventor the programming language COBOL.
  • Bucknell CS graduate Bill Westenhofer '90, won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 2008.  He won his Oscar for his work on the movie The Golden Compass.