Computer Science Department
CS Major
CS Minor
Other Information
Professor Kim Bruce (Chair)
Professor Everett Bull
Assistant Professor Tzu-Yi Chen
Overview
Computer Science has had a tremendous impact on society over the last 50 years, and its impact is only expected to grow in the future. The Pomona College Computer Science Department offers a full range of computer science courses to meet the needs of both majors and non-majors, with courses at Harvey Mudd and Claremont McKenna providing an even broader range of electives.
Computer Science investigates the nature of computation, with applications ranging from designing sophisticated programs and machines to solve difficult problems to understanding how the mind works. It is a science, but it is not about nature. Like a natural science, computer science has theoretical and experimental components. It is unlike the natural sciences in that computer scientists design some of their own objects of study. There are connections with linguistics, philosophy and psychology, as well as applications in disciplines ranging from the arts to the sciences to the social sciences and humanities.
Requirements for the Major in Computer Science
- CS Foundation courses
- CS Core courses Students should normally complete the core courses before the fall semester of the senior year.
- Electives
- Three additional upper-level CS courses. Independent study and senior exercise courses are not normally considered electives. With prior permission, a student may substitute appropriate courses in related disciplines. In particular, one elective may be satisfied by Mathematics 101, 102, 103, 104, 107, 151, or 171, CSCI/LGCS 66, Eng 85, or Phys 128.
Credit toward the major is granted for upper-level CS courses taken at Harvey Mudd College. Further information about the major may be obtained from the Computer Science and Geology department office.
Requirements for the Minor in Computer Science
- CS Foundation courses
- One course chosen from the following:
- One additional CS course numbered between 100 and 190
Only two of the six courses taken for the minor may count as requirements for another major.
Other Information
Information for Pomona students taking CS courses at Harvey Mudd can be found here.
Course credit is granted for a sufficiently high score on the Computer Science Advanced Placement Examination. A student may not receive credit for both Advanced Placement and Computer Science 51. Students may enter directly into Computer Science 52 if they have Advanced Placement or similar preparation and if they have knowledge of the programming language that was used the previous semester in Computer Science 51.
CSCI 30 and 51 are designed for students who have no experience in programming. CS 66 is also open to students without programming experience, though some prior experience will be helpful. Computer Science 30, Computation and Cognition, is designed especially for students majoring in Cognitive Science, but will also be of interest to any students interested in the connections between computing and human cognition. CS 66, Mathematical and Computational Foundations of Linguistics, is designed for those interested in computational aspects of linguistics, especially the semantics of natural languages. CS 51, Introduction to Computer Science, is designed to be of interest to a broad range of students who wish to get an introduction to Computer Science and programming. Like first courses in other sciences, Computer Science 30, 51, 52, 60, and 62 are suitable both for students who want to broaden their liberal arts education and for those who seek preparation for more advanced courses.