Resources for Students
News
• In a January 29, 2009 article, ABI research reports that the number of smartphones is 171 million and rising.As microprocessors in consumer electronics become more powerful with more power saving features, computing becomes more and more ubiquitous. Smartphones are the merging of traditional cell phones and PDAs. Smartphones provide the benefits of familiar networked hardware, the cell phone, but eschew the traditional embedded device software model for the more versatile application development environment of the PDA. The Computer Science program at Pacific University will begin offering an exciting new course in Software Development for Smartphone Technologies beginning academic year 2009-2010.
• According to Career Builder, the average starting salaries for graduates in Computer Science are up 7.9% to $56,921 in 2008.
About the Department
The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science offers majors and minors in both Computer Science and Mathematics. The Computer Science program at Pacific University is characterized by small classes, close interaction with the faculty, and a deep yet broad curriculum rarely encountered at a small university. To prepare students for a discipline that is constantly changing, the curriculum integrates a wide variety of programming languages in a manner that emphasizes a thorough understanding of language structure. By virtue of both a devoted faculty and a strategic location next to Oregon’s acclaimed Silicon Forest, an internship program has been established with local businesses that allows students to further practice these skills in the context in which they will ultimately be applied. The student experience culminates with a disciplined two semester Software Engineering Capstone sequence that results in a substantial piece of original software. The confidence and knowledge gained from the program at Pacific allows each student to pursue either a graduate education in Computer Science or immediate employment with such industry leaders as Intel, Microsoft, and Hewlett Packard.
Department Goals
The department maintains common goals for all of its students (majors, minors and others). Students in our courses will learn strategies for abstract problem solving, 
gain a basic understanding of computers and the broad implications of their use, be exposed to mathematics as a liberal art, and be given the opportunity to hone their computational skills. For students majoring in Computer Science, we provide, within the context of the liberal arts, excellent preparation for high-tech careers or graduate study in Computer Science.