Joining our undergraduate major

The Computer Science Department at UMass-Amherst is among the leading computing research departments in the country. Teams of professors, professionals, and graduate students are doing research here that is changing the face of computer science in a variety of areas. Based on the scholarly quality of our faculty, our program was ranked 18th in the country by the National Research Council (Within New England, MIT is ranked higher and Harvard, Brown, and Yale are comparable to us).

What could this mean to you as an undergraduate computer science major? In spite of our quality we have a relatively small undergraduate program, with only about 50-60 graduates per year (many of our peer institutions have 10 times this many!). Our classes are generally small and are often taught by nationally known professors. It is easy to get to know both your fellow students and your instructors. Many of our students get involved in the research program, either as interns or paid employees, gaining important experience to be applied in graduate school or in the marketplace.

Our curriculum provides a solid grounding in the principles of computing, with core courses in programming, architecture, theory of computing, programming paradigms, algorithms, software engineering, operating systems, and artificial intelligence. Upper-level electives and graduate courses cover the wide range of specialized research areas in the department. Outside of computer science, students have full access to the course offerings of a major university, and many students also take classes at the four liberal-arts colleges that participate with UMass in the Five College Consortium.

UMass-Amherst computer science graduates are in extremely high demand in today's job market. Almost all our graduates get high-paying jobs immediately after graduation, while some of the department's strongest students go on to graduate studies in computer science. In addition, the co-op program at the University does a fine job of placing computer science undergraduates in three or six month co-op positions, and most of our undergraduate majors take advantage of these opportunities.

Special opportunities for computer science first-year students include:

• The TAP Program. Up to 24 students who live on the same dormitory floor and have several of their academic courses in common. They also take a one-credit seminar where guest speakers introduce them to the variety of people and activities in the department.
• Other Residential Academic Programs. Here students not specifically linked to computer science, are placed in classes with others in their dormitory.
• The Honors Program. Highly qualified students can take special low-enrollment courses or honors seminars, meet other honors students in all disciplines, and potentially live in special Honors housing.

So, if you are interested in computing and think you have a talent for it (along with strong mathematics and communication skills), then you should consider joining UMass Computer Science as an undergraduate. Though our program is demanding, it offers you the chance for an early look at the cutting edge of computer science research, as part of a thriving academic community.

Are you interested in finding out more about the computer science major? You can begin by contacting Professor David Barrington, barring@cs.umass.edu (413) 545-4329. He will be happy to meet with you (or talk with you by phone or via e-mail), and give you all the information you need about our undergraduate program. In particular he can tell you about the kinds of preparation -- courses, computer skills, and so forth -- that will help make studying computer science at UMass a successful and rewarding experience.

More information on our program can also be found on our undergraduate program web pages.