Mission Statement

The Department of Computer Science is a community of faculty, staff, and students at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, centered in the discipline of computer science, and upholding the tradition of the liberal arts and sciences. Together, the members of this community seek to establish, maintain, and advance a broad understanding of computer science in order to fulfill their academic and professional goals.

The goals of the Department of Computer Science are that students who complete a major or minor in computer science will:

• be able to apply the defining processes of computer science - theory, abstraction, and design - to solve a wide variety of problems,
• have a breadth of knowledge across the subject areas of computer science,
• have a high level of programming skills,
• understand the social context of computing, be able to make sound ethical decisions regarding the use of information technology, and be able to correlate their professional goals with their personal and/or faith commitments, and
• be able to expand their knowledge and skills in computer science through research and self-directed study and to communicate their knowledge in speaking and writing;

that students who take service courses in computer science:

• acquire knowledge and skills that enable them to understand and apply computers in their daily lives and
• understand the social context of computing;

and that faculty and staff members of the department:

• collectively maintain knowledge and skills that cover the breadth of computer science and
• work to develop professionally and to contribute their scholarship to the community of scholars and educators.