Two basic principles underlie the teaching of computer science at Macalester. A computer science graduate from Macalester will be well prepared for either advanced study or research and development work in industry. Second, the program is firmly committed to the principles and ideals of a liberal arts education. A computer science concentration includes both technical requirements as well as extensive course work in the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts. An important goal of the program is to produce graduates who are self educators and life-long learners, characteristics that are so important in a rapidly changing discipline.
Students wishing to take a computer science course have a number of options.
For those who do not plan to major, core, or minor in computer science there are two service courses available which do not assume any prior background. Computer Science 15, Introduction to Computing and Its Applications, is an introductory survey course. It provides a broad overview of the discipline, including the historical development of information technology, hardware and software issues, artificial intelligence, databases, networking, and social and ethical issues of computing and technology. This course would be appropriate for students in all fields, especially those in the humanities and social sciences. The second service course is Computer Science 20, Introduction to Scientific Programming.