Information Systems

Mission

The information systems degree in the department of computer science at Slippery Rock University emphasizes critical thinking and decision making in applied computing. The department has designed its curricula to place an emphasis on developing the student’s teamwork skills, communication skills and sense of professional ethics, while developing depth and breadth in the subject matter of the major.

Careers

Since the beginning of the computer revolution a few decades ago there has been a strong demand for computer programmers in the job market. More recently, the vigorous growth in computer and communication technologies and their applications has expanded the realm of computer-related skills in high demand beyond systems and technical programming. The demand for people who can develop applications of technology, manage technology-based projects and facilitate use of technology is growing. For example, today, graduates majoring in information systems can find jobs that involve programming in a business environment, developing database applications, analysis or administration of computer systems, network management and providing user services. According to published reports, the demand for computer scientists for the foreseeable future ranks extremely high among all disciplines. Our graduates have enjoyed excellent job placement.

Department

The department of computer science is a part of the College of Information Science and Business Administration. All nine faculty members of the department are experienced and highly qualified to teach the undergraduate program in information systems, with six of the faculty holding doctoral degrees. While the primary goal faculty members pursue is excellence in teaching, their research and scholarly interests play an important role in keeping our curricula on the cutting edge of the discipline and provide research opportunities to interested students. Availability of instructors outside the classroom for additional help, small class size, one-on-one academic advising and strong faculty support for student activities are among the major strengths of the department.

Student Activities

The department supports student activities in many ways. Faculty members are actively interested in functions sponsored by the Computer Science and Information Systems Club. Every major in the department is automatically a member of the club. The department has a chapter of Upsilon Pi Epsilon, a national honor society in computing. All students are encouraged to join the Association for Computing Machinery, the best-known international professional organization in computing. Every year the department sponsors teams for participation in at least two programming contests, one held by the ACM and the other by the Pennsylvania Association for Computer and Information Sciences Educators during its professional meetings.

Computing Facilities

The department maintains five computer laboratories exclusively for the use of students in major courses. The laboratories are equipped with: UNIX X-Windows workstations; PCs running the Windows NT operating system; a B-12mobile robot; a vision system and robotic arms; and PCs for hands-on training in computer networking. All software used in course work is available in these labs and in other selected campus labs. The university provides full Internet access to all students; all rooms in the residence halls are wired for the Internet. Additionally, the department allows each major to maintain his/her own World Wide Web page for academic purposes. Students are not required to purchase their own computer.