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    DepartmentsMath And Computer Science
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  • Natural Sciences & Mathematics

Mathematics and Computer Science

Why Mathematics and Computer Science at Washington College?

The Department of Mathematics & Computer Science is one of the oldest at Washington College. Our department offers majors and minors in Math and Computer Science, as well as joint minors in Information Systems and Data Analytics with the Business Department. The majors offered by our department pair well with other disciplines for students interested in multiple areas of academic study. 

 

Solid Coursework, Small Classes, and a Liberal Arts Education

Class size is close to 20 in the lower levels, and an upper-level class may contain as few as seven students. There is a strong emphasis on writing and oral expression in the content area. The small class size allows for a personalized experience. Many of our students choose to double major. The liberal arts environment supports students who wish to earn degrees in seemingly unrelated fields. Although Business Management, Computer Science, Mathematics, and Physics are often coupled, we have some students who choose their second major from the Humanities and Fine Arts, as well.
 

Caring and Engaged Faculty

Student success is the number one priority for the faculty. We strive to push our students towards greatness, while offering them the support they need to achieve their goals.
 

Courses Offered

Students in the MAT major will complete a sequence in Calculus and in proof writing. Elective courses include Number Theory, Complex Analysis, and Geometry.Students in the CSI major will complete a sequence in writing programs as well as a sequence in theoretical computer science. Electives include courses such as Operating Systems, Networks, and Artificial Intelligence.Some recent special topics courses are Calculus of Variations (Fall ’18), Data Science (Fall ’18), History of Math (Fall ’19), and Game Design (Fall ’19).
 

Senior Capstone Experience

All of our students have the opportunity to work one-on-one with a professor on a year-long project in the senior year. Before graduation, each student makes a comprehensive presentation of their work to the students and faculty of the department.
 

Math Is Fun 

Each week, all of our students and faculty gather for a seminar.  The content of the seminar varies week to week, and can include presentations by students, faculty, or a guest speaker.  
 

National Security Scholarship Program

Each year, multiple students from WC are selected by a consortium of defense contractors for well-paid summer internships that often result in scholarships over subsequent semesters and job offers with those companies or directly with the Department of Defense. The process is competitive, and a student usually gets a high security clearance, which opens up multiple career paths.
 

Job Opportunities

There have been many and varied positive job market outcomes. In particular, the curriculum results in excellent preparation for graduate school and secondary school teaching. Many of our students have paying internships in the summers following their sophomore and junior years. Almost everyone is employed by the end of August; some even have standing job offers months before they graduate. Our graduates work at Amazon, Booz Allen Hamilton, Google, IBM, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, the Department of Defense and various intelligence agencies, as professors at universities, and as teachers.
 

Student Spotlight 

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Scientists in the Drone Age

 

From Antarctica to Belize to Bermuda, three recent alumnae are finding careers in the cutting-edge science of using drones and remote sensing to study coastal and marine environments.

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Head in the Cloud

 

A computer science and mathematics graduate is working for Amazon’s Route 53, a DNS system that is part of its cloud computing platform.