History
|
Utah State University, located in Logan, Utah, was founded in 1888 as a Land-Grant institution. At the present time there are over 23,000 students attending USU, graduate students constitute nearly 20% of the University's enrollment. Graduate programs are available in 41 of the 45 academic departments, including Computer Science. There are 96 master's programs, 40 doctoral programs, and 5 other degrees offered at USU.
The College of Science, one of 8 academic colleges in the University, has the following departments:
USU acquired its first computer in 1961. It was an IBM 1620, the first one delivered west of the Mississippi. The computer was under the supervision of Dr. Rex L. Hurst, Head, Applied Statistics Department. The computer and the department were housed in the basement of Old Main. Dr. Hurst and Dr. Wendell Pope developed courses and a bachelor's degree program in Computer Science. The BS degree in Computer Science was approved in 1964. In 1966, the computer operation was separated from the Department by the organization of a Computer Center with its own Director. The Computer Center and the Department moved from Old Main to the Computer Science building (remodeled and renamed from the Rural Arts building) in 1969. The Computer Science program grew rapidly and soon the number of students in Computer Science exceeded the number in Applied Statistics. The programs remained in one department until 1982, when Computer Science was made a separate department with Dr. Donald H. Cooley as the first Computer Science Department Head. In 1998, the Department of Computer Science earned accreditation from CSAB which was then renewed in 2001. Our ABET accreditation was renewed again in 2007 for another six years. A master's degree program, Plan B, was approved in 1980, and the first candidate graduated in March, 1983. Another master's degree program, Plan A, was approved in November, 1984. In 2000, the department received approval for a PhD program. The first PhD candidates were admitted for the Fall semester of 2002. Currently there are approximately 120 graduate students and 270 undergraduates in Computer Science. In the 2006-2007 academic year, the department awarded its first 2 PhDs, 29 master's degrees and 48 bachelor's degrees. The current Computer Science faculty consists of 17 full time tenure track members, 2 lecturers, and a full-time professional advisor. In 1998, the Department of Computer Science earned accreditation from CSAB which was then renewed in 2001. The following year the department received approval for a PhD program. The first PhD candidates were admitted for the Fall semester of 2002. We envision this program will broaden the possibilities for students in the Computer Science field. The graduate programs are supported by a wide variety of graduate courses in areas such as: artificial intelligence, database management systems, compiler construction, modeling and simulation, graphics, information systems, operating systems, programming languages, software engineering, digital signal processing, computability, automata theory, automatic software generation, administration of computing, and complexity. The research interests of the faculty also cover a wide variety of areas and are both of a theoretical and an applied nature. Research has taken a high priority in the Department of Computer Science since Utah State was awarded the Carnegie I Research Institute distinction. Utah State ranks as one of the top universities in the United States in terms of research dollars generated per faculty member. Utah State also has the largest number of experiments on space shuttle missions out of any university in the nation. The use of computers permeates nearly every aspect of the professional world. Many industries rely heavily on computers and their applications, which gives our graduates a step up for employment opportunities. Computer science-related careers are expected to be the fastest growing occupations over the next 10 years, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Between now and 2014, nearly 60% of all new jobs requiring a college degree are expected to be for computer specialists. By contrast, all engineering fields are expected to account for only 15% of such positions. Similarly, the life sciences are projected to account for only 4% of such openings. In terms of career opportunities, on the software side of computing, the sky is literally the limit. In other words, it’s all about the software. |