Mission Statement

Appalachian State University Department of
Computer Science Mission Statement^*

The Department of Computer Science, a unit of the College of Arts and Sciences at Appalachian State University, offers a B.S., M.S., a certificate program, and a minor. The fundamental purpose of the Department is to provide excellent teaching in these programs and in the service courses for which it is responsible, and to engage in appropriate scholarship to energize and direct such teaching. The Department provides institutional and professional service befitting its role in the University and the computer science discipline.

Serving its constituencies motivates the major activities of the Department. Of primary importance is the undergraduate computer science major. To develop and maintain a major which best serves our students the Department has sought and received Computing Sciences Accreditation Board (CSAB)^** accreditation. A good computer science program is a moving target, and fundamental curricular issues must be addressed every year.

The M.S. program allows students to emphasize either theory or applications by appropriate selection of electives and thesis topic. The Department envisions an expanded role for distance learning as opportunities permit.

The Department offers a certification program in computer science for students who have received a bachelor's degree in another area and wish to take advantage of professional opportunities available in the computing industry or to prepare for graduate study in computer science.

In addition to preparing its own students for professional life or further studies in computer science, the Department takes seriously its service role within the University. Part of a liberal education is an understanding of the role of computing in society, and the Department provides courses to communicate ideas and issues from computer science to non-majors.

^*: This document was excerpted from the Department's Planning Documents, Dec. 4, 2000 for the period FY 2000-2005
Also available in the University's web pages are mission statements of The College of Arts and Sciences andThe University (in the document collection for the 2000-2002 SACS Self-Study). The ASU Unit-Level Planning Manual, December 1999, also has a copy of the University Mission Statement
^**: This description was accurate at the time the time the the original document was prepared. Since then accreditation of computer science programs has been taken over by the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) of The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ABET)

Design Approved:

If you have any questions or issues regarding the accessibility of these pages, please contact webmaster@cs.appstate.edu

Contact Info

Mission Statement

Appalachian State University Department of Computer Science Mission Statement*

Appalachian State University Department of
Computer Science Mission Statement^*