The computer science courses at Thayer focus on the study of computer programming and the theory and algorithmic approaches that form the core of programming. Three full-year computer programming classes are offered.
The Computer Science & Robotics Wing of the Glover building, which houses the Hanflig Computer Science Center, opened in Fall 2019.
Students with interest, motivation, and strong intellectual ability may be admitted to this full-year C++ course, which covers data types, logic development, loops, arrays, functions, and strings. Students learn how to write, comment, and debug code by creating programs of increasing complexity and length. Students also demonstrate their understanding and mastery of the material by taking quizzes and tests on paper. There are no midyear or final exams, but the course culminates with each student completing an individual final project.
The focus of this full-year Java course is the curriculum set forth by the Advanced Placement (AP) Committee in Computer Science. In the first semester, the main concepts taught in Programming I are extended using object-oriented programming (OOP) principles. The second semester of this course entails a deeper study of non-primitive data types and recursion along with particular attention to OOP design, ArrayLists, inheritance, and polymorphic behavior. In addition to regular course work, students are required to participate in American Computer Science League competitions. This course prepares students to take the AP Computer Science A exam. Prerequisites: Programming I and permission of the instructor.
This full-year advanced Java course begins with a very intense review geared to the topics taught in the AP Computer Science course. The focus of this course is on advanced data structures: linked lists, stacks, queues, and binary trees. The course also explores data files, the major algorithms of sorting and searching, and culminates with an extensive study of command line programming using Perl. In addition to regular course work, students are required to participate in all contests of the American Computer Science League. Prerequisites: Programming I, AP Computer Science, and permission of the instructor.
With 15 PCs centered around an inviting round table, the Glover Computer Science Lab is a special space for the student programmers and kids... While “The Lab” has taught me how to code, I value the personal growth and the friendships gained far more than the coding ability. - Brian Cui '19
Check out the Technology Issue of Thayer Magazine to see what alumni are up to after Computer Science at Thayer
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See the binary calculator built by Thayer's CS faculty and students.
"I had never heard of computer science before and now I'm going to be majoring in it." - Drew Kelner '18, majoring in Computer Science at Harvard University
"We have a great program and it’s been nice looking at colleges knowing that we’re prepared for a freshman programming course." - Kristen Mashikian '17, majoring in Computer Science at Brown University
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