Computer science is the study of computing systems and their use in problem solving, including the development and analysis of programs and the computing machinery that runs them. WSU’s computer science program emphasizes software design and testing. You can broaden your studies by working with an advisor to choose courses that fulfill the degree requirements and give you specialized knowledge in other areas, such as artificial intelligence, data science, high performance computing, human-computer interaction, security, software engineering, and more.
As a computer science major, you can choose to pursue a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts curriculum.
The Washington State University programs in Computer Science, BS (Pullman) and Computer Science, BA (Pullman) are accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org.
The demand for computer science professionals will continue to increase in the foreseeable future. Average starting salaries are in the $80,000 to $100,000 range, sometimes with signing bonuses due to the high-demand market. As of 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a mean annual salary of $138,110 for software developers.
Hot careers for WSU computer science graduates are in software engineering, data science, networking, and computer animation. Companies that typically hire WSU graduates include Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, Hewlett-Packard, Dell EMC, Expedia, Google, Intel, Boeing, and other small- and mid-sized companies that are in the computing industry or are looking for technical leadership.
Following admission to WSU, a student may be admitted to a Computer Science major provided they meet the criteria outlined in the WSU Catalog. Once admitted to a major, a student will maintain good standing in their major by completing the required benchmarks as outlined in the catalog.