Computer Science

The HPU team scored the highest in Hawai‘i at the Regional Programming Competition. The winning group pictured with team advisors from left to right are: HPU professor and team coach Dr. Curt Powley, Cameron Knight, HPU dean of the College of Professional Studies Dr. Gordon Jones, Tara Anderson, HPU President Chatt Wright, and Mick Henniger.

The Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (B.S.C.S.) degree meets the high standards of model programs proposed by such organizations as the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. The courses in the degree can be broadly divided into three areas: computer languages and problem-solving; software systems design (systems analysis, database design, and management applications); and computer organization (hardware technology, operating systems, and data communications). A senior project allows students to apply all the skills and knowledge acquired throughout the program to a challenging and relevant software problem. The curriculum is designed to provide students with excellent preparation for jobs in the growing field of computer science or for further graduate studies.

Program Objectives

Students in the computer science program will be able to accomplish the following objectives in each of these categories:

Personal and Professional Productivity

• Prepare professionally-styled documents for personal and group productivity
• Develop spreadsheets, data analyses, and charts
• Develop templates, macros, and functional relationships for documents
• Design and deliver technology-supported presentations
• Create user interfaces and apply database tools

Discrete Structures and Foundations of Computational Theory

• Understand basic concepts of functions, relations, sets, and counting strategies
• Demonstrate logic and proof techniques in solving problems
• Analyze graphs and tree structures
• Apply probability and statistics as tools in problem-solving

Problem-Solving, Programming Languages, and Analysis of Algorithms

• Apply problem-solving techniques for developing algorithms and computer programs
• Demonstrate appropriate use of fundamental programming constructs and data types
• Apply complex data structures, abstraction mechanisms, and object-oriented methodologies
• Understand and apply graphical user interfaces to program solutions
• Analyze fundamental algorithms and determine computability measures

Computer Organization and Architecture

• Demonstrate knowledge of digital logic principles and components
• Recognize and describe digital representations for data
• Understand the design of digital memory systems
• Apply understanding of assembly-level computer organization
• Describe system architectures and implementation techniques

Software Development Practices

• Employ software development models, teamwork, and project management for enterprise systems
• Create documentation for all phases of software development
• Employ professional testing principles and practices
• Identify and utilize appropriate software development tools, libraries, and environments

Database Theory and Applications

• Recognize fundamental information models and systems
• Design and apply relational database systems
• Apply data modeling and analysis techniques to business problems

Networks and Data Communications

• Demonstrate knowledge of fundamental data communications and networking principles
• Design security measures for networked systems
• Analyze requirements and design solutions for business systems
• Apply net-centric computing techniques to solve distributed computing problems

Operating Systems

• Understand principles of computer operating systems
• Solve problems relating to process scheduling and concurrency
• Describe systems for memory management
• Employ command-driven and graphic user interfaces