Computer Science is a dynamic and rapidly growing field that drives breakthrough innovations in business, engineering, sciences, and art. Within the field, there are many exciting careers and I love the major as it allows me to use my creativity, problem-solving, and innovative skills. At Purdue, Computer Science classes are designed to fully prepare you for internships, research, and different full-time job opportunities. Each computer science class gives you a variety of labs and homework to expand your coding skills and strengthen your confidence within the major. Keep reading to learn more about Computer Science at Purdue!
In 2021, Purdue had an acceptance rate of 60% and a 22% admission rate specifically for Computer Science. Students who get in usually have an average SAT score between 1190-1440 and an average ACT score of 25-32.
It’s ranked #18 for top Computer Science Undergraduate Programs and specifically ranked #9 for their tracks like Software Engineering and CyberSecurity, according to US News.
I personally really like the way the Computer Science curriculum is structured at Purdue. Within the first 2 years, most students will be on track to complete their Core Computer Science Classes. These classes are the foundations of the major and can help you when applying to internships or research positions even in your first and second year. It also gives you a better idea of the specific area of Computer Science that you want to specialize in. After a student’s first 2 years of completing their core classes, students pick 1-3 tracks to study out of the 9 tracks that Purdue offers in their junior and senior years. Some of Purdue’s most popular tracks are Machine Intelligence, Software Engineering, and Security.
On campus, there are a lot of Computer Science clubs that you can be involved in. Clubs such as ACM (Association of Computing Machinery), AMCS (Association of Multicultural Computer Scientists), and CSWN (Computer Science Women’s Network) are great ways to meet people in your major. Hack the Future and Launchpad are great ways to collaborate with others and work on different projects that could expand your coding skills and also give you experiences to add to your resume. Clubs like BoilerMake and Purdue Hackers provide you with many hackathons and project opportunities.
Purdue also has many career fairs and even one exclusively for computer science students to meet with representatives of their corporate partner program.
So far, as a rising junior, I’ve loved studying Computer Science at Purdue!
One of the first classes I took, CS 180 (Problem Solving and Object-Oriented Programming), was a good introduction on how to find solutions by analyzing problems, design algorithms, and program the solution. The class is taught in Java and explains topics from the beginning; so it's perfect for students who come in with little to no experience in Computer Science. It also has some fun and challenging projects making it equally great for people with prior experience in coding!
One of my favorite classes so far is CS 251 (Data Structures and Algorithms). I thought the concepts were really interesting and it was cool to apply the different topics we learned into projects. A lot of the material covered in this class is also the basis for the technical interviews for internships and jobs.
This last semester I took Systems Programming which is taught by Professor Gustavo. I really appreciated the way that the professor was able to break down the complicated topics into slides and lectures that are more easily understandable.
Follow this link to learn more about the computer science curriculum and get a description of each class within the major!
https://www.cs.purdue.edu/undergraduate/curriculum/bachelor.html