To Prospective Students Interested in Computing Careers

Are you looking for a program at Lycoming College that will prepare you for a career in computing? Our best advice to you depends on your plans after college. Even if you’re not sure, read all of the likely possibilities below. These will help you to identify those programs at Lycoming that match your individual interests.

Do you plan to enter the work force right after graduation?

Your interest in computing indicates that you want to go into a technology-rich occupation. You should complete a major in the type of work you want to get into along with either a Computer Science minor or a Computational Science minor. Here are some possibilities:

  • Web Design and Development: Art (Commercial Design track) major / Computer Science or Web Design and Technologies minor – Students with either of these combinations will be killer web developers and should be sure to include Web-based programming and Database as part of their minor.
  • Animation, Special Effects, or Video Game Development: Digital Media Communication major/ Computer Science minor – Students with this combination will work in the field of animation, special effects, or video game development and should choose Computer Graphics as part of their CS minor.
  • Management Information Systems: Business major/ Computer or Computational Science minor – Many small schools package this combination as a Management Information Systems major. This combination will give you a strong foundation in business fundamentals as well as an understanding of computer-based business software from the inside out. Students should select Database as part of their minor.
  • Scientific Computing (e.g. Bioinformatics or Computational Physics): Natural Science major/ Computer or Computational Science minor – The use of computing in the sciences continues to grow, and this combination will give you the knowledge and skills that a 21st century scientist will find very useful.
  • Programming or Financial Computing: Mathematics major/Computer or Computational Science minor – Students with this combination in the past have secured entry-level programming positions upon graduation. Mathematicians with strong technology backgrounds will also find work in financial areas as well as encryption/security fields.
  • Accounting: Accounting major/ Computer or Computational Science minor – Accountants with strong technology skills will continue to be in high demand and should choose Database as part of their minor.
  • Computer Forensics: Criminal Justice major/Computer or Computational Science minor – Computer-based crime continues to rise, and CJ graduates will find the additional knowledge of computing very useful.

Do you plan to teach computing at the high school level?

Since there is no Pennsylvania state certification in computing or computer science, you must select a major in which you can certify and then take as many computer science courses as you can. Such students often major in math as many high school computer science teachers come from their math departments; however it is not unheard of for computer science teachers to come from other areas, particularly the sciences. It is uncommon for students to have room in a 4-year plan to complete a major and the education requirements and still have room for a computer science minor.Our suggestion: Find a major that complements your interest in computers.

Do you want to go to graduate school in computer science?

You will be well-equipped to continue into a graduate program in Computer Science if you complete a Computer Science minor at Lycoming, supported with a major in any quantitative area, e.g. mathematics or one of the sciences.

Do you want to design and/or repair computer hardware?

Lycoming can offer you very little. Of course, it is possible to complete a liberal arts major in mathematics or physics at Lycoming along with a computer or computational science minor, and then pursue a graduate-level computer engineering degree elsewhere afterwards.