Department of Computer Science

Computer Science at St. Mary’s

One of the most innovative and essential fields of study, computer science has been, is, and will continue to be responsible for most of our technological world.

Computer scientists are the ones who write the software that runs on the computers found everywhere in modern life, from military to medical, communications to transportation, and manufacturing to entertainment. They find software solutions to address issues for companies and the world.

Internships and Research Opportunities

To be successful in computer science, students must be able to perform in the real world. As a result, many Computer Science students work as interns in local industry organizations such as H-E-B, USAA, Southwest Research Institute, Rackspace, Labatt Food Services and Valero.

These students may work full-time in the summer and part-time in the fall and spring. Some have done co-ops at IBM and Microsoft, while others may complete their senior project as part of their internship or as a community service project helping local non-profit organizations become technologically up-to-date.

Student research opportunities are essential components of the Computer Science programs at St. Mary’s. Students may assist in faculty research involving the National Science Foundation and other grants, as well as tutor mathematics and computer science in the Rattler Success Center.

Student Activities and Events

The Department hosts Computer Science Seminars, which help students learn how to be great students, as well as provide them with opportunities to learn how to interview and meet potential employers.

Students can participate in the Computer Science club called Infinite Loops and the cyber security club called Buffer Overflow, which are open to all students. They can also go to or join the St. Mary’s student chapter of the IEEE Computer Society, a professional organization that allows students to network with professionals worldwide.

The Computer Science Department hosts its semi-annual Computer Science Symposium on the Friday evening of exams. The Symposium is a forum for and an expression of the accomplishments of upper-level Computer Science majors and graduate students. The students and groups compete for the best in their class research or product area. Their posters and presentations are judged by industry professionals from the San Antonio community. The top student or top group of each class/software division is awarded an honor cord that they may wear when they graduate.

Live and Learn Together

Many of our students live in the Science Living Community, a residence hall dedicated to students who are majoring in the sciences. In this community, students live down the hall from their classmates studying similar subjects and have tutors available in the dorm for some math and science courses.

This community partners with the School of Science, Engineering and Technology to host programs throughout the academic year and invites faculty to visit the halls and share their passion and experiences.

Custom Your Learning with Tracks

The Bachelor of Science in Computer Science program offers students the option to pursue one of three tracks to meet their professional and personal goals: Cyber Security, Data Science, and Game Development. The 120-credit-hour major includes 12 hours (Cyber Security or Game Development) or 9 hours (Data Science) of specialty courses in your track of choice. Examples of courses include:

eLearning and Gamification (Game Development track)
Digital Forensics and Cyber Crime (Cyber Security track)
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (Data Science track)

Students also have the option to pursue a Computer Science degree without a specified track.

Students interested in teaching Computer Science can pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science with Teacher Certification.