What is Computer Science?

IEEE Definition of Computer Science

"At one pole is computer science, primarily concerned with theory, design, and implementation of software. It is a true engineering discipline, even though the product is as intangible as a computer program. At the other pole is computer engineering, primarily concerned with firmware (the microcode that controls processors) and hardware (the processors themselves, as well as entire computers). It is not possible to draw a clear line between the two disciplines; many practitioners function to at least some extent as both computer engineers and computer scientists."

Computer Science at UTK

Computer Science is the study of software and hardware systems, and theory of computation. Students must be able to integrate material and concepts from these areas. So, for example, students use analysis of algorithms to select or design software to solve a problem on a computer with parallel architecture. Another example would be selecting or writing the software for a network router, combining optimization theory, graph algorithms, networking, knowledge of the hardware and professional software methods. The emphasis is on foundations and the ability to learn new developments in the field.

Career Opportunities in many fields exist for our graduates. Most generally, they are prepared to work in laboratories that develop software intensive products. These include, for example, automotive components, financial systems, consumer appliances (cell phones, personal computers), communication infrastructure devices (routers, switches), scientific research facilities (space stations, telescopes, reactors) weapon systems.

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