Welcome
Our curriculum provides a broad, practical base for a career in computing while also offering an opportunity for in-depth study of topics like artificial intelligence, software engineering, cybersecurity, operating systems, and database management systems.
Recent News from the Department
Meet the department: Simone Ludwig, Professor and Department Chair
Dr. Anne Denton talks about AI
05/19/2023
Anne Denton, NDSU Computer Science, was in the studio on Afternoons Live with Tyler Axness about the recent hearings in Washington D.C. about artificial intelligence and how we can make smart choices to regulate the new technology. You can listen to it here.
Dr. Changhui Yan receives funding for soybean selection using machine learning
05/18/2023
Professor Changhui Yan was recently awarded grant funding through the MN Soybean Research & Promotion Council for his proposal "Increasing the Efficiency of Selecting High-Quality Soybeans for Tofu Processors and Breeders with Machine Learning." The MN Soybean Research & Promotion Council's aim is to increase Minnesota soybean farmer profitability.
Dr. Yan is a full professor in the computer science department. Some of his research interests include bioinformatics, computational biology, genomics, machine learning, data mining, big data, and cloud computing.
Dr. Jeremy Straub talks with Valley News Live about new Snapchat AI chatbot
04/28/2023
A new AI chatbot is causing a lot of buzz both locally and nationally. It’s receiving praise by some, while raising safety concerns by law enforcement and cybersecurity experts.
‘My AI’ from Snapchat is now free for all users, whether you want it or not, claiming to ‘make your life easier’ by answering questions and giving advice.
We tried it for ourselves, and it can feel like talking to a friend when messaging with the bot. And that’s why cybersecurity experts like Jeremy Straub are reminding you what you say in an AI chat will likely live forever.
“It’s really difficult to put the genie back in the bottle with a lot of this stuff,” Straub, who is the Director of NDSU’s Institute for Cyber Security, said. “This can be stuff that comes back to create problems for them when they’re trying to get a job. Something that somebody writes at 10 or 12 or 14 may be nothing like their views and beliefs when they’re 30.” Read/watch the full story here.
MS and PhD in Software and Security Engineering program now offers two distinct tracks
These days computer science majors have a wealth of career options available to them. With rapid and considerable growth in the fields of software development and cybersecurity, the computer science department at NDSU is now offering two tracks to its MS and PhD programs, which are now called Software and Security Engineering, to offer a more focused area of study. The program started this fall and it is designed to deal with the different training and knowledge base required in each field. Students choosing the software engineering track will study topics such as Software Requirements Definition and Analysis (CSCI 715), Software Testing and Debugging (CSCI 718), and Introduction to Database Systems (CSCI 765). Those pursuing a cybersecurity track will study topics such as Ethical Hacking (CSCI 604), Cybersecurity Law and Policy (CSCI 609), Computer Crime and Forensics (CSCI 610), and Foundations of the Digital Enterprise (CSCI 773).
Have a news item you would like to share? Help us get the word out by submitting it as a Breakthrough Alert. This online form is an easy, step-by-step guide that will walk you through the process. For more information contact kathleen.t.cox@ndsu.edu.
CS senior Kaylee Swenson, talks about her NDSU experience
Artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics and software development are some of the hottest areas in the job market today and our computer science program is designed to help you succeed in any of them.
NDSU ranked 3rd in 2023 most affordable school for Software Engineering
05/12/2023
North Dakota State University has been identified as one of the Third Most Affordable Online College for a Master's in Software Engineering by OnlineU. The ranking used manually researched online tuition for 2022 - 2023 and found that NDSU is a great value for students. OnlineU mission is to help aspiring students accomplish their education and career goals by finding the online degree with the best value. They conduct manual research on thousands of online degrees each year to provide accurate, detailed cost information and salary information of alumni of these colleges, collected reviews from over 13,000 online students, and has been recognized by over 475 colleges as a leader in higher education rankings.
Software Engineering at NDSU is focused on the application of systematic, disciplined, and quantifiable approaches to the development, operation, and maintenance of software systems. Inclusive of computer programming but going well beyond, Software Engineering is concerned with methodologies, techniques, and tools to manage the entire software life cycle, including development of requirements, specifications, design, testing, maintenance, and project management. The advent of Software Engineering is a natural result of the continuous quest for software quality and reusability, and the maturing of the software development industry.
Come visit Alan Turing!
04/18/2023
April is Pride Month at NDSU, and to celebrate the computer science department recently participated and won the "student choice" category in the campus-wide office decorating contest. The goal of the competition is to have a more visually inclusive campus environment leading up to National Day of Silence on April 14th. The department chose to honor the founder of computer science, Alan Turing, an English mathematician, computer scientist, logician, cryptanalyst, philosopher, and theoretical biologist.Turing was highly influential in the development of theoretical computer science, providing a formalisation of the concepts of algorithm and computation with the Turing machine, which can be considered a model of a general-purpose computer. He is widely considered to be the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence. Turing was homosexual, for this sole reason, he was arrested in 1952 for indecency. He was chemically castrated and had developed a depression that might have caused his suicide. This tragic fate is a classic example of how society’s prejudice robbed him of a dignified and fulfilling life. Let us not forget this tragic example and keep fighting to promote a more egalitarian culture in honor of Turing’s and so many lives wasted to intolerance. Stop by the department this month to view the decorations and celebrate Pride with us!
NDSU hosts 2023 ICPC regional programming competition
03/02/2023
NDSU was a site host for the 2023 International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC). Facilitated by Senior Lecturer Joseph Latimer, teams from NDSU, Bemidji State, and MSUM competed in the five hour event. NDSU Computer Science teams had a strong showing in our region of 116 teams, with the team of Elijah Satrom, Jean Eckelberg, and Eathon Jablon placing 11th, newcomers Brady Vogt, Andrew Fergel, and Colin Campbell placing 12th, and the team of Carson Miller, Brandon Gasser, and William Saksoda placing 37th.
The International Collegiate Programming Contest is an algorithmic programming contest for college students. Teams of three, representing their university, work to solve the most real-world problems, fostering collaboration, creativity, innovation, and the ability to perform under pressure. Through training and competition, teams challenge each other to raise the bar on the possible. It is the oldest, largest, and most prestigious programming contest in the world.
The contest fosters creativity, teamwork, and innovation in building new software programs, and enables students to test their ability to perform under pressure. The contest has raised aspirations and performance of generations of the world’s problem solvers in the computing sciences and engineering.
