Bachelor of Science, Major in Computer Science

at University of St. Francis USA

The Finance degree is designed for students who intend to assume professional roles as financial managers. USF will prepare you with the knowledge, skills and tools you’ll need to be an effective manager of financial resources. A student may choose one of four concentrations that combine a traditional and certification-ready curriculum, experiential learning and practitioner-based instruction.

Finance students will learn to weigh benefits and costs by applying fundamental and advanced financial concepts in the decision making process. They will design financial spreadsheet models to solve real-world financial management problems, and will help advance the study of finance and its impact, both locally and globally, to make the world a better place.

An added benefit, seniors who feel inspired to keep studying to obtain an MBA or M.S. degree may take graduate-level courses during their last two semesters for dual undergraduate and graduate credit. That means students can take nine graduate-level credit hours during senior year, and can complete their MBA or M.S. one year after graduating if they attend full time. See course catalog for additional details about the “3 to Degree” program.

The Political Science program at USF prepares you for multiple career paths with a solid grounding in all aspects of political science. USF’s degree program provides you with training in American politics and law, comparative politics, international relations, and political theory. You will be able to analyze issues at regional, national and international levels, and develop skills and habits for lifelong learning.

A degree in political science can lead to high paying professions. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the median pay as $115,1100 a year for political scientists and $119,250 for lawyers. Faculty provide students with an excellent preparation for their chosen career, whether law, journalism, political campaigning, governmental work, education or law enforcement.

USF’s Political Science students learn in a state-of-the-art environment. Students become true political scientists as they use the latest technology and strategies to identify and use research data and polls. For example, the Scope and Methods class exposes students to the most recent technology and programs used by professionals. Additionally, USF’s courtroom for mock trail activities is located at its St. Bonaventure Campus, located in downtown Joliet– just down the street from the Will County Courthouse.

Concentrations

• American Politics
• Pre-Law
• Public Policy

The Mathematics and Computer Science Program is a blend of courses from these two disciplines, designed to provide the student with the essential theoretical and practical elements of computer science as well as a significant background in mathematical theory and reasoning.

The Mathematics and Computer Science major is for students who like to develop scientific applications or applications that require use of higher mathematics. Businesses and agencies need specialized tasks for their employees and customers on computers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the mean annual salary for those in computer and mathematical occupations as $89,810.

At the University of St. Francis, there are student computer labs on campus located in most academic buildings. In addition to the general-purpose labs, there are discipline-specific labs for Computer Science, including a data communications lab. Additionally, the Computer Club provides opportunities for students to present their work and experiences from internships. Through this club, speakers from various industries present on topics of interest to Mathematics and Computer Science students.

The Master of Science Degree in Health Administration (M.S.) program at the University of St. Francis is designed for students who have knowledge and experience in specific areas of health care and are seeking a broader understanding of the field.

While the program is offered in a convenient format, the content is rigorous. The curriculum includes both the theories of management and its practical application in the health care field. Sound administrative skills—systematic, critical and open-minded investigation of literature and data for the solution of challenging problems—are essential for professionals preparing for increasingly significant roles in today’s society.

The Criminal & Social Justice major at the University of St. Francis offers students an exciting alternative to a traditional criminal justice program by offering the opportunity to build a concentration in one of several specializations. The focus of the program goes beyond the criminal justice system and examines historical, social, and legal barriers to creating a more just society. Students are educated about the structure and process of the criminal justice system with a holistic, Catholic social justice perspective.

Writing skills, ethics and integrity, service and social justice are emphasized to prepare students for a profession where these traits and skills are in high demand. The program seeks to provide students with a broad liberal arts foundation challenged by Franciscan values, and engage them in the continuous pursuit of knowledge, faith, wisdom, and justice. Students will explore and understand societal issues that lead to criminal behavior, and will learn theoretical and practical knowledge of the structures, processes, and functions of the criminal justice institutions and their relationship to other social systems.

This major offers a comprehensive approach to studio art, photography and graphic design. Students may immerse them­selves in a variety of traditional and contemporary media, taught by practicing artists with local, national and international professional experience. Learning takes place in a state-of-the-art facility that’s unmatched in the region, offering dedicated spaces for a variety of media such as ceramics, digital arts, graphic design, photography, printmaking, studio arts, video editing and woodshop.

Classes are small (usually ranging from 8–15 students), giving each student the opportunity to develop enriching educational relationships with classmates and professors. The Art & Design department emphasizes the importance of blending the faculty’s professional experience with the students’ understanding of contemporary aesthetics and their development of ambitious studio practice.

Photography:
Designed to secure students introductory to upper level knowledge in photography application, practices, history, and theory. The primary goal of this concentration is to prepare the student for a career in a photography related position.

This major offers a comprehensive approach to studio art, photography and graphic design. Students may immerse them­selves in a variety of traditional and contemporary media, taught by practicing artists with local, national and international professional experience. Learning takes place in a state-of-the-art facility that’s unmatched in the region, offering dedicated spaces for a variety of media such as ceramics, digital arts, graphic design, photography, printmaking, studio arts, video editing and woodshop.

Classes are small (usually ranging from 8–15 students), giving each student the opportunity to develop enriching educational relationships with classmates and professors. The Art & Design department emphasizes the importance of blending the faculty’s professional experience with the students’ understanding of contemporary aesthetics and their development of ambitious studio practice.

Graphic Design:
Addresses a traditional design core coupled with digital, portfolio, and seminar courses for preparation to work as a design professional.

Web Application Development focuses on implementation of automated business systems on the internet. This major prepares highly technical developers for a variety of positions in the world of business marketing for the World Wide Web. The Web Development major will give you the course work to prepare you for new challenges in the world of web technology.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, web developers earn a median salary of $67,990 and are expected to see a 15 percent increase in jobs by 2026. Web development is not only planning a website, but also understanding and supporting the database technology, the planning of a system project and the network requirements.

This major incorporates the visual and oral communica­tion aspects of web development with the technology components of networking and program­ming. Students in this program will be prepared to create well-designed websites and manage the creation of those websites and will also be prepared to implement and administer web servers. The emphasis of the program is on the design and development of server applications, site planning, page creation, tools, and technologies for server automation and hosting options.

This major offers a comprehensive approach to studio art, photography and graphic design. Students may immerse them­selves in a variety of traditional and contemporary media, taught by practicing artists with local, national and international professional experience. Learning takes place in a state-of-the-art facility that’s unmatched in the region, offering dedicated spaces for a variety of media such as ceramics, digital arts, graphic design, photography, printmaking, studio arts, video editing and woodshop.

Classes are small (usually ranging from 8–15 students), giving each student the opportunity to develop enriching educational relationships with classmates and professors. The Art & Design department emphasizes the importance of blending the faculty’s professional experience with the students’ understanding of contemporary aesthetics and their development of ambitious studio practice.

Studio Art:
Equips students with a sound foundation for entry into a graduate program or a career as an artist.

The USF science faculty is committed to the success of Biology majors, which is proven by the fact that more than 97 percent of natural science students obtain employment or enter graduate school within six months of graduating. The new LaVerne and Dorothy Brown Science Hall offers a unique, state-of-the-art learning environment where students will have top scientific labs, tools and resources at their fingertips and interaction with faculty and peers is made more effective through the clustering of programs in the building.

As a biology major, you will use biological models and simulation to understand complex biological systems. A main goal of the Biology program is to enable students to use the scientific method to formulate testable hypotheses, design appropriate experiments, analyze quantitative and qualitative data and draw appropriate conclusions in biological sciences.

You’ll do research and report on your findings using scientific literature. Through your courses, you’ll integrate and relate information from biology, chem­istry, physics, mathematics, and the liberal arts to make meaningful connections to society and the natural world and to apply this knowledge to new situations.