Department of Mathematics, Computer Science, and Data Science

Year 1

Calculus is the foundation for so many mathematical ideas and applications in other fields. So you'll start with Calculus while also learning some statistics and programming, skills which are both valuable to mathematical careers and entry courses for majors and minors in other MCDS programs. Through these classes you'll learn R, and your choice of python or SQL.

Year 2

Three big things happen. First, you complete your 13-year mathematical journey to understand the mathematics NASA uses to send astronauts into space. Then, you'll take those skills and apply them by modeling realistic scenarios that support engineering career paths. Finally, you'll take a course that uses the context of mathematics to both formalize logical reasoning skills and also focus on attention to detail in communicating technical information. During this course you will learn the mathematical typesetting language LaTeX.

We'll also start helping you explore and prepare for various career paths. See more about mathematical career paths

Year 3 & 4

Having acquired a strong foundation in mathematical thinking, you will dig deeply into mathematical areas. Some favorite areas of the MCDS faculty include mathematical modeling, the mathematics underlying statistics, and analyzing the relationships between objects in complex networks. During your capstone project, a faculty member will guide you in picking a mathematical topic of interest, meaningfully exploring it, and then communicating it both in written and oral forms.

After Graduation

You'll join a network of alumni working in a wide range of industries. See a list of mathematics alumni job titles

Year 1

Logical processes and structures are the foundation of computer science. You'll explore the underlying logic in a mathematics course tailored specifically for computer science majors and apply those reasoning skills as you build skills in three programming languages: python, Java, and SQL.

Year 2

Being a computer scientist is more than just developing software. You'll spend year 2 digging into designing computer systems and how to run them efficiently.

Year 3

You'll apply the skills and knowledge you've learned so far to a software engineering project, which are often sponsored by companies in the local community. At the same time, you'll continue taking courses related to designing computer systems.

Year 4

You'll apply the skills and knowledge you've learned in a culminating capstone project, which are often sponsored by companies in the local community. At the same time, you'll get to choose classes of interest that may align with your chosen career path.

After Graduation

You'll join a network of alumni working in a wide range of industries. See a list of computer science alumni job titles

Year 1

Data Science lives in the intersection of mathematics, statistics, and computer science. You'll start your data science journey learning the basics of statistics and programming, through which you'll learn four coding languages: python, Java, SQL, and R.

Year 2

You'll start laying the foundation for large-scale data analysis by examining the underlying mathematics, tools for visualizing data, and more sophisticated ways to store data. You will also explore the analysis of data in a specific application area of your choosing.

Year 3

You'll dig a bit more deeply into some advanced programming so that you are thoroughly prepared to understand and utilize machine learning and data mining.

Year 4

You'll apply all the skills and knowledge you've learned in a culminating capstone project, which utilize real data sets provided by companies in the community. You will also see some advanced statistics and take a course of interest that may align with your chosen career path.

After Graduation

You'll join a network of alumni working in a wide range of industries. See a list of data science alumni job titles

Every semester, JCU's Office of Career Services hosts local employers on campus for a career fair. Leading up to that event, MCDS invites you to get together with other majors to collaboratively research the employers coming to campus, including their potential internships and jobs. We will also help you polish your resume and help prepare you to effectively navigate the career fair.

We also bring MCDS alumni back to campus for alumni career panels where they share their experiences and advice. You'll hear about how they navigated their search and interview process, and their recommendations for your job application documents and preparatory experiences to seek out.

The MCDS worlds have so many interesting specialty areas, and there's no way we can see all of them in classes. So we bring experts to campus to talk with you about specialty areas. Recently, we've had speakers talking about applications of machine learning on large data sets in nuclear physics, applications of network analysis on satellite communication networks, and analysis of economic data on equity in public education.

You can also research with faculty on campus. Recently students have completed research projects involving artificial intelligence, games on complex networks, and data analysis.

Sometimes it's nice to just get everybody together and do not school stuff. During the first and last week of every semester, MCDS faculty will invite you and other department majors in for a fresh-cooked pancake breakfast. Other frequently-held events you'll be invited to include a Halloween puzzle party, a Holiday hot cocoa party, and a Pi Day celebration.