Faculty and courses for the Program are drawn from the McCormick School's Department of Computer Science. Courses and research in the Department address the underlying theories, enabling technologies, and applications of modern computer science. There is a strong focus on the design, implementation, and evaluation of software systems, including interactive, distributed multimedia, artificial intelligence, robotics, and database systems.

Research in the Department is highly interdisciplinary, including important links with Cognitive Science and Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences as well as Learning Sciences within the School of Education and Social Policy. Undergraduates are encouraged to join ongoing research projects within the Department. (For more information aboutComputer Science, and course listings, please consult the Department's write-up under the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.)

The major in Computing and Information Systems is highly flexible, emphasizing the interdisciplinary study and project work that are critical in a field as rapidly changing as computer science. The specific courses to be taken are largely determined by the goals and interests of the individual student. The major includes a two-quarter "capstone" project activity that helps integrate the skills and knowledge acquired in coursework.

Computing facilities available to students in the Program are extensive. The campus is completely networked, including dormitories, with a 100-megabit FDDI University Network backbone. All students have full Internet access. Electronic mail, web sites, and other computer-based communication facilities are extensively used within the Program to foster a sense of community and facilitate communication among students and faculty beyond the classroom.