People use computers because they can provide services and help in the solving of problems. Thus, many courses and much research throughout the College utilize various aspects of computing.

The discipline of computer science includes all aspects of the effective design and use of computer systems. Core areas within the undergraduate curriculum include multiple views of problem-solving, hardware design, operating systems, data organization (structure) and processing (algorithms), software design, programming languages, and the theory of computation. Some topics, such as networks and security, explore elements of computer systems in more detail, while other areas, such as artificial intelligence, computational linguistics, human-computer interactions, and computer vision, integrate computer science with interdisciplinary studies.