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Home/ Academics/ Computer Science

Computer Science

Computer science will enable you to understand, build, and modify the systems that pervade modern life. It is a rich mode of problem solving, a lever for changing society, and a medium of artistic expression.

Majors

Minors

Why Choose a Degree in Computer Science?

Computer systems and their algorithms are both practically useful and fascinating subjects of inquiry. From physical architecture to abstract models of computation, from the challenge of crafting and maintaining complex software to the ways computing pervades modern society, computer science is a quintessential liberal art. Our department welcomes all students and encourages them to develop the skill, passion, and wisdom that will be needed to build a better future for everyone.

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What You’ll Study

We offer two computer science majors (computer science and computer science and mathematics), one minor (computer science), and one optional cybersecurity concentration. Our curriculum provides students with a solid grounding in the fundamentals of of computing and the construction of complex software systems.

Outside the classroom, social events include our annual pumpkin carving contest and the legendary Chinese Food and German Board Games parties. The department hosts a regular colloquium series featuring presentations by students, faculty, and guest speakers. Our students regularly participate in the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest, the National Cyber League, and the Pacific Rim Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition. Our faculty mentor students in research experiences during the academic year and through the paid Rogers Summer Science Program.

Curriculum

Connect With Lewis & Clark!

  • <div class="statistics_slide swiper-slide"> <div class="statistics_box" style="text-align:left;"> <div class="statistics_box_inner"> <h4 class="statistics_headline" style="font-size: 3rem;"> Favorite Class </h4> <h6 class="statistics_summary" style="font-size: 2rem;"> <strong>The Undead in Russian Literature and Film with Assistant Professor Maria Hristova</strong> </h6> <!-- quote --> <div class="statistics_summary"> <p> It was a really cool course that blended history and art with a specific focus—pretty different from most of my coursework. We had to submit a creative project that reflected the themes of the class, and I made a video with friends reimagining a short story by Dostoevsky called “Bobok.” We shot it in the graveyard near campus.</p> </div> <div class="profile-box_name" href="/live/profiles/19814-sam-peers-nitzberg"> <a href="/live/profiles/19814-sam-peers-nitzberg">Sam Peers Nitzberg BA ’19</a> </div> <!-- class year --> <div class="profile-box_field"> Major: Computer Science and Psychology (double) </div> </div> </div> </div>
  • <div class="statistics_slide swiper-slide"> <div class="statistics_box" style="text-align:left;"> <div class="statistics_box_inner"> <h4 class="statistics_headline" style="font-size: 3rem;"> Favorite Class </h4> <h6 class="statistics_summary" style="font-size: 2rem;"> <strong>Philosophy: Ethics with Visiting Assistant Professor Eli Lichtenstein</strong> </h6> <!-- quote --> <div class="statistics_summary"> <p> I left with a vast array of knowledge and critical-thinking procedures that I was not aware I lacked. What’s more, I got the experience of having a professor who cares about and values his students, and is someone who wants to get involved even outside of class.</p> </div> <div class="profile-box_name" href="/live/profiles/17735-kenan-imamovic"> <a href="/live/profiles/17735-kenan-imamovic">Kenan Imamovic BA ’25</a> </div> <!-- class year --> <div class="profile-box_field"> Major: Computer Science and Psychology (double) </div> </div> </div> </div>
  • <div class="statistics_slide swiper-slide"> <div class="statistics_box" style="text-align:left;"> <div class="statistics_box_inner"> <h4 class="statistics_headline" style="font-size: 3rem;"> Favorite Class </h4> <h6 class="statistics_summary" style="font-size: 2rem;"> <strong>Screenwriting by Fernley Phillips</strong> </h6> <!-- quote --> <div class="statistics_summary"> <p> Fernley has so much insight about breaking into the industry and how to write a spec script. Most of the class is focused on writing and workshopping our own screenplays, which includes reading them aloud and discussing them as a class. It’s so much fun to hear everyone’s ideas and see their screenplays come to fruition.</p> </div> <div class="profile-box_name" href="/live/profiles/14637-william-lew"> <a href="/live/profiles/14637-william-lew">William Lew BA ’23</a> </div> <!-- class year --> <div class="profile-box_field"> Major: Computer science </div> </div> </div> </div>
  • <div class="statistics_slide swiper-slide"> <div class="statistics_box" style="text-align:left;"> <div class="statistics_box_inner"> <h4 class="statistics_headline" style="font-size: 3rem;"> Favorite Class </h4> <h6 class="statistics_summary" style="font-size: 2rem;"> <strong>Digital Media with Assistant Professor Brian House</strong> </h6> <!-- quote --> <div class="statistics_summary"> <p> The class simultaneously introduced me to the world of coding and expanded my views on what art can be; I have yet to take a class as fun and impactful as that one has been.</p> </div> <div class="profile-box_name" href="/live/profiles/16681-julian-diaz"> <a href="/live/profiles/16681-julian-diaz">Julian Diaz BA ’24</a> </div> <!-- class year --> <div class="profile-box_field"> Major: Computer Science </div> <div class="profile-box_field"> Minor: Japanese </div> </div> </div> </div>
  • <div class="statistics_slide swiper-slide"> <div class="statistics_box" style="text-align:left;"> <div class="statistics_box_inner"> <h4 class="statistics_headline" style="font-size: 3rem;"> Favorite Class </h4> <h6 class="statistics_summary" style="font-size: 2rem;"> <strong>I always had a smile on my face going into my Japanese courses!</strong> </h6> <!-- quote --> <div class="statistics_summary"> <p> I love that, over the many courses I took in the Japanese program included plenty of relevant cultural information along with the vocabulary and grammar we were learning. A little bit of folklore here, a little bit of modern Japanese food culture there—we were always learning on multiple fronts, and each class felt like a long, pleasant conversation.</p> </div> <div class="profile-box_name" href="/live/profiles/19756-terin-trachtenberg"> <a href="/live/profiles/19756-terin-trachtenberg">Terin Trachtenberg BA ’21</a> </div> <!-- class year --> <div class="profile-box_field"> Major: Computer Science </div> </div> </div> </div>
  • <div class="statistics_slide swiper-slide"> <div class="statistics_box" style="text-align:left;"> <div class="statistics_box_inner"> <h4 class="statistics_headline" style="font-size: 3rem;"> Favorite Class </h4> <h6 class="statistics_summary" style="font-size: 2rem;"> <strong>Culture and Power in the Middle East</strong> </h6> <!-- quote --> <div class="statistics_summary"> <p> I really enjoyed what I was learning in Culture and Power in the Middle East.</p> </div> <div class="profile-box_name" href="/live/profiles/21550-jermisha-hinton"> <a href="/live/profiles/21550-jermisha-hinton">Jermisha Hinton BA ’25</a> </div> <!-- class year --> <div class="profile-box_field"> Major: Computer Science </div> <div class="profile-box_field"> Minor: Rhetoric and Media Studies </div> </div> </div> </div>
  • <div class="statistics_slide swiper-slide"> <div class="statistics_box" style="text-align:left;"> <div class="statistics_box_inner"> <h4 class="statistics_headline" style="font-size: 3rem;"> Favorite Class </h4> <h6 class="statistics_summary" style="font-size: 2rem;"> <strong>Network Security with Professor of Computer Science Jens Mache</strong> </h6> <!-- quote --> <div class="statistics_summary"> <p> This class challenged my problem-solving skills and taught me about the intricacies of our modern network systems. This class was also a lot of fun because, as students, we were able to apply what we learned through real-world scenarios.</p> </div> <div class="profile-box_name" href="/live/profiles/14638-natalie-zoz"> <a href="/live/profiles/14638-natalie-zoz">Natalie Zoz BA ’23</a> </div> <!-- class year --> <div class="profile-box_field"> Major: Computer science </div> <div class="profile-box_field"> Minor: Chinese, Data Science (double) </div> </div> </div> </div>
  • <div class="statistics_slide swiper-slide"> <div class="statistics_box" style="text-align:left;"> <div class="statistics_box_inner"> <h4 class="statistics_headline" style="font-size: 3rem;"> Favorite Class </h4> <h6 class="statistics_summary" style="font-size: 2rem;"> <strong>Operating Systems with Assistant Professor Alain Kägi and Computer Security with Professor Jens Mache</strong> </h6> <!-- quote --> <div class="statistics_summary"> <p> Both classes were brand new to the computer science department at the time and were taught by two professors I’ve had before. This was the moment when I discovered that there was so much more to computer science than just coding programs.</p> </div> <div class="profile-box_name" href="/live/profiles/19707-ross-miyabuchi"> <a href="/live/profiles/19707-ross-miyabuchi">Ross Miyabuchi BA ’22</a> </div> <!-- class year --> <div class="profile-box_field"> Major: Computer Science </div> </div> </div> </div>
  • <div class="statistics_slide swiper-slide"> <div class="statistics_box" style="text-align:left;"> <div class="statistics_box_inner"> <h4 class="statistics_headline" style="font-size: 3rem;"> Favorite Class </h4> <h6 class="statistics_summary" style="font-size: 2rem;"> <strong>Operating Systems with Computer Science Lecturer Alain Kägi</strong> </h6> <!-- quote --> <div class="statistics_summary"> <p> <span style="font-weight: 400;">This class taught me the building blocks of computers, and showed me the assumptions I had about operating systems. I was able to put theory into practice by working on fundamental programming problems.</span> </p> </div> <div class="profile-box_name" href="/live/profiles/14558-carlos-garcia-moran"> <a href="/live/profiles/14558-carlos-garcia-moran">Carlos García Morán BA ’24</a> </div> <!-- class year --> <div class="profile-box_field"> Major: Computer Science </div> <div class="profile-box_field"> Minor: Philosophy </div> </div> </div> </div>

Complement Your Education With One of These Minors

The most popular minors for our computer science majors are data science, entrepreneurial leadership and innovation, and mathematics.

What Students Are Saying About Lewis & Clark

  • Adam Schwarz 2025 Alumni Photo

    My favorite class was Algorithm Design and Analysis. It helped me get a better understanding of what it is like to work in the computer science field.

    Adam Schwarz BA ’23
    Computer Science and Mathematics | Data Science | Daly City, California
    More about Adam
  • Sebastian's headshot

    The professors in the computer science and mathematics department display true passion for their respective fields of study and have provided invaluable mentorship that has helped me tremendously in discovering opportunities that are right for me.

    Sebastian DePrez BA ’25, MA ’28
    Computer Science and Mathematics | Data Science and Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation (double) | Upland, California
    More about Sebastian
  • Jermisha Hinton
    Jermisha Hinton BA ’25
    Computer Science | Rhetoric and Media Studies | Washington, D.C.
    More about Jermisha

What Can You Do With a Degree in Computer Science?

Our alumni use their BA in computer science in a variety of careers in research, academia, and at companies such as Nike, Suplari, Downstream, and Mentor Graphics. Many start their own companies, or go on to pursue advanced degrees.

Dedicated Faculty

Our professors are your expert mentors. You will learn directly from faculty (no graduate assistants here!) that are nationally recognized in their fields of study and who love to work with and learn from their students. Your professors will inspire you to be a thoughtful and passionate participant in a diverse world. Your small classes will support you as you explore new ideas, find your voice, and speak your truth.

Meet the Professors

  • Associate Professor of Computer Science Peter Drake

    It is challenging to learn to use sophisticated tools and wrestle with difficult problems in game design and software development. I enjoy exploring these things in conversation with our students, who bring diverse perspectives and positive energy.

    Associate Professor of Computer Science
    Peter Drake More about Peter

Invest in Yourself

A private liberal arts education is often more affordable than you think. Last year, Lewis & Clark distributed over $74 million in assistance from institutional, federal, state, and private sources. Additionally, we’re so confident that our first-year students will graduate in four years with their bachelor of arts degree that if you don’t, we’ll cover the extra semester of tuition.

Find Your People

The student-run Math Club and the student chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery organize social and academic events, including hackathons, workshops, and game jams.

  • Sam smiling, wearing a green baseball hat and dark denim jacket.

    I was hired by two awesome Lewis & Clark alumni for a role where I had experience from two awesome on-campus jobs.

    Sam Peers Nitzberg BA ’19
    Computer Science and Psychology (double) | Maplewood, New Jersey
    More about Sam
  • Liam Beveridge BA '20

    L&C laid the groundwork of my acting training, and introduced me to the theatre community in Portland. I used that training o prepare myself for grad school auditions, and I’m now at Yale School of Drama.

    Liam Beveridge BA ’20
    Theatre and Computer Science (double) | Seattle, Washington
    More about Liam
  • Terin giving a thumbs up while standing next to a person in a Donald Duck costume.

    Lewis & Clark really helped me to learn how to be a team player, and I think that experience will be invaluable in my career. Beyond just learning about how to write code, I also learned how to talk about it to others and how to accept guidance and criticism from peers.

    Terin Trachtenberg BA ’21
    Computer Science | Lincoln City, Oregon
    More about Terin

More News and Events →

Peter D.

Peter Drake

Associate Professor of Computer Science, Chair-Department of Computer Science
drake@lclark.edu
503-768-7539