About Us

Learn more about the Computer Science Department at Earlham College. 

Our story

Computer Science at Earlham is unique in many ways. Our diverse faculty and rich facilities provide an environment that fosters an interdisciplinary approach to theory and practice in the field. Computer Science works closely with Mathematics, Physics and most of the other Natural Sciences, and has ties to linguistics and logic.

Our curriculum is built on the fundamental paradigms of the discipline: theory, abstraction and design. These three are woven throughout the Department, binding the sometimes disparate topics of Computer Science into a cohesive body of knowledge and experience. Because of the rapidly changing character of the field, we review the curriculum regularly. Our work is heavily influenced by the liberal arts mission of the College, in particular our interdisciplinary approach and our inclusion of the cultural, legal and ethical issues surrounding computing within the curriculum. We provide our graduates with the ability to make informed decisions about the appropriate use of technology in a variety of contexts.

Our curriculum’s wonderfully strong mix of theory and practice, in conjunction with our applied and research activities, produces graduates prepared for a variety of careers in computer science. Students who major or minor in CS have gone on to advanced studies in computer science and other disciplines; software engineering positions; and system, network and database administration.