Computing Systems
As a computing systems specialist, you learn to design, implement, and integrate software applications for any number of hardware devices, from supercomputers to game boards. You use the latest theories, methodologies, and techniques to ensure that applications are correct, well-written, and reliable.
As a computer scientist, you are a problem solver at heart. You enjoy the challenge of working out solutions and seeing your solutions work for others. You design new models of computation and new ways of doing things to exploit the speed and power of the digital machine. You are at the cutting edge of the Information Age. Whether you are an expert in databases, web application development, networks, programming, or artificial intelligence, you are part of a rapidly evolving and dynamic field where the opportunity to make a major impact on the world is a real possibility.
As a software engineer, you oversee the entire software development process. You work as part of a team that designs, implements, tests, maintains, and documents complex software solutions which meet the requirements of your client. You draw on a toolset of rigorous methodologies and techniques to ensure that your final product is the right software at the right time for the right price. Not only do you have technical skills, but also interpersonal skills to work within the dynamics of a group. The highlight of the specialization in Software Engineering is a full-year team project (COIS 4000) which gives you an opportunity to apply your in-class learning to a real-world application.
Today, there is a clear trend away from single-core processors even in contemporary desktop machines. The efficient use of future processor generations will therefore require a generation of programmers, analysts, and developers who are familiar with parallel programming paradigms and the issues associated with multi-core systems. The specialization in High Performance Computing is available to students in the single-major Honours program in Computing Systems. It provides a solid foundation in distributed systems, shared-memory systems, and hybrid programming, culminating in a full-year, fourth-year project in High Performance Computing.
Information Systems
As an information systems specialist, you look for better ways to get things done using computing technologies. You are concerned with the flow, storage, and access to information both within and across organizational boundaries. You are concerned with getting the right information to the right person at the right time. You have a broad systems perspective and an appreciation of both technical matters such as databases, networks, and telecommunications as well as non-technical matters such as ethics, law, and digital culture. You are a strategic partner of any organization with a valuable combination of technical, business, and systems skills.
