Bachelor of ArtsComputer Science

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Prepare for a career in information systems, programming, software engineering or mobile computing.

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We educate our students to become “developers” rather than “users” of computer technology, with in-depth study of operating systems, software engineering and networking. Our location in Louisville offers our students more internships than we can accommodate.

Why earn your Computer Science degree at Bellarmine?

Students consistently refer to the relationships they had with their professors as the high point of their time at Bellarmine. The Computer Science Department has small class sizes and high faculty interaction that ensures students will not become numbers or nameless faces. In addition, Bellarmine University has a long-standing tradition of providing its students with an educational foundation in the liberal arts that prepares them for the workforce or further study. Computer Science graduates are not only prepared in their particular field of study but also possess communication and critical thinking skills that will enable them to go far in their careers. We have many industries in Louisville that offer our department’s students more internships than we can accommodate.

Program Highlights

Students in the Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science are exposed to a wide range of foundational courses including basic programming, data structures, logic design, operating systems, compiler construction, algorithms, and software engineering. Courses in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and database technologies are offered as electives, and internships are available. Due to the strong relationship between computer science and mathematics, a mathematics minor is automatically earned in completing the BA in Computer Science.

After completing the program, students are prepared for careers in software development, networking, database administration, and various programming contexts including business, science and engineering.

Robbie Tindall

“Starting college is starting your life’s journey. At Bellarmine, that means learning from culturally diverse, spiritual, successful and knowledgeable faculty and fellow students. My Bellarmine journey taught me how to lead, how to give back, and how to learn, whether it was in a classroom or thousands of miles away in a small Spanish town. And, of course, how to have fun but get the job done, studying or hanging out with my residence hall ‘family.’ Choosing Bellarmine is knowing that your journey will begin on Day One and you’ll never stop being a part of Knights Nation.”

Robbie Tindall
Computer Science ’04, EMBA ’12
Human Capital Consultant
Humana

Learning Goals

  1. Demonstrate the ability to develop computer programs to solve problems.
  2. Demonstrate proficiency with operating systems and computer networks.
  3. Demonstrate competence in the design and development of software engineering tools.
  4. Demonstrate understanding of contemporary issues in translators.

Frequently Asked Questions

What courses are required to complete the program?

Required courses: CS 130, 131, 215, 221, 310, 322, 330, 400, 415, 450 and nine hours selected from 300- or 400-level Computer Science courses.
Required related courses: ECON 110, MATH 117, 118, 120, 215, 314, 321; PHYS 205, 206. A mathematics minor is required. Computer Science majors must also complete six credits of a foreign language or satisfy the Bellarmine College of Arts and Sciences Bachelor of Arts foreign language proficiency requirement.

Are there other special academic requirements?

Yes. A math minor is required.

What employment opportunities are available with a computer science degree?

The computer science degree prepares students for careers in information systems, programming, software engineering, and mobile computing, or for graduate study.

Do you provide job or internship placement?

Yes. Bellarmine guarantees every student the opportunity to have an internship, develop a career plan and build a professional network. Though an internship is not required, more internships are available every year than the department has students to fill them. Bellarmine computer science students are in every major company in Louisville:

  • Area hospitals
  • Blue Cross/Blue Shield
  • Brown & Williamson
  • Capital Holding
  • General Electric
  • IBM
  • LG&E
  • New Horizon
  • UPS
  • Yum! Brands
Is financial aid available?

Yes. Please go to Bellarmine’s financial aid website for detailed information on financial aid packages. Additionally, students can work with our Faculty Development Center to apply for grants and awards outside of the Bellarmine offerings.

How many hours can I expect to spend studying outside of class time?

Students have their own learning styles so this can vary greatly. As a rule of thumb, expect to spend an average of two hours studying for every hour you spend in class.

Career Opportunities

Graduates with a computer science degree from Bellarmine University have career options in software development, computer engineering, web development, systems management and more. They are typically able to find jobs quickly following graduation and, on average, have a starting salary higher than graduates of many other programs—about $40,000 annually. In most cases, our graduates opt for immediate employment, but a few have pursued graduate studies in computer science or electrical engineering at schools such as Purdue, Notre Dame and University of Louisville.

Faculty

 

 

Dr. Nathan Johnson

Dr. Nathan Johnson, Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Dr. Nathan P. Johnson joined the faculty at Bellarmine University’s expanding computer science department in the fall of 2020 bringing a varied background that includes academic and work experience in technology and communications. Dr. Johnson worked for many years at the University of Louisville’s Speed School of Engineering helping researchers write parallel programs and administering the university’s first “supercomputer,” an IBM RS600 that was 235th on the top 500 list world’s fastest computers. Dr. Johnson also brings a lot of varied experience in the education field, having taught computer science classes at UofL, Indiana University Southeast, Embry Riddle Aeronautics University and Sullivan University.

Dr. Johnson holds doctoral and master’s degrees in computer science from the University of Louisville as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from Western Kentucky University. During the 1980s and early 1990s he worked as a newspaper reporter and editor for various publications.

Dr. Johnson’s current research involves the use of swarms of mini-drones; his previous research papers focused on reliability in high performance computing on desktop grids.

Dr. Johnson and his wife, Shelley Catharine Johnson, live near Simpsonville, KY, and have a college-age son of their own, Patrick.

Dr. Robert Kelly

Dr. Andrew Karem, Assistant Professor of Computer Science 
Dr. Andrew Karem joined Bellarmine University's Computer Science faculty in Fall 2024. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Louisville in 2019. For his dissertation research, he investigated the use of multiple instance learning to enhance clustering of high-dimension data under the supervision of Dr. Hichem Frigui, with an applied focus on algorithms to detect and identify buried explosive objects (ex: landmines) using subterranean imaging data. 

Dr. Karem’s teaching interests include, but are not limited to, courses dealing with computer science fundamentals, databases, data structures, programming languages, quantitative computing, and data science.  His research and publication interests center around data science and machine learning, and he collaborates regularly with the University of Louisville Psychology Department’s EAT Laboratory (Director Dr. Cheri Levinson, Assistant Director Dr. Christina Ralph-Nearman) on research related to diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders. 

Sayani poses for a photo

Dr. Sayani Sarkar, Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Dr. Sayani Sarkar joined Bellarmine University's Computer Science area in fall 2021. She earned her Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from the School of Computing and Informatics at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2021. For her dissertation research, she investigated intelligent energy-efficient drones in the area of path planning, monitoring and real-time decision making under the direction of Dr. Michael Totaro.

She received her Bachelor of Technology and Master of Technology in the year 2009 and 2011 respectively in electronics and communication engineering from West Bengal University of Technology, West Bengal, India. After working as Assistant Professor at West Bengal University of Technology for more than four years in India, she pursued her graduate studies at Louisiana State University. She received her Master of Science in electrical engineering from Louisiana State University in 2017.

Dr. Sarkar's current research interests include intelligent UAV path design, modelling, and analysis using deep learning algorithms.

Dr. Muzaffar Ali, Emeritus Professor of Computer Science

Dr. Muzaffar Ali joined the Department of Math, Computer Science, and Physics of Bellarmine College on August 15, 1982. He will finish 40 years of service at Bellarmine University on May 14, 2021. He served as a Chair of the combined departments for three years. When the Department of Computer Science was created, he was appointed the first chair. He served in that capacity for more than 28 years.

He received his B.Sc. (Honours) in 1970, and M.Sc. in 1972 in Physics from Aligarh Muslim University in India.

Dr. Ali has taught courses in discrete math, calculus, differential equations, statistics, numerical analysis, and operation research. He has most of the courses in computer science. He has been instrumental in changing the programming languages for freshman class from BASIC to PASCAL to C to C++, and ultimately to JAVA.

Dr. Nathan Johnson

Dr. Nathan Johnson, Assistant Professor of Computer Science

 

Dr. Robert Kelly

Dr. Robert Kelley, Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Dr. Rob Kelley joined Bellarmine University's Computer Science area in fall 2018. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Engineering and Computer Science from the Speed School of Engineering at the University of Louisville in 2010. For his dissertation research, he developed a new frequency-hopping scheme for wireless sensor networks under the direction of Anup Kumar.

After receiving his doctorate, Dr. Kelley moved to the University of Louisville School of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases (ID) under the supervision of Dr. Julio Ramirez. While with ID he was responsible for managing the clinical data sets for several clinical trials relating to respiratory diseases, HIV and refugee health as well as conducting research in data visualization and machine learning for clinical data sets. Immediately prior to coming to Bellarmine, Dr. Kelley was an assistant professor of Computer Science at St. Mary’s College of Maryland from 2016-2018.

Dr. Kelley's current research interests include static and interactive data visualization, machine learning, and interaction design.

Dr. Sayani Sarkar

Dr. Sayani Sarkar, Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Dr. Sayani Sarkar joined Bellarmine University's Computer Science area in fall 2021. She earned her Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from the School of Computing and Informatics at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2021. For her dissertation research, she investigated intelligent energy-efficient drones in the area of path planning, monitoring and real-time decision making under the direction of Dr. Michael Totaro.

She received her Bachelor of Technology and Master of Technology in the year 2009 and 2011 respectively in electronics and communication engineering from West Bengal University of Technology, West Bengal, India. After working as Assistant Professor at West Bengal University of Technology for more than four years in India, she pursued her graduate studies at Louisiana State University. She received her Master of Science in electrical engineering from Louisiana State University in 2017.

Dr. Sarkar's current research interests include intelligent UAV path design, modelling, and analysis using deep learning algorithms.

Accreditation

Bellarmine University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate, masters, and doctorate degrees.

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