Our era will be known in history as the age of Information & Communication Technology. In the Department of Computer Science, we are committed to preparing you for life in the Information Age.
Do you imagine yourself as a software developer, a project manager, a software engineer, network administrator, general ICT consultant, an entrepreneur in ICT sales and servicing, a systems analyst, the manager of an information systems department? Perhaps you are heading towards a teaching or academic career in ICT, a research oriented scientific occupation; or your aspirations might be for a career in commerce or finance, in the arts or social science, in pharmacy or medicine, in journalism or law. You may simply wish to be able to meet the growing challenges of information technology in your workplace. The inclusion of Computer Science in your degree will empower you to do all of this.
Information and Communication Technology is consistently changing our society by changing the way our economy, education system, social and cultural interaction works. This is particularly relevant to the kinds of activities graduates encounter in their day-to-day personal and professional lives. As technology progresses it will become increasingly important to have knowledge and understanding of the nature of technologies, and how they are changing. Anticipating these changes will enhance the choices you make in your personal and working life. Naturally, the more knowledge you have, the more you will be able to exploit the power of Information and Communication Technology.
We invite you to take advantage of being at one of the finest universities in Africa for studying the various aspects of Information and Communication Technology. A degree in Computer Science from Rhodes University is held in high esteem throughout the country and abroad.
The Department of Information Systems dovetails with and complements Computer Science at Rhodes University, and the two departments work closely together. The Computer Science Department offers a single semester course that prepares prospective Information Systems students for courses in their second year of study. Many students study Computer Science and Information Systems together as their major subjects, and this combined study of the two subjects can continue into postgraduate degrees. Whereas Computer Science concentrates on the technical aspects of software development and application, Information Systems addresses human, management and strategic aspects of Information Technology.
Computer Science is offered as a 3-year major course in the Faculties of Science, Commerce and Humanities.
Following the undergraduate degree, a fourth year Honours degree in Computer Science is offered. This course allows study in more specialised areas of computing, and introduces the concept of project work on a larger scale than is possible in undergraduate years. The fourth year of study also provides the minimum status needed for registration by professional bodies, and for international recognition (such as would be required to register as a graduate student at a foreign university).
The Department of Computer Science houses a strong postgraduate school which prepares MSc and PhD students. Work is particularly concentrated in the field of Distributed Multimedia, as Rhodes is sponsored as a Centre of Excellence in this area by Telkom SA and Infinera. The work of this centre incorporates Data Communications and Networks, Information Security, Image Processing, Audio Engineering, Parallel Computing, and ICT for Development. The Computer Science Department enjoys “grant receiving status”, based solely on merit, from the National Research Foundation.
Our Department lays great importance on the teaching and learning processes in tertiary education, and is known for having some of the finest, most dedicated teachers in the country.