Appropriate High School Background
The academic study of computing is quite different from the use of
computers in graphic arts, as word processors, or as web browsers. None of the three SCU
programs demands that students have taken courses in calculus or computer programming
prior to beginning any program at Santa Clara. But an examination of the courses required
by all three programs shows that each major tacitly assumes that students have shown the
academic aptitude for studying rigorous courses in mathematics, science, and computer
programming, since all three majors require courses in these subject areas.
Since the in-depth study of computing involves learning certain computer languages and
writing computer programs, successful students of computing, regardless of their major,
have demonstrated an ability to solve problems similar to mathematical "word
problems" or geometry problems. This includes skills such as analyzing and
subdividing a problem, organizing the parts, and ordering the steps leading to a solution.
