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Undergraduate Program

Career Opportunities

Our Computer Science undergraduate alumni go on to great opportunities. Many are recruited by global giants like Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta and Microsoft as well as smaller companies and government agencies. Many of our graduates go on to create startups like ExtraHop, LendUp and SnapStream, while some use their talents to support non-profit endeavors like FromThePage, GroupRaise and MDSave. Rice CS alumni who discovered a passion for research and teaching push the frontiers of science at leading universities. Where will you go with your CS degree?

Program with a Purpose

You might be surprised that learning to program is not the primary goal of our courses. One of our professors, Scott Rixner, is often heard explaining that programming may be part of his introductory course, but the focus is on computational problem solving.

COMP 140 isn’t just about Python programming, it’s about learning how to think, and to apply the little bit of programming you know to real world problems. 

Programming Experience Not Required

Prior programming experience is NOT required in order to pursue an undergraduate degree in computer science. We welcome students with little or no programming experience! Computer science is really about using computers and computation to solve problems and build tools for others to use. Programming is just one part of the discipline. Computer science requires the ability to think clearly and analytically; we can teach you the rest and inspire you to go beyond. If you enjoy problem solving, design challenges, or mathematics, computer science may be right for you.

Collaborative, not Cutthroat

One of the things you'll notice in your Rice CS classes is a lack of cutthroat competition.

The CS professors are all approachable and other students are also open to help, if you just ask. No one is NOT willing to help you, in order to do better than you in class. In fact, we’ll be talking to each other about what internships we’re applying for and how to help each other prepare for interviews.

The collaborative environment begins in your introductory courses when you are grouped into teams, and you'll continue growing connections and relationships within our close-knit community each semester.

Get Involved

Collaboration happens both inside and outside the classrooms in the Department of Computer Science. To foster this lively community, the department and undergraduate organizations organize tech talks, lunch-and-learns, and other activities. Students continually offer each other support within their project teams, college study groups, and the department-sponsored clubs. Just as important as academic support is the social aspect of the clubs. Taking a study break or working on a side project helps keep students grounded.

Undergraduate Resources  

Our department offers an array of in-person and informational resources for undergraduate students as they plan their coursework and declare their majors.