Kathleen Campbell always knew that she wanted to pursue a career in math and sciences. “I didn’t see myself in medicine, so I took math, physics and AP physics during high school.”
After graduating high school in 2020, Campbell enrolled at a university close to her home in the outskirts of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. “I began college as a physics major, but after taking a computer programming course, I started to think about switching my major.”
Campbell’s classes were delivered online during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the university returned to in-person status, it no longer worked for Campbell to attend classes on campus.
“During my first year in college, my grandmother — who lives with me and my family — became ill. We’ve always been close, so I wanted to take care of her. I couldn’t do that while commuting to school — or risk being exposed to COVID in classes and bringing it home. As my first year in college ended, I decided to transfer to an online program.”
Why I Chose JWU Online
“Researching online programs for computer science, Johnson & Wales Online came up. I had heard positive feedback about JWU from a friend who attended the university, so I felt comfortable applying.
“JWU Online offered me the ability to complete my degree on a flexible schedule and provided me with all of the same resources available to on-campus students — advisors, financial help, the campus’ online library, and access to the campus facilities, if I chose to visit Rhode Island. The Computer Science program degree would give me all of the credentials to start my career in the computer science field and continue my education in graduate school.”
Seamless Transition
“JWU Online made the transition from my first college easy. All of my credits were applied to the computer science degree. I applied in August and started classes in the Fall 2021 semester.
“The admissions associate and my advisor, Felicia Mastrobuono, were easy to get in touch with throughout the program. Felicia assisted me in selecting the courses I needed to take to complete my degree and reached out to me promptly if I needed to change to a course I had registered for.
“The professors were knowledgeable and responsive when I had issues or questions about course material. Dr. Barbara Hecker taught many of my computer science courses and was extremely helpful when I had questions about the courses. Dr. Hecker provided positive and constructive feedback on my assignments, which helped me improve my skills.
“Dr. Charles Desassure taught many of my computer science courses and it was evident that he was knowledgeable in his field. He was always available to answer questions about the course material. Both Dr. Desassure and Dr. Hecker provided me with a recommendation to submit with my graduate school application.”
JWU Online’s Computer Science Program
Campbell appreciated the program’s progression of courses, remarking, “Each course built off of the concepts presented in previous courses. Course assignments were well-organized by week and the deadline for submission.
“The program also exposed me to several types of software that could be used to develop and execute coding projects and various operating systems. I was able to download all of the necessary software needed for the coding assignments to my laptop.
“The courses were comprehensive in teaching the major programming languages such as Python, C, and C++, in addition to the fundamentals of machine language, discrete mathematics, networks, and operating systems. Also offered were interesting courses which focused on major cybersecurity concepts such as cryptography, ethical hacking, and the distinct types of cybercrimes.”
Hands-On Learning
Campbell explains, “The hands-on experience in coding and programming built my confidence in these skills. Videos in each course provided instruction, along with the text. We had weekly projects in which we learned how to code and then tested our coding on our own computers. Often, we would videotape ourselves showing our code running, so that other students and the professor could see that it worked. Other times, we would submit the file itself for evaluation.
“Participating in discussion boards hosted on the ulearn platform allowed us to interact with each other and with our professors. Typically, students posted early in the week and returned again to complete the assignments. We were always writing on a topic, doing a short coding exercise, or making a video presentation — and since we are required to respond to each assignment, you were always talking with your classmates.
“My classmates and professors were very nice and helpful and gave valuable feedback about what I posted to the boards. That gave me a sense of community, even though we were not meeting together in a classroom.”
Characterizing herself as a ‘night owl,’ Campbell explains, “I would set deadlines for myself and do a little work each night to be sure I could get assignments completed on time. I can be a perfectionist, so sometimes I felt overwhelmed. I found it helpful to break assignments down into smaller, more manageable chunks that — as I completed them — encouraged me to keep muddling through.”
Students in certain online courses complete a project under the direction of faculty. In the Computer Science program, Design Project I includes a capstone project in which students draw upon all of the skills learned in the program to develop a solution to a complex problem.
Campbell relates, “Initially I felt overwhelmed by having to choose a project, so I presented ideas to my professor. The project idea that we chose was inspired by caring for my grandmother.
Capstone Project
“I planned and produced a software engineering project, intended to aide a home healthcare worker in organizing their patient’s daily care and health information. Once Professor Hecker approved my idea, I planned the project in steps, writing detailed documents about each part of the project, the reasoning behind each part and how I would execute it within a specific time limit. I found it helpful to plan the entire project before starting to execute it.
“I used Python to create the software, which allows the user to input and track a patient’s medicine intake and their ability to complete activities of daily living. The patient’s information is displayed on a chart through the software’s graphical user interface and saved within the software.
“A special feature tests the patient’s short-term and long-term memory. Because my grandmother has had issues with her short-term memory, I researched different types of memory tests used for older patients. I added questions that someone caring for a patient or family member could ask each day to help track changes in cognition.
“Completing the capstone project gave me hands-on experience in the software development life cycle. I also learned how to write the appropriate documentation within the planning stages of a software project. I feel prepared to set realistic goals for a software engineering project and to complete it within a specified time constraint at an actual worksite.”
Campbell elected to have a major and a minor.
“The range of electives that were available to me sets the Computer Science program apart from many other schools’ programs. The computer science industry offers so many opportunities and career paths. Choosing electives that interested me helped me discern which aspects of the industry most interested me.
“The cybersecurity course fascinated me. I believe cybersecurity is a good career path for the future, so I chose cybersecurity as my major.
“My major required that I take an introduction to psychology. I had the opportunity to choose more electives, so, I began taking additional psychology courses, including abnormal psychology, health psychology, personality psychology and social psychology. When I had enough credits, I declared psychology as my minor.
“As a cybersecurity professional whose job it will be to defend individuals or organizations against cyberattacks, psychology will complement my skills in computer science. Psychology will give me insight into how cybercriminals operate and about human behavior that makes people vulnerable to cyberattacks. Psychology can also be useful in understanding profiling and how to investigate cybercriminals. The opportunity at JWU Online to combine psychology electives with computer science has given me a good start in the cybersecurity field.”
Competitive Advantage
“During Fall 2025, I will attend NYU for an MS in Cybersecurity. I was excited to also be admitted into the Cyber Fellows program at the university and to be awarded a scholarship towards of the cost for my master’s degree.
“I believe that the coursework I completed in the Computer Science program gave me a competitive advantage for the scholarship. The courses in programming languages, data structures, and discrete mathematics met part of the requirements to be accepted into the master’s degree program and the Cyber Fellows program. The capstone project I completed demonstrated my coding abilities, and the cybersecurity courses I took further complemented my application.”
Prepared For The Future
“The Computer Science program at JWU Online absolutely met my expectations and gave me a deep understanding of the major concepts in computer science. My education was enriched by adding a psychology minor to my Computer Science degree program.
“The program provides students with a good foundation of computer science, which prepares them for careers in software development, computer programming, data science and many other pathways — and computer science specialists are needed in practically every industry.
“The university provides its students with a network of computer science professors who have had extensive experience in the field and are available to assist with course work and provide career advice. Although I didn’t choose to do an internship, the program provides students with the tools to obtain either an onsite or virtual internship wherever they live.
“The small class size allows students to become acquainted with their professors and other students even in this online format. Students will feel like they are a part of the campus regardless of their physical location.
“I am grateful for the support of my professors, classmates and my family. My grandma, mom and dad from Pennsylvania, and my aunt from New York, traveled to Providence for commencement to share this milestone with me. Having them watch as I walked across the stage to accept my diploma was an emotional experience for me.
“I am so glad that I chose Johnson & Wales University Online to complete my degree. I leave prepared with the knowledge and skills to be successful in graduate school and in a computer science career. I highly recommend this program to other prospective computer science students.”
Ready To Start Your Computer Science Career?
If you are interested in starting or advancing in a versatile and rewarding technology career, Johnson & Wales University an accredited online B.S. – Computer Science degree. If you are looking to obtain your Computer Science degree faster, we also offer a career-focused 91-credit degree option. Both versions of the program are taught by the same highly qualified faculty as the on-campus classes. For more information about both degree options, please complete the Request Info form, call 855-JWU-1881, or email [email protected].
