What We Do

• The Institute produces nationally competitive BS and MS computer software professionals essential for Washington to be at the competitive edge in the high tech economy.
  1. Competitive software development engineers are especially critical resources in the present environment of growing international competition and the reality of off-shoring.
  2. Institute graduates will support retention of present industry, attract new industry to the Puget Sound and the Northwest, and foster innovative and competitive start-ups.
  3. Graduates will fuel economic development in a region of the state that had not benefited from the high-tech industry nearly so much as neighboring regions.
• The Institute prepares Washington residents for access to the most rewarding careers in the high-tech industry.
  1. The Institute expands access to the type of high quality of education already provided by the UW Seattle Computer Science & Engineering program -- one of the nation's top-seven research-oriented computer science departments.
  2. The Institute proactively strives to encourage and develop a pipeline of students who will be well prepared for study at the Institute. The Institute offers a Dual Admission program, which allows a student to reserve a seat for their junior year at UW Tacoma at the same time they enroll as a freshman in community college, and enables the Institute to help advise lower division students.
  3. The Institute has a particular interest in reaching out to women and people of color, who are underrepresented in the high tech field. It desires to create an environment that is supportive and encouraging to a diverse population.
• The Institute provides a balanced preparation that is ideal for professional practice.
  1. A rigorous core provides appropriate foundations for maximum flexibility and growth in a rapidly evolving environment and for maintaining life long professional competence and competitiveness. It includes a balance of theoretical/analytical, practical, and social/ethical/collaboration skills. Elective courses provide interdisciplinary choices for intellectual breadth, support of leadership skills, and understanding of best practice.
  2. Special focused laboratories provide exposure, experience and research with cutting-edge technologies for rapid contribution and productivity in professional practice.
  3. Concentrations of courses provide a competitive level of expertise in a chosen area of interest. The Institute is nimble and can react quickly to provide education in evolving areas of need.
  4. Internships provide practice and experience for a running start in the profession after graduation. MS capstone projects provide experience and depth with either, or both, theoretical and practical problems.
• The Institute produces research, particularly applied research, that is important to Washington.
  1. A hallmark of the Institute is its interest in applied or experimental research with, and contributions to, real problems. The Institute has an interest in being a catalyst for developing intellectual property with business and industry, and economic development in Washington.
  2. The Institute is also interested in basic research, particularly in niche areas that complement other active research programs in Washington. Much of the basic research has a motivation from real problems, and results create foundations for future products and services.
• The Institute is a public private partnership that serves both the university and the private communities through collaborations on research, design, and problems of mutual interest.
  1. The Institute was created as a public private partnership and continues to promote the relationship in the best interests of both. The Institute Board of Advisors provides timely and critical advice and feedback from community and industry leaders.
  2. The Institute is continually building peer-to-peer partnerships with industry, placing interns, collaborating in research and problem solving, and keeping a finger on the pulse of what employers seek in well-prepared graduates. Faculty, students and business leaders interact, often through capstone projects and internships, bringing together the pieces of knowledge that make new breakthroughs possible.

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