Partner With WWU Computer Science
We offer multiple ways for industry professionals and organizations to engage with our students, faculty, and program. Every partnership strengthens the pipeline between the classroom and the real world.
Guest Lecture and Colloquium
Share your expertise directly with our students. Whether you want to talk about your career, a technical challenge you've solved, or a domain your company operates in — our students are eager to hear from practitioners working on real problems.
What to expect
- 45–60 minute session, in-person or virtual
- We handle scheduling, logistics, and promotion
- Q&A time built in — students come prepared with questions
- Great opportunity to recruit and build brand awareness on campus
Topics that work well
Career journeys, day-in-the-life as an engineer, specific technical problems (security, scaling, data pipelines), ethics in software, startup culture, open source — anything you're genuinely excited to talk about.
Interested in speaking?
Tell us a bit about your topic and preferred timeframe.
Contract a Course
Work with our faculty to design and co-deliver a course built around your industry domain. Students get curriculum grounded in real practice; you get students trained in the exact tools and problems that matter to your organization.
How it works
- Faculty partner with you to scope and develop curriculum
- You contribute domain expertise — guest sessions, real datasets, problem sets
- Faculty handle academic structure, assessment, and credit
- Great fit for specialized topics: security, cloud, ML in production, fintech, healthcare tech
Let's design something together
Tell us about your domain and what you'd want students to learn.
Start the Conversation
Mentor a Senior Project
Our senior capstone pairs student teams with real problems. As a mentor, you bring a challenge from your organization — or help shape one — and guide the team through the year-long project. Faculty provide academic oversight; you provide industry perspect
What's involved
- ~1 hour per week of mentor time (bi-weekly check-ins + async feedback)
- Teams of 2–4 students, year-long project (September–June)
- You help define requirements and provide feedback on deliverables
- Faculty handle grading, academic scaffolding, and technical coaching
- Ideal opportunity to recruit — you'll know these students well before they graduate
Project ideas we've seen work well
Internal tools, data dashboards, mobile apps, automation scripts, web platforms, simulation tools — anything with a concrete deliverable that your organization would actually use or build on.
Interested in mentoring?
Projects kick off in September. Reach out anytime to explore what's possible.
Get in Touch
Hire a WWU CS Intern
Our students graduate with real project experience — they've shipped code, worked in teams, and solved problems with actual stakeholders. An internship is the fastest way to evaluate fit before a full-time offer.
What we offer
- Students with experience in web, mobile, data, systems, and ML
- Summer and semester placements available
- Faculty can connect you with students whose skills match your stack
- We'll promote your opportunity through our department channels
Post an Opportunity
Send us a description of the role and we'll get it in front of the right students.
Contact Us
Commission a Build
Need a web application, internal tool, data pipeline, or custom system? Our students build real software for real clients — under faculty mentorship. You get a working deliverable, students get professional experience, and the project benefits your organi
How it works
- Faculty work with you to scope the project and define deliverables
- A student team (2–4) does the design, development, and testing
- Faculty mentor the team and review code quality throughout
- You own the finished product and source code
- Timelines align with the academic calendar — typically one quarter or a full year
What we've built
Web applications, mobile apps, data dashboards, simulation tools, APIs, automation workflows, and more. The MAR Simulator — our nursing training platform — is one example of the kind of polished, production-ready software our teams deliver.
Have a project in mind?
Tell us what you need and we'll explore whether it's a good fit for a student team.
Start a Conversation
Not sure where to start?
Send us a note and we'll find the right fit for your goals and availability.