For those people looking for the best paying jobs, an exciting and fast-paced work environment, and lots of openings to choose from, the computer industry is still the place to be. And the University of Bridgeport -- with 100 new Sun Microsystems computer workstations -- has the region's most advanced computer facilities.

UB has become a 21st-century high-tech hub and learning center for people who want to master the latest computer technologies. It also serves as a research and development think tank for new ventures in the emerging world of e-commerce and computer-aided solutions.

UB's computer science and computer engineering students are being snatched up quickly by area technology firms -- many begin part-time jobs even before they graduate. And the feedback from the computer companies is that UB students are well trained and able to excel rapidly in this fast changing business.

"We've been very happy with our UB employees," says Bill West, a founder of the BWI computer company in Monroe, which employs seven recent UB grads. One of the UB students started at $50,000 a year, an average starting salary in an industry starved for qualified workers.

Since UB has one of the most internationally diverse student bodies in the nation, global perspectives are easily developed. New ideas and solutions to problems flourish as students work side by side with their peers from Japan, India and Russia and other nations.

Bill Tuccio, a systems development manger at the EMC Corporation, gave his new employee and UB graduate high marks. "Without trying to praise Bernard too much, I would have to say I wish we could get five more people just like him," said Tuccio.

With the proliferation of dot.com companies in Connecticut, the jobs in the information technology sector are growing four times faster than in the overall economy, according to the state Department of Labor. That means high paying, fast advancing jobs well into this decade.

UB's Master's degree in Computer Science at the UB-Stamford campus -- with classes just one day a week on the weekend -- is a great way for busy professionals already in the computer industry to broaden their knowledge and advance their careers. Emphasis is on state-of-the-art applications, including programming, software engineering, robotics and automation, and multi-media computing.

With 15 computer labs between the Bridgeport and Stamford campuses, students are able to get the necessary hands-on experience."The University of Bridgeport's Computer Science program offered me contemporary courses, an excellent learning environment and a solid teaching faculty," says graduate Anand Radha.

Students in both the undergraduate and graduate programs routinely publish papers in the most prestigious conferences and academic journals and they perform world-class research and development. Two UB students won the first and second place awards recently in the annual American Society of Engineering Education contests.

"Our goal is to give you the skills and tools you'll need to hit the ground running in the constantly changing technology and e-commerce based world," said Dr. Tarek Sobh, Director of the School of Engineering and Design at UB. The increase in enrollment in both the undergraduate and graduate programs has been phenomenal, Sobh said.

For more information about the computer science program or about UB's other 35 degree programs, call 1-800-EXCEL-UB or e-mail at admit@bridgeport.edu.Visit our website at www.bridgeport.edu.