Our Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree introduces you to a scientific and practical approach to computation and its applications. In this degree program, you will learn about the theory, experimentation, and engineering that form the basis for the design and use of computers. You will also have the ability to focus your studies on areas such as artificial intelligence, software engineering, data science, security, or high performance systems.
Major Requirements
The computer science major requires 40 credits in computer science courses, an additional 11-12 credits in mathematics and/or statistics, and a capstone experience as detailed below:
Core Courses
A minimum of 16 credits must be satisfactorily completed in the following five core courses:
- CMPINF 0401 - INTERMEDIATE PROGRAMMING*
- CS 0441 - DISCRETE STRUCTURES FOR CS
- CS 0445 - ALGORITHMS AND DATA STRUCTURES 1
- CS 0447 - COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE
- CS 0449 - INTRODUCTION TO SYSTEMS SOFTWARE
*Students should have some programming experience (usually acquired in high school) before taking CMPINF 0401 . Any high school course that includes the writing of several Pascal, C++, or Java programs would be sufficient. It is also possible to take one of the department's service courses, such as CS 0007 , as preparation. Preparatory classes of this nature do not count toward the student's major requirements.
Required Upper-Level Elective Courses
Nine credits in these three upper-level courses:
- CS 1501 - ALGORITHMS AND DATA STRUCTURES 2
- CS 1502 - FORMAL METHODS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
- CS 1550 - INTRODUCTION TO OPERATING SYSTEMS
Upper-Level Elective Courses
Fifteen additional credits in upper-level elective courses (numbered 1500 or higher) must also be completed.
Internships, directed studies, capstone courses and co-op courses may not be used to satisfy this requirement (see below).
Required Mathematics Courses
A minimum of 11-12 credits in mathematics must be completed as follows:
- STAT 1000 - APPLIED STATISTICAL METHODS
-Or -
- STAT 1100 - STATISTICS AND PROBABILITY FOR BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
-Or -
- STAT 1151 - INTRODUCTION TO PROBABILITY
Note: Students should complete their required mathematics courses early. Typically, MATH 0220 would be completed in the freshman year. Strong students may elect also to take MATH 1180 - LINEAR ALGEBRA 1.
Capstone Experience
All Computer Science majors must complete a capstone experience prior to graduation. This experience may be satisfied in several ways including:
- Completion of an approved 3-credit academic internship (CS 1900 )
- Completion of an approved 3-credit directed research project (CS 1950 )
- Completion of a capstone designated course (ex: CS 1980 )
- Completion of at least 2 rotations of an approved co-op ( CS 1906 )
Students are allowed to complete more than one capstone experience but a capstone course may NOT be used in place of a CS Upper-Level Elective course
For full major requirement details, visit the Computer Science course catalog.