Computer Science, B.S.C.S.

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

Minimum hours required for the degree: 125

Admission to major: Admission to the Washkewicz College of Engineering

Student Organizations: Association for Computing Machinery

Additional Information: Students in the Computer Science program choose areas of interest from the technical electives in their senior year. The Bachelor of Science in Computer Science is a program in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The Computer Science program prepares engineers to enter and contributions to the field of computing. The program showcases the various roles computing plays in significant aspects of the world.

The program includes a spectrum of courses and considerable laboratory experience. In addition, depth in computer engineering is provided by technical electives.

Program Objectives: The Computer Science program is designed to produce graduates who are able to:

practice computer science
define and diagnose problem and provide and implement computing solutions in industry, business, and government
observe engineering ethics in the practice of computer science
communicate effectively with technically diverse audiences
collaborate with others as a member or as a leader in an engineering team
develop their knowledge beyond the undergraduate level and keep current with advances in computer science

Computer Science students are limited to two grades of D in CIS courses. Technical electives must be chosen from the available CIS courses.

Major-Field Requirements

The following list is a guide to the academic requirements for Computer Science major. Each student’s specific program requires approval from the student’s advisor.

Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Core - 35 credits

General Education Requirements - 14 credits

Required Computer Science Courses - 40 credits

Computer Science Core Choices - 12 credits

Computer Science Technical Electives - 12 credits

12 credit hours required - must be chosen from available EEC or CIS 300/400-level courses

General Education Electives - 12 credits

Students should work with their academic advisor to select general education courses.

Honors Program Requirements

CS honors students are required to complete 15 to 20 credit hours honors courses in the EECS Department. General guidelines for these credit hours are given below. However, the specific courses that each student takes will be agreed upon by the student, the department’s undergraduate advisor, and the student’s honors advisor. The student’s regular undergraduate advisor is responsible for finding an honors advisor who is mutually agreeable to the undergraduate advisor, the honors advisor, and the honors student.

Honors Courses

The honors credits (15 to 20 hours) should be selected from the following list:

Honors Thesis (required) (CIS 499H , 1 to 6 credits)-Each honors student conducts research and writes a thesis under the supervision of an EECS faculty member.
Honors Research (CIS 495H , 1 to 6 credits)-This is research conducted jointly with an EECS faculty, similar to an independent study.
Graduate Course-Any 500 level EECS graduate course for which the student has the prerequisites.
Junior Honors, Senior Honors-Most 300 level and 400 level EECS courses can be expanded to become an honors course. This is referred to by the Honors Program as a “contract course.” This is done in collaboration among the undergraduate advisor, the honors advisor, and the course instructor.

Replaced Credit Hours

Honors credits can be used to replace the equivalent credit hours (15 to 20) of the normally required courses. These replaced credits can include any 400 level EEC or CIS course, with the exception of Senior Design (EEC 493 /494 ) and the required core computer science courses.

University Scholars Requirements

Scholars students who are majoring in Computer Science are required to complete 12 to 20 credit hours of honors courses in the EECS Department. General guidelines for these credit hours are given below. However, the specific courses that each student selects to fulfill upper-division scholars requirements will be agreed upon by the student, the department’s undergraduate advisor, and the student’s scholars advisor. The student’s undergraduate academic advisor is responsible for finding an upper-division scholars advisor who is mutually agreeable to the undergraduate advisor, the scholars advisor, and the student.

Scholars Courses

The honors credits (12 to 20 hours) should be selected from the following list:

Honors Thesis (CIS 499H , 1 to 6 credits)-The student conducts research and writes a thesis under the supervision of an EECS faculty member.
Honors Research (CIS 495H , 1 to 6 credits)-This is research conducted jointly with an EECS faculty, similar to an independent study.
Graduate Course-Any 500 level EECS graduate course for which the student has the prerequisites.
Junior Honors, Senior Honors-Most 300 level or 400 level EECS courses can be expanded to become an honors course. This is referred to by the Honors Program as a “contract course.” This is done in collaboration among the undergraduate advisor, the scholars advisor, and the course instructor.

Replaced Credit Hours

Honors credits can be used to replace the equivalent credit hours (12 to 20) of the normally required courses. These replaced credits can include any 400 level EEC or CIS course, with the exception of Senior Design (EEC 493 /494 ) and the required core computer science courses.