Computer Science Major, Minor, and 3/2 Engineering Degrees

Related information:

Computer science course descriptions and cycles
Information about the CS comprehensive exam

Important: The department offers two distinct majors -- Mathematics and Computer Science.

  • Majors in either single discipline
    must complete 19 full course credits (76 hours) from outside the major.

  • A double major (math & cs) in the department must take a comprehensive exam in each major and
    must take 12 full course credits (48 hours) outside the department.

  • The detailed requirements for majoring, minoring, and achieving honors in computer science are listed below.

Bachelor of Science: Four (4) of your outside courses must be from:

    biology, chemistry, physics or certain designated courses in psychology, forestry & geology

Click here for summary course requirements for all degrees listed below!

The Major in Computer Science

A major in Computer Science must complete the equivalent of the following three foundation courses:

Computer Science 157 (Introduction to Programming);
Computer Science 257 (Data Structures); and
Computer Science 270 (Computer Organization);

the following three core courses:

Computer Science 320 (Analysis of Algorithms);
Computer Science 284 (Databases with Web Applications);
Computer Science 428 (Operating Systems);

and two electives selected from the Computer Science courses numbered 270 and above; and one elective (also CS) numbered 300 and above

in addition to the following requirements:

 
(1)
Three mathematics courses, including
  • Calculus I (Math 101),
  • Discrete Mathematical Structures (Math 215).
  • Any other math or statistics course numbered 102 or higher.
 
(2)
A series of projects and talks in most upper level computer science courses, culminating in a public talk during the senior year on an advanced topic in computer science.
 
(3)
A written and an oral comprehensive examination, typically taken during the senior year.
Instructions for "comp"-ing seniors...

Honors in Computer Science

The Minor in Computer Science

For a minor in computer science, students must take

Computer Science 157 (Introduction to Programming) and
Computer Science 257 (Data Structures)

and any three courses in computer science numbered 270 or above.

With the permission of the department, students who are well prepared may begin their sequence with Computer Science 257.

The Computer Science Major in the 3/2 Engineering Program

A Computer Science major in the 3/2 Engineering Program must successfully complete the equivalent of the following introductory courses:

Computer Science 157 (Introduction to Programming)
Computer Science 257 (Data Structures)
Computer Science 270 (Computer Organization)

and the following two advanced courses:

Computer Science 320 (Analysis of Algorithms)
Computer Science 428 (Operating Systems)

and one additional Computer Science course numbered 300 or above (for a total of 6 courses).

With the permission of the department, students who are well-prepared may begin their Computer Science sequence with Computer Science 257.