Oct 12, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Computer Science (BA)


Program Educational Goals:


The Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science involves the study of computer science in the context of a broad liberal arts education. Students in this program shall engage significantly with subjects in four major areas of knowledge: the creative arts and humanities; history and cultural change; social and behavioral sciences; and mathematics, natural science, and technology. In addition, graduates will be able to:

  • Exhibit intermediate proficiency in an ancient or modern foreign language.
  • Communicate in writing with clarity and precision.
  • Design computational solutions to real-world problems and encode these using a variety of programming languages and paradigms.
  • Apply knowledge of the basic organization of computing hardware to design and write effective assembly language and systems-level programs.
  • Recognize and employ a range of standard algorithms, data structures, and design patterns, and weigh their advantages and disadvantages to design efficient solutions .
  • Employ a modern software development process, which includes gathering requirements, design specification, and testing.
  • Work effectively on multidisciplinary teams to solve complex problems.
  • Effectively communicate technical information to a broad audience.

University Requirements:


College Requirements:


Additional Breadth Requirements:


The College of Engineering requires 25 additional Breadth Requirement credits distributed as follows (minimum grade of C-):

  • Six credits Creative Arts and Humanities
  • Six credits History and Cultural Change
  • Six credits Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • Seven credits Math, Natural Science and Technology (four of these credits must be in the form of a science course with an associated lab)

Coursework in each of the four groups must represent at least two departments or instructional units. If all but one course in a group has been taken in one department or program, a course crosslisted with that program will not satisfy the ditribution requirement.

Of the 37 total breadth credits, three credits may be used to satisfy the University Multicultural Requirement (recommended for timely progress toward degree completion).

With few exceptions, students may not use courses from their major to satisfy breadth requirement coursework.

Foreign Language:


  • Completion of the intermediate-level course (107,112, or 202) in an ancient or modern language with minimum grades of D-.
    • The number of credits (0-12) needed and initial placement will depend on the number of years of high school study of foreign language.
      • Students with four or more years of high school work in a single foreign language, or who have gained proficiency in a foreign language by other means, may attempt to fulfill the requirement in that language by taking an exemption examination  through the Languages, Literatures and Cultures Department.

Second Writing Requirement:


A Second Writing Requirement  approved by the College of Arts and Sciences. This course must be taken after completion of 60 credit hours, completed with a minimum grade of C-, and the section enrolled must be designated as satisfying the requirement in the academic term completed.

Major Requirements:


Minimum grade C- in the CISC courses. Minimum grade C- in MATH 210  for students who wish to take CISC 303  or CISC 304 .

No more than 45 credits with the same department prefix (including crosslisted courses) may be counted toward the total required for the degree.

Electives:


After required courses are completed, sufficient elective credits must be taken to meet the minimum credit requirement for the degree.

Credits to Total a Minimum of 124


Last Revised for 2018-2019 Academic Year