Requirements

Computer Science Major

Students majoring in computer science must complete the four courses in the core sequence (CSCI 2100 or CSCI 2101; CSCI 2102; CSCI 2200; and CSCI 2330), five additional electives 2000-level or above and one mathematics course 1300-level or above. The electives must satisfy the following distribution requirements: at least one in theory, at least one in systems, at least one in artificial intelligence, at least one projects course, and at least two 3000-level courses.   An elective course may be used to satisfy multiple requirements (for e.g. CSCI 3325 Distributed Systems checks 3000-level, projects and systems). Each of the courses required for the major must be taken for a regular letter grade (not Credit/D/Fail) with a minimum earned grade of C-. Independent Studies and Honors Projects do not count towards the required courses for the major. Students who place in CSCI 1101 must take CSCI 1101 before starting the core sequence.

a

Students with a placement in CSCI 2101 Data Structures and Advanced Programming I are exempt from taking CSCI 1101 Introduction to Computer Science or CSCI 1103 Accelerated Introduction to Computer Science

b

At least two of these courses must be at the 3000-level

Additional Information and Department Policies

• Students interested in majoring in computer science must complete CSCI 2102 Data Structures and Advanced Programming II with a letter grade of C- or better by the end of their sophomore year. Prospective majors are also encouraged to satisfy their mathematics requirement as early as possible (ideally in their first two years).

• Each of the courses required for the major or minor must be taken for a regular letter grade (not Credit/D/Fail) with a minimum earned grade of C-.

• For all CSCI courses, a grade of C- or better must be earned in the course for it to serve as a prerequisite for another computer science course.

• Independent Studies and Honors Projects do not count towards the required courses for the major.

• At most two of the ten computer science courses required for the major, or one of the four computer science courses required for the minor, can be transfer credit from other institutions. Transfer credit cannot be used to fulfill the 3000-level requirement.

• Majors may double-count one course with another department or program. Minors may not double-count any courses with another department or program. 

• Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate scores, in addition to the computer science placement survey, are only used for placement.

• Students—particularly those who intend to do graduate work in computer science—are encouraged to collaborate with faculty on research projects through independent studies, honors projects, and fellowship-funded summer research.

Information for Incoming Students

Students interested in computer science start with one of two courses, based on the computer science and mathematics placement surveys:

• CSCI 1101 Introduction to Computer Science  or
• CSCI 2100 Accelerated Data Structures and Advanced Programming I

CSCI 1101 Introduction to Computer Science  is the entry point for students with no prior background in computer science. It is an introduction to programming, computational thinking and problem solving using the Python programming language. 

CSCI 2100 Accelerated Data Structures and Advanced Programming I is the entry point for students with a background in computer science (e.g. from AP classes), which usually includes some knowledge of data structures and Java.  CSCI 2100 covers the same materials as CSCI 1101 Introduction to Computer Science + CSCI 2101 Data Structures and Advanced Programming I at an accelerated pace. It starts with a crash course into Python (which is used in the upper level AI electives),  followed by the standard data structures and Java curriculum from CSCI 2101. 

These two classes are the entry points for the two pathways into the computer science curriculum:

• CSCI 1101 --> CSCI 2101 --> CSCI 2102:   Start with CSCI 1101 Introduction to Computer Science, continue with CSCI 2101 Data Structures and Advanced Programming I and CSCI 2102 Data Structures and Advanced Programming II

• CSCI 2100 --> CSCI 2102:  Start with CSCI 2100 Accelerated Data Structures and Advanced Programming I and continue with CSCI 2102 Data Structures and Advanced Programming II 

Placements are binding and may not be overridden without permission of the department. 

Students with a placement of CSCI 2100 should note that this course is normally offered only in the fall; CSCI 1101 Introduction to Computer Science and CSCI 2101 Data Structures and Advanced Programming I are offered every semester. 

Math placements: 

• Students with a placement of of MATH 1050 Quantitative Reasoning should complete MATH 1050 Quantitative Reasoning before taking a computer science course.
• Students with a placement of MATH 1600 Differential Calculus should complete MATH 1600 Differential Calculus before taking CSCI 2100 Accelerated Data Structures and Advanced Programming I  or CSCI 2101 Data Structures and Advanced Programming I.

CS + X:

Can you live in today's world without understanding computational problem solving and basic programming? Students are strongly encouraged to take their first computer science course during their first year, when they have priority registration.  Students who intend to pursue a computer science major are required to complete CSCI 2102 Data Structures and Advanced Programming II with a letter grade of C- or above by the end of their sophomore year.  

Prior knowledge of computer science is used for placement only and does not count as credit towards the major. Students with any questions about appropriate placement should talk to a member of the department prior to registration.