B.S. and B.A. in Computer Science

A student can earn either a Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Science. The B.S. program is designed for students who plan to continue in computing after graduation, including technical management and consulting. The B.A. provides a solid computer science background as preparation for work in other fields.

The B.S. and B.A. degree programs both require the same five core courses

• Computer Science 201a or b Introduction to Computer Science

• Computer Science 202a Mathematical Tools for Computer Science²

• Computer Science 223b Data Structures and Programming Techniques

• Computer Science 323a Introduction to Systems Programming and Computer Organization

• Computer Science 365b Design and Analysis of Algorithms

and a senior project, which must be taken as

• Computer Science 490a or b Special Projects.

In addition the B.S. program requires six intermediate or advanced computer science courses as electives, for a total of twelve courses; the B.A., four, for a total of ten. Neither Computer Science 480a or b Directed Reading nor Computer Science 490a or b may be counted as electives.

The prerequisite structure of the core courses is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: The prerequisite structure of the core courses.

Typical schedules beginning in the freshman and sophomore years are given in Tables 1 and 2.

Table 1: Sample B.S. programs for a student starting in the freshman year. Omit two electives from either to get a B.A. program.

	Fall		Spring				Fall		Spring
	CPSC 201		CPSC 223		Freshman				CPSC 201
	CPSC 202		CPSC 365		Sophomore		CPSC 202		CPSC 223
	CPSC 323		Elective
	Elective		Elective		Junior		CPSC 323		CPSC 365
	Elective		Elective				Elective		Elective
									Elective
	CPSC 490		Elective		Senior		Elective		CPSC 490
							Elective		Elective

Table 2: Sample B.S. programs for a student starting in the sophomore year. Omit two electives from either to get a B.A. program.

	Fall		Spring				Fall		Spring
	CPSC 201		CPSC 223		Sophomore				CPSC 201
	CPSC 202								CPSC $223^*$
	CPSC 323		CPSC 365		Junior		CPSC 202		CPSC 365
	Elective		Elective				CPSC 323		Elective
									Elective
	Elective		CPSC 490		Senior		Elective		CPSC 490
	Elective		Elective				Elective		Elective
	Elective						Elective

$^*$Note that it is only possible to take Computer Science 201 and 223 concurrently if one has sufficient programming experience (two courses or the equivalent).

Students are strongly advised to complete Computer Science 201a or b and 223b by the end of their sophomore year. Otherwise the choice of electives may be somewhat limited, especially in the B.S. program.

All sophomore, junior, and senior majors should have their programs approved by their class advisor (see §7.1) or the director of undergraduate studies.

All courses counting toward the major must be taken for a letter grade.

Electives

The five core courses cover the material that every student of computer science should know; the electives give students an opportunity to specialize in particular areas of computer science.

Students considering graduate study in computer science (either immediately following graduation or after working for several years) are advised to take

• Computer Science 421a Compilers and Interpreters

• Computer Science 422b Operating Systems

and one of

• Computer Science 465a Topics in Algorithms

• Computer Science 468a Computational Complexity

• Computer Science 469b Randomized Algorithms,

as well as courses in their intended area of study.

Students interested in applications of computers to scientific and engineering problems are advised to take

• Computer Science 440b Numerical Computation I

in addition to computational courses in Applied Mathematics and Engineering and Applied Science.

To encourage study in interdisciplinary areas where computer science plays a major role, advanced courses³in other departments that involve concepts from computer science and are particularly relevant to an individual program may, with permission of the class advisor or the director of undergraduate studies, be counted as electives. Generally at most two such courses may be used to satisfy the requirements for the B.S. program (one for the B.A. program).

Even if they cannot be counted as electives, some courses in mathematics (e.g., calculus, linear algebra, probability and statistics, optimization, and discrete mathematics) may be beneficial. For example, some graduate programs require calculus and linear algebra.

SUMMARY OF REQUIREMENTS

Prerequisites: None

Number of courses: B.S. degree--twelve term courses taken for a letter grade (including the senior project); B.A. degree--ten term courses taken for a letter grade (including the senior project)

Specific courses required: B.S. and B.A. degrees--CPSC 201a or b, 202a, 223b, 323a, and 365b

Distribution of courses: B.S. degree--six additional intermediate or advanced CPSC courses. B.A. degree--four additional intermediate or advanced CPSC courses

Substitution permitted: Advanced courses in other departments, with permission of the class advisor or the director of undergraduate studies

Senior requirement: Independent project (CPSC 490a or b)