The growing utility of computers in research and education as well as the increased impact of computers on our modern society strongly implies that knowledge of computers and their capabilities should be a part of the basic education of all students. The courses offered in the Department of Computer Science are designed to provide the student with this knowledge and to prepare the student for a career in a field in which there is a growing need for trained personnel. The objective of the undergraduate curriculum in computer science is to develop professionally competent, broadly educated computer scientists who wish to pursue professional careers or graduate studies.

High School Preparation

In addition to general University admission requirements, pre-college preparation should include as many computer science courses as possible and four years of high school mathematics, to include algebra, trigonometry, and pre-calculus. Also recommended are physics, chemistry, and biology.

Accelerated Bachelor of Science to Master of Science Pathway

In addition to the standard Bachelor of Science program pathway, the Department of Computer Science offers an accelerated Bachelor of Science to Master of Science pathway in Computer Science, designed to allow academically strong undergraduate students to begin graduate-level coursework prior to completion of the bachelor’s degree and to complete the Master of Science degree on an accelerated timeline.

Students admitted to the accelerated pathway may complete approved upper-division coursework that applies toward both the BS and MS degrees. The accelerated program supports both a course-only MS option and a thesis MS option. Upon completion of the Bachelor of Science degree and formal admission to the Graduate School, students complete the Master of Science in Computer Science. Please refer to the Computer Science M.S. catalog page for information about the requirements for the Master of Science degree. 

Students in the accelerated program must complete all requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science as published in the Undergraduate Catalog. Students will not be formally admitted to the Graduate School until their undergraduate degree is complete, at which time the restricted credits will be transferred, and the students will officially gain graduate status.

Eligibility and Admission

Undergraduate students majoring in Computer Science may apply to the accelerated BS to MS pathway during the spring semester of their junior year.

Admission requirements include:

• Completion of foundational Computer Science coursework (including the introductory programming sequence and data structures—courses CSCI 150, CSCI 151, CSCI 232, CSCI 332),
• A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5,
• Senior class standing, or when they students have completed a minimum of 105 undergraduate credits and demonstrated their capacity to pursue graduate-level coursework successfully.
• Approval by the Department of Computer Science.

Admission to the accelerated pathway does not constitute admission to the Graduate School. Students must meet all Graduate School admission requirements to formally matriculate into the Master of Science degree.

Double-Counting of Credits

Students admitted to the accelerated BS to MS pathway may apply a limited number of upper-division Computer Science courses toward both the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and the Master of Science in Computer Science.

• Students may count up to 12 credits of approved 400- or 500-level Computer Science (CSCI) courses toward both degree programs. All 400-level courses must be taken with the graduate increment to count.
• Students completing the thesis option for the Master of Science should identify a primary advisor by the end of their junior year and work with that advisor on the accelerated degree plan.

Double-counted courses must:

• Be approved by the Department of Computer Science,
• Be completed with grades meeting Graduate School requirements,
• Appear on an approved plan of study for both degrees.

All credits transferred from the undergraduate to graduate degree program are subject to the policy on transfer credits, with particular attention to the importance of students completing the graduate increment in 400-level courses that may be taken for both undergraduate and graduate credit, taken to fulfill a requirement for a master’s degree. Double-counted credits may not be applied toward any additional degree or certificate.

Advising and Progress Requirements

Students in the accelerated pathway receive advising from the Department of Computer Science throughout both the undergraduate and graduate phases.

Students completing the thesis option of the Master of Science must identify a faculty thesis advisor no later than the end of the junior year.

Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress in accordance with departmental and Graduate School standards. Students who fail to meet program requirements may be removed from the accelerated pathway and continue in the standard Bachelor Science program.