Computer Science - Comprehensive Emphasis Requirements (BS)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements 1 | ||
| Software Development Fundamentals: | ||
| COMPSCI 172 | INTRODUCTION TO JAVA | 3 |
| or COMPSCI 174 | INTRODUCTION TO C++ | |
| COMPSCI 220 | INTERMEDIATE JAVA | 3 |
| or COMPSCI 221 | INTERMEDIATE PROGRAMMING IN C# | |
| or COMPSCI 222 | INTERMEDIATE C++ | |
| COMPSCI 223 | DATA STRUCTURES | 3 |
| Core Courses: | ||
| COMPSCI 271 | COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND ASSEMBLY PROGRAMMING | 3 |
| COMPSCI 320 | CONCEPTS OF PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES | 3 |
| COMPSCI 366 | DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS | 3 |
| COMPSCI 412 | EMBEDDED SYSTEMS | 3 |
| COMPSCI 424 | OPERATING SYSTEMS | 3 |
| COMPSCI 433 | THEORY OF ALGORITHMS | 3 |
| COMPSCI 434 | THEORY OF COMPUTATION | 3 |
| COMPSCI 476 | SOFTWARE ENGINEERING | 3 |
| Ethics and Technology: | ||
| LIBST 350 | TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY | 3 |
| or PHILSPHY 245 | CONTEMPORARY MORAL ISSUES | |
| or PHILSPHY 246 | BUSINESS ETHICS | |
| Writing Requirement: | ||
| ENGLISH 370 | ADVANCED COMPOSITION | 3 |
| or PWP 371 | WRITING IN THE SCIENCES | |
| or PWP 372 | TECHNICAL AND PROFESSIONAL WRITING | |
| Electives: | 12 | |
Any undergraduate COMPSCI courses numbered 300 or higher | ||
Any graduate COMPSCI courses numbered 700 or higher 2 | ||
| GRAPH THEORY | ||
| NUMERICAL ANALYSIS | ||
| Total Units | 51 | |
- 1
An approved minor is not required for this major. However, students in this major may be able to add a minor in Mathematics or in Statistics by completing 8 to 13 additional units of mathematics courses. Consult your advisor or the Department of Mathematics for more information.
- 2
Graduate courses (500+) may have additional requirements prior to enrollment by undergraduate students. See the Seniors Taking Graduate Courses Policy for further information. Undergraduate students taking graduate courses are not generally permitted to enroll in COMPSCI 789, COMPSCI 793, COMPSCI 798, or COMPSCI 799.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Unique Requirement | ||
| MATH 253 | CALCULUS AND ANALYTIC GEOMETRY I | 5 |
| MATH 280 | DISCRETE MATHEMATICS | 3 |
| or COMPSCI 215 | DISCRETE STRUCTURES | |
| MATH 355 | MATRICES AND LINEAR ALGEBRA | 3 |
| STAT 342 | APPLIED STATISTICS | 3 |
Four-Year Plan: This four-year plan outlines a suggested curricular path for new students aiming to earn a degree within in four years. Please note that this plan represents just one of many paths to degree completion.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Units | Spring | Units |
| ENGLISH 1011 | 3 | ENGLISH 102 | 3 |
| MATH 142 | 4 | MATH 151 | 3 |
| COMPSCI 165 | 3 | COMPSCI 172 or 174 | 3 |
| CORE 130 | 3 | CORE 140 | 3 |
| INTRAUNV 104 | 1 | Elective (SBS-E or SBS-S) | 3 |
| PEGNRL 192 | 1 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Units | Spring | Units |
| COMPSCI 220, 221, or 222 | 3 | COMPSCI 271 | 3 |
| MATH 253 | 5 | COMPSCI 223 | 3 |
| CORE 110 | 3 | COMPSCI 215 | 3 |
| Lab Science (NSWL) Course | 4-5 | Lab Science (NSWL) Course | 4-5 |
| 15-16 | 13-14 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Units | Spring | Units |
| COMPSCI 320 | 3 | COMPSCI 412 | 3 |
| COMPSCI 366 | 3 | COMPSCI 424 | 3 |
| COMPSCI 300/400-Level Technical Elective | 3 | COMPSCI 300/400-Level Technical Elective | 3 |
| MATH 355 | 3 | STAT 342 | 3 |
| COMM 110 | 3 | U.S. Racial/Ethnic Diversity (DV) course | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Units | Spring | Units |
| COMPSCI 433 | 3 | COMPSCI 434 | 3 |
| COMPSCI 476 | 3 | COMPSCI 300/400-Level Technical Elective | 3 |
| COMPSCI 300/400-Level Techninal Elective | 3 | PWP 371, 372, or ENGLISH 370 | 3 |
| Ethics and Technology course | 3 | CORE 390 | 3 |
| Elective Course | 3 | Elective course to 120 (if needed) | 5-6 |
| 15 | 17-18 | ||
| Total Units: 120-123 | |||
- 1
The math and English courses you will take during your first year will depend on UW System placement exam scores or ACT/SAT subscores. This four-year plan reflects the math and English courses most common for students in this major. All students are encouraged to complete placement testing prior to attending Warhawks SOAR (Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration).
First Year: The Thinking In Code Learning Community is a great option for first-year students with a major in computer science or considering a major in computer science. Joining a university-sponsored club and actively participating is strongly encouraged.
Involvement in a club or activity will help you develop interpersonal skills, give you the opportunity to learn and practice leadership skills, and adds to your resume.
*Student Organizations
- ISACA - students collaborate and develop skills in areas like IT auditing, cybersecurity, and data privacy
- GAMED - for students interested in designing their own games
- ACM - people with mutual interest and love for Computer Science
- Robotics - collaborate with other students to build and compete in robotics
Watch for “COMPSCI Update” weekly emails for more information about ways to get involved.
Second Year: The Undergraduate Research Program (URP) is recommended for students who have an interest in attending graduate school in the future. Completing a directed research project with a faculty mentor has many benefits: it develops a student’s critical thinking and writing abilities, signals to graduate school programs that a student is prepared for independent research of their own, and it can provide a student with financial support since many undergraduate research opportunities are paid.
Third Year: An internship is an experiential learning opportunity that provides students with hands-on experience in a potential career field, supervision and coaching from prospective employers, and the ability to learn professional norms and behaviors. In addition, completing an internship allows students to differentiate themselves in a competitive job market. Students should begin planning for an internship by the beginning of the junior year and can complete the internship in the junior or senior year. The internship course, COMPSCI 493, counts as an upper-level technical elective.
Also, Career Information in Letters and Sciences, LSINDP 399, is a 1-credit course that focuses on career and graduate school opportunities; identifying skills, strengths, and work values; creating effective job search materials; developing a networking strategy; and planning to a successful post-graduation transition.
Fourth Year: All students must earn at least 120 credits to earn a bachelor’s degree and many students have the opportunity to choose additional courses in the fourth year to expand skills, explore interests, or try something new.
Planning for Graduation: Students should apply for graduation one full semester prior to their intended graduation date. Information about commencement and the application for graduation are on the Registrar’s Office website.
*Computer Science department hardware recommendations:
- Operating System. For Computer Science or Cybersecurity students a Windows-based laptop if possible, since most of the programs work well with this operating system.
- CPU. Intel i7/ AMD 7 or above is recommended for CPU
- Memory. 16GB or above for RAM
- Hard Drive. SSD (Solid State Drive) with >= 512GB for hard disk.