Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

Computer Science

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

The Bachelor of Science Computer Science Program is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Computer Science Program Criteria.

The Computer Science Department offers a complete four-year program of study leading to a BS degree in Computer Science. The undergraduate curriculum provides students with theoretical foundations and practical experience in both hardware and software aspects of computers. The curriculum in computer science is integrated with courses in the sciences and the humanities to offer an education that is broad, yet of sufficient depth and relevance to enhance student employment opportunities upon graduation. As a degree program within a professional school of the university, the curriculum is based on the criterion that graduates are expected to function successfully in a professional employment environment immediately upon graduation.

Program Educational Objectives 

The Department of Computer Science has established the following Program Educational Objectives for the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.

Competency in Computer Science Principles

  • Alumni should have the ability to find and access information relevant to an application under development  
  • Alumni should have the ability to model various problem domains and convert them into software solutions  
  • Alumni should have the ability to apply techniques of algorithm design and automata theory to new problem solving situations  
  • Alumni should demonstrate the ability to draw upon the expertise of others and negotiate solutions to a problem as a productive technical team member  
  • Alumni should demonstrate an understanding of the impact of computer problem solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context  

Creativity in Applying Computer Knowledge

  • Alumni should be able to generate new and innovative solutions to solve problems or meet requirements in their discipline  
  • Alumni should be able to integrate global, economic, environmental, and societal considerations into their problem solutions  

Devotion to Lifelong Learning

  • Alumni will be prepared to learn on their own whatever is required to stay current in their chosen profession, for example, learning new programming languages, algorithms, developmental methodologies, etc.  
  • Alumni should be prepared to do continual learning throughout their careers, to include such things as pursuing advanced degrees, attending short courses, reading technical or trade journals, participating in sabbaticals, etc.
  • Alumni will be prepared to pursue careers in all branches of computer science including technical development, project management, and technical sales 

Program Student Learning Outcomes

The Department of Computer Science has established the following Student Outcomes for the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. By the time of graduation, students are expected to demonstrate: 

1. Analyze a complex computing problem and to apply principles of computing and other relevant disciplines to identify solutions.

2. Design, implement, and evaluate a computing-based solution to meet a given set of computing requirements in the context of the program’s discipline.

3. Communicate effectively in a variety of professional contexts.

4. Recognize professional responsibilities and make informed judgments in computing practice based on legal and ethical principles.

5. Function effectively as a member or leader of a team engaged in activities appropriate to the program’s discipline.

6. Apply computer science theory and software development fundamentals to produce computing-based solutions.

 

 
Enrollment Data

 

Year

Fall Enrollment

Bachelor Degree Conferrals

Masters Degree Conferrals

PhD Degree Conferrals

2017

    274

      48

    14

     4

2018

    298

      35

    21

     9

2019

    310

     73

    13

     7

2020

     310

     75

    10

    10

2021

    291

     71

    14

    13

2022

    250

     66

    14

     6

BSCS Enrollment and Graduates for Academic Year 2017-2022. The source of the data is the Office of Institutional Research at UCCS.

Admission Requirements

Admission Criteria for Freshman Students

  • Rank in the upper 30th percentile of high school graduating class
  • ACT composite score of 25 or above or an SAT composite score of 1120 or above

Expected high school work is:

  • English - 4 units
  • Math - 4 units (at least two years of algebra, one year geometry, one year advanced math)
  • Natural Science - 3 units (one year physics, one year of chemistry)
  • Social Science - 2 units (government, history, economics, psychology, sociology)
  • Foreign Language - 2 units (all in a single language)
  • Academic Electives - 1 unit

Students that do not meet assured admission criteria can be admitted by the Engineering Committee, but are not guaranteed admission to the College of Engineering.

Transfer students

Student must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 with at least 30 hours of college course work. To be admitted, the student should have a solid math and science background in college coursework. Transfer students will almost always be reviewed by the Engineering Committee to determine coursework completed at college level.

For application information: How To Apply

For further information contact the Engineering Advisor at the Student Success Center.

Program Information

Degree Requirements

The Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science requires the following:

  • Completion of at least 120 hours.
  • A minimum 2.0 average in all CS courses taken and in all CU courses taken.
  • CS majors must complete an exit interview the semester they intend to graduate.

Computer Science Core Courses (and their Pre/Co-Requisites)

  • CS 1150 Principles of Computer Science 3 (HS Algebra, familiarity with computer concepts including file operations and text editing)
  • CS 1450 Data Structures & Algorithms 3 (CS 1150)
  • CS 2060 Programming in C 3 (CS 1150)
  • CS 2080 Programming with UNIX 2 (CS 1450)
  • CS 2160 Computer Org. & Assembly Language 3 (CS 1450, CS 2060)
  • CS 3050 Computing Ethics (CS 2080)
  • CS 3060 Object Oriented Programming in C++ 3 (CS 2060, CS 2080) OR CS 3020 Adv Object Tech Using C#/.NET 3 (CS 1450) OR CS 3080 Python Programming 3 (CS1150, CS 1450)
  • CS 3160 Concepts of Programming Languages 3 (CS 2060, CS 2160, CS 3020 OR CS 3060)
  • CS 3300 Software Engineering 3 (CS 2080, CS 3160, CS 3020 OR CS 3060)
  • CS 4200 Computer Architecture I 3 (CS 2160)
  • CS 4220 Computer Networks 3 (CS 2060, CS 2150 OR MATH 2150)
  • CS 4300 Advanced Software Engineering 3 (CS 3160, CS 3300)
  • CS 4500 Operating Systems I 3 (CS 2060, CS 2080, CS 4200)
  • CS 4720 Design & Analysis of Algorithms 3 (CS 1450, MATH 2150)
  • TOTAL 40 CREDITS

Computer Science Specialty Areas (Tracks)

Students choose up to 12 credit hours depending on their chosen track.

Advanced Software Engineering:  CS 3110, 4310, 4320, 4340, 4350.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning:  CS 3880, 4435, 4440, 4460, 4710, 4730, 4820, 4850, 4860, 4870, 4890.

Computer Systems and Networking:  CS 3910, 4410, 4420, 4540, 4550, 4740, ECE 4330.

Cybersecurity:  CS 2910, 3910, 4910, 4920, 4930, 4940, 4950, 4970, 4980.

General Computer Science:  Complete 12 credit hours from upper-division (3000+ level) CS courses, with at least 6 hours at the 4000 level.

Mathematics (and their Pre/Co-requisites)

All courses in this section must be completed. Total of 17 credit hours.

  • MATH 1350 Calculus I 4 (MATH 1050 or score of 10 on Calc. Readiness Exam)
  • MATH 1360 Calculus II 4 (MATH 1350)
  • CS 2020 Intro Stats for Data Analytics 3 (CS 1120 or Cs 1150 or ECE 1021) or Math 3810 Intro to Probability and Statistics 3 (Math 2350 with grade of "C" or better) or ECE 3610 Eng Probability and Statistics 3 (MATH 2350)
  • CS 2150 Discrete Structures 3 (CS 1450, MATH 1040 OR MATH 1350) OR MATH 2150 Discrete Mathematics 3 (MATH 1350)
  • CS 2300 Computational Linear Algebra 3 (MATH 90) OR MATH 3130 Intro. to Linear Algebra 3 (MATH 1350)

Basic Science (and their Pre/Co-Requisites)

Complete one Basic Science sequence from the options below.

Physics:  PES 1110 General Physics I 4 (Co-req. MATH 1350), 1120 General Physics II 4 (PES 1110, Co-req. MATH 1360) and 1160 General Physics Lab 1(Co-req. PES 1110) must be completed.

Chemistry: CHEM 1401 General Chemistry I 4 (pre-req. CHEM 1001, co-req. CHEM 1402), CHEM 1402 General Chemistry Lab 1 (co-req. CHEM 1401), CHEM 1411 General Chemistry 2 4 (CHEM 1402, CHEM 1402 with grades of "C" or better; co-req. CHEM 1412), CHEM 1412 General Chemistry Lab II 1 (co-req. 1411).

Total science requirement is 9-10 credit hours.

Writing Skills

Students will choose 6 credit hours.

  • ENGL 1308 Rhetoric & Writing with Supplemental Instruction 4, ENGL 1310 Rhetoric & Writing I 3 (Score of 19+ on ACT Engl or 450+ on SAT Verb ENGL 3090 Technical Writing and Presentation 3 ENGL 1310), ENGL 1305 Rhetoric & Writing Stretch B 3 (ENGL 1300 with grade of C- or better)
  • TCID 2090 Tech Writing & Presentation 3 (ENGL 1308 or ENGL 1310 or ENGL 1410)
  • PORT 3000 Writing Portfolio Assessment (ENGL 2090)

Compass Curriculum Humanities/Social Science Requirements 

Complete 12 hours of Humanities/Social Science Electives. Complete a Gateway Seminar (GPS 1010), an Explore - Arts, Humanities, and Cultures course, an Explore - Society, Behavior, and Health course, an Explore - Physical and Natural World course (CHEM 1401 or PES 1110), a Navigate course - see Degree Audit, a Summit course (CS 4300), two Writing Intensive Courses (at least one 3000+, CS 3050), an Inclusiveness course - see Degree Audit, and a Sustainability course - see Degree Audit. Some of these courses are already included in the major.  For more information about these requirements, refer to the Compass Curriculum. Total 23

General Electives

Complete 24 general electives hours to fulfill the total hours requirement for the degree program.  The chosen course(s) can be selected from any discipline but may not include any math course below MATH 1350.  Only 3 credit hours of CS course work numbered below CS 1150 may count toward electives.

To help plan your degree program, refer to the Computer Science Major Advising Guide.

For application information: How To Apply

For further information, contact an enrollment advisor through the Admissions page.

 

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