Mar 28, 2024  
2012-2013 UMass Dartmouth Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2012-2013 UMass Dartmouth Undergraduate Catalog [Archived Catalog]

Computer Science Major


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BS degree

Computer Science majors may choose from a wide selection of courses including software engineering, computer languages, artificial intelligence, compilers, computer networks, operating systems, computer architecture, computer graphics, parallel computing, human computer interaction and data bases, and theory. The undergraduate computer science curriculum is object-oriented, lab intensive and directed toward software development. The courses are supported by a network of state-of-the-art workstations and various specialized laboratories.

The Computer Science bachelor’s degree program is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET (www.abet.org).

Computer Science majors must fulfill the requirements shown below. In addition, all Computer Science majors must complete the CIS Department Exit Survey in their final semester.

Calculation of the GPA in the Computer Science Major

Students must have a minimum 2.000 cumulative grade point average (GPA) for all courses taken at the University in order to graduate. Students must also have a minimum 2.000 cumulative GPA in the major. For purposes of this computation:

  1. All required courses with a CIS prefix count in calculating the GPA for the Computer Science major. These include all the CIS core courses plus CIS 362 and CIS 381.
  2. All courses on the approved list of CIS technical electives count in calculating the GPA for the Computer Science major, whether or not they are used to satisfy the technical elective requirement.
  3. All other courses are excluded from the calculation of the major cumulative GPA, even if they have a CIS prefix.
  4. If a course is repeated, only the most recent course grade (whether higher or lower) shall be used to calculate the major cumulative GPA.

Requirements


Technical Electives for Computer Science Software Engineering option


Complete three additional courses from the following CIS technical electives, each with a grade of ‘C’ or better.

Requirements For All Computer Science Majors


In addition to the above core and technical requirements, all Computer Science Majors, whether choosing the Software Engineering option or the standard program, are required to complete the following course requirements:

Total credits: at least 120


University Studies Requirements for Computer Science


Degree candidates for the BS degree in Computer Science must satisfy the University Studies requirements as described in the Academic Policies section of this Catalogue.

  • University Studies requirements in Clusters 1, 2A and 5 are automatically satisfied by the courses shown as required for this major.
  • The University Studies requirements in Clusters 2B, 3, and 4 may be fulfilled by selecting courses from the approved lists in each cluster, using the University Studies electives shown in the course requirement tables for each major.

University Studies Departmental Requirements


Students majoring in Computer Science will meet their departmentally-determined University Studies requirements as follows:

Alternative Paths Program Requirements


Depending on the results of placement testing, incoming first-year students may be placed in MTH 131 Pre-Calculus, whose successful completion is required before moving on to MTH 111 Calculus. Some students may be placed in MTH 100, whose successful completion is required before moving on to MTH 131 Pre-Calculus.

First Year Courses for Precalculus-Ready Freshmen


First Semester: 12 or 13 credits


  •  University Studies requirement - 3 credits

Second Semester: 14 credits


  •  University Studies requirement - 3 credits

First-Year Courses for Algebra-Ready Freshmen


First Semester: 12 or 13 credits


  •  University Studies requirement - 3 credits

Second Semester: 12 credits


  •  University Studies requirement - 3 credits

Footnote


* The CIS department has a policy to place students with a high school GPA of 3.2 or higher in CIS 180 and those with a GPA below 3.2 in CIS 160. However, this is not a strict rule. Other factors, such as prior programming experience, may be taken into account. Students who feel they have been placed inappropriately should discuss their individual situation with their academic advisor.

**Students receive 3 administrative credits for Math 100. Administrative credits do not count towards the total credits required for graduation.

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