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2012-2013 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog

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Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

Students who wish to major in computer science must complete the following:

Requirements for a Major in Computer Science

1. University Degree Requirements

As identified in the General Academic Regulations section of the catalog.

2. Admission to the Computer Science Major

Admission to major standing in computer science (CS) or information systems (IS) is competitive and requires an application for admittance into the major. Applicants must meet the following criteria:

  1. Overall GPA of 2.5 or above in all Grand Valley State University coursework.
  2. Completion of each course in the CS Foundation or the IS Foundation with a grade of C or above (C- is not sufficient).
  3. GPA of 2.5 or above in the CS Foundation or the IS Foundation.

The CS foundation includes CIS 162 and 163; MTH 225; STA 215, 312 or 318; and either COM 201 or WRT 350. (The IS foundation is listed in the catalog with the information systems major.) Completing the CS (or IS) foundation courses requires programming, analytical reasoning, and communication skills. These skills are important to excel in the computing field.

The CS/IS foundation GPA is calculated on no more than one repeat per course. Achievement of the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the major. The School of CIS will also consider internship availability and the applicants suitability for internships before granting admission. Transfer students must complete at least six hours of CIS coursework before applying, but should consult with a CIS advisor before scheduling their first semester.

NOTE: While admission to major standing in computer science may be achieved with completion of the IS foundation instead of the CS foundation, it is still necessary to complete all the required courses of the computer science major.

3. Computer Science Major

All computer science majors must complete the following 41-44 credits of required CIS classes and nine hours of CIS electives with a minimum 2.0 GPA.

Required Computer Science Courses:

Computer Science Elective Courses

All computer science majors must select three electives (at least nine hours) from the following:

4. Cognate Courses

Completion of MTH 201, MTH 202, and either STA 215 or 312 satisfy the B.S. degree cognate requirement for computer science majors. Students completing a B.A. degree must complete a third-semester proficiency in a foreign language.

Computer science majors must complete all 24 credit hours of the following cognate courses, plus a minimum of 12 credit hours from one of the following four science groups:

12 Hours of Science

Select one 3-course science group from the following 4 groups:

Suggested Order of Coursework for a Major in Computer Science

This suggested order of coursework assumes that students will complete the CS foundation and general education courses with the help of their advisor and apply for admission at the end of the winter semester of their first year. The following course sequence also assumes a strong mathematics background for the entering student. If mathematics deficiencies exist, completing the mathematics prerequisites should be the student's top priority.

First Year:

Second Year:

Third Year:

Fourth Year:

Click here for the program description.


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