2014-2015 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

Requirements for a Major in Computer Science
Suggested Order of Coursework for a Major 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:

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

CIS 162 - Computer Science I Credits: 4
CIS 163 - Computer Science II Credits: 4
CIS 251 - Computer Organization Credits: 3
CIS 263 - Data Structures and Algorithms Credits: 3
CIS 290 - CIS Internship Preparation Credits: 1
CIS 343 - Structure of Programming Languages Credits: 3
CIS 350 - Introduction to Software Engineering Credits: 3
CIS 353 - Database Credits: 3
CIS 451 - Computer Architecture Credits: 4
CIS 452 - Operating Systems Concepts Credits: 4
CIS 457 - Data Communications Credits: 4
CIS 467 - Computer Science Project Credits: 3 (Capstone course)
CIS 490 - Internship Credits: 2 to 5

Computer Science Elective Courses

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

CIS 335 - Data Mining Credits: 3
CIS 361 - System Programming Credits: 3
CIS 365 - Artificial Intelligence Credits: 3
CIS 367 - Computer Graphics Credits: 3
CIS 368 - Usability Design & Evaluation Credits: 3
CIS 371 - Web Application Programming Credits: 3
CIS 375 - Wireless Networking Systems Credits: 3
CIS 380 - Special Topics in Computer Information Systems Credits: 1 to 4
CIS 458 - System Security Credits: 3
CIS 461 - Compiler Design and Construction Credits: 3
CIS 465 - Automata and Theory of Computation Credits: 3
CIS 480 - Special Topics in Computer Information Systems Credits: 1 to 4

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.

Computer science majors must complete all 24 credit hours of the following cognate courses, plus a minimum of 13 credit hours from one of the following four science groups:

COM 201 - Speech Credits: 3
MTH 201 - Calculus I Credits: 4
MTH 202 - Calculus II Credits: 4
MTH 225 - Discrete Structures: Computer Science Credits: 3
MTH 325 - Discrete Structures: Computer Science 2 Credits: 3
STA 215 - Introductory Applied Statistics Credits: 3 OR STA 312 - Probability and Statistics (3 credits)
WRT 350 - Business Communication Credits: 3

13 Hours of Science

Select one of the following four groups:

BIO 120 - General Biology I (4 credits)
BIO 121 - General Biology II (4 credits)
and additional science course(s) that satisfy the general education requirements

CHM 115 - Principles of Chemistry I (4 credits)
CHM 116 - Principles of Chemistry II (5 credits)
and additional science course(s) that satisfy the general education requirements

PHY 220 - General Physics I (5 credits)
PHY 221 - General Physics II (5 credits)
and additional science course(s) that satisfy the general education requirements

PHY 230 - Principles of Physics I (5 credits)
PHY 231 - Principles of Physics II (5 credits)
and additional science course(s) that satisfy the general education requirements

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: