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Undergraduate program

The undergraduate computer science program is designed to provide students with the educational background required for a professional career in the computing industry and for further study at the graduate level. The program includes a core of required courses and an elective program of courses over a wide range of topics. Seniors work in teams to carry out community-based projects during the two-term capstone course in software engineering.

The undergraduate Computer Science program is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Computer Science and Similarly Named Computing Program Criteria.

Degree Maps and Learning Outcomes

Program Objectives

Admission requirements

Computer Science B.S.

Linguistics & Computer Science B.S.

Computer Science Minor

Computer Science - Honors track

Biomedical informatics program

Computer Science B.S.

Majors in computer science must complete the following University and departmental degree requirements.

  1. All computer science courses used to satisfy the departmental major must be graded C or better. Phl 314U, if used to satisfy the departmental major, must be graded C or better. Courses taken outside the department as part of departmental requirements must be graded C- or better. If a course is offered only on a Pass/No Pass (P/NP) grading scale, it must be graded as a Pass.

  2. All courses specifically required by the department must be taken for a letter grade unless a required course is only offered with a Pass/No Pass option.

  3. After admission to the computer science program, students are required to complete a minimum of 44 upper-division computer science credits in residence at PSU.

  4. Freshmen entering with 29 or fewer prior university/college credits must complete all University Studies requirements, including first year and sophomore inquiry sequences and upper-division cluster courses.

  5. Transfer students must have a minimum of 39 credits of University Studies courses and/or arts and letters/social science courses prior to graduation; 12 of these credits are upper-division cluster courses that must be taken at PSU. Transfer students should consult with the CS departmental adviser for more information.

  6. Junior standing (90 credits) is required for registration in upper-division computer science courses.

 

The following is a sample curriculum. Students choosing to make modifications to this schedule are urged to consult with an adviser.

Requirements

Freshman year

CS 161Introduction to Programming and Problem-Solving

4
CS 162Introduction to Computer Science

4
Mth 251ZDifferential Calculus

4
Mth 252ZIntegral Calculus

4
 
Approved Laboratory Science

15
First Year Inquiry

15
Total Credit Hours:46

Sophomore year

CS 163Data Structures

4
CS 205System Programming and Architecture

4
CS 250Discrete Structures I

4
CS 251Discrete Structures II

4
 
Mth 253ZCalculus: Sequences and Series

4
or
Mth 261Introduction to Linear Algebra

4
  
Sophomore Inquiry

8
Free electives

16
Total Credit Hours:44

Junior year

CS 302Programming Methodologies and Software Implementation

4
CS 314Elements of Software Engineering

4
CS 333Introduction to Operating Systems

4
CS 350Algorithms and Complexity

4
CS 486Introduction to Database Management Systems

4
Approved Computer Science security elective

4
 
CS 305Social, Ethical, and Legal Implications of Computing

4
or
Phl 314UComputer Ethics

4
  
Wr 227ZTechnical Writing

4
Upper-division cluster

12
Total Credit Hours:44

Senior year

CS 358Principles of Programming Languages

4
CS 469Software Engineering Capstone I

4
CS 470Software Engineering Capstone II

4
Approved upper-division computer science electives

20
CS 311 and/or approved Math and Statistics electives

7
Free electives

7
Total Credit Hours:46

Upper Division Credits

Approved Computer Science security elective

Students must complete one course related to the principles and practices for secure computing. The current list of approved courses includes:

CS 489Introduction to Privacy-aware Computing

4
CS 491Introduction to Computer Security

4
CS 492Malware Reverse Engineering

4
CS 495Web and Cloud Security

4
CS 496Network Security

4

Approved upper-division Computer Science electives

The total may include any regular 300- and 400-level computer science course, and any of the courses:

ECE 341Introduction to Computer Hardware

4
ECE 485Microprocessor System Design

4
ECE 486Computer Architecture

4

except that no more than a total of 4 credits may be taken from:

CS 401Research

1-12
CS 405Reading and Conference

1-12
CS 406Special Projects

1-12
CS 407Seminar

1-12
CS 409Practicum

1-9

If CS 311 is used as an approved upper-division Computer Science elective, then it cannot also be used to satisfy the approved Math and Statistics elective.

Additionally, CS 404, University Studies courses, and courses specifically described as not being applicable to the CS degree may not be used.

Approved Laboratory Science

Students must select 3 courses from the following, including their associated laboratories:

Biology:

Bi 221ZPrinciples of Biology: Cells

5
Bi 222ZPrinciples of Biology: Organisms

5
Bi 223ZPrinciples of Biology: Ecology and Evolution

5

Chemistry:

Ch 221ZGeneral Chemistry I

4
Ch 222ZGeneral Chemistry II

4
Ch 223ZGeneral Chemistry III

4
With
Ch 227ZGeneral Chemistry I Laboratory

1
Ch 228ZGeneral Chemistry II Laboratory

1
Ch 229ZGeneral Chemistry III Laboratory

1

Geology:

G 201Dynamic Earth: Interior

3
G 202Dynamic Earth: Surface

3
With
G 203Historical Geology

3
G 204Geology Laboratory

1
G 205Geology Laboratory

1
G 206Historical Geology Lab

1

Physics:

Ph 201General Physics

4
Ph 202General Physics

4
Ph 203General Physics

4
Ph 211General Physics (with Calculus) I

4
Ph 212General Physics (with Calculus) II

4
Ph 213General Physics (with Calculus) III

4
Ph 231General Physics I with Life Science and Medical Applications

4
Ph 232General Physics II with Life Science and Medical Applications

4
Ph 233General Physics III with Life Science and Medical Applications

4
With
Ph 214Lab for Ph 201 or Ph 211 or Ph 221 or Ph 231

1
Ph 215Lab for Ph 202 or Ph 212 or Ph 222 or Ph 232

1
Ph 216Lab for Ph 203 or Ph 213 or Ph 223 or Ph 233

1

Credit is only given for General Physics Ph 201-Ph 203, Ph 211-Ph 213, Ph 231-Ph 233 one time. You may not receive duplicate credit.

Approved Mathematics and Statistics electives

Students must complete 7 or more credits of CS 311 and/or approved mathematics and statistics electives. The current list of approved courses includes:

Mth 261Introduction to Linear Algebra

4
Mth 311Introduction to Mathematical Analysis I

4
Mth 343Applied Linear Algebra

4
Mth 344Introduction to Group Theory and Applications

4
Mth 346Number Theory

4
Mth 356Discrete Mathematics

4
Mth 371Large-Scale Data Algorithms

4
Mth 457The Mathematical Theory of Games I

3
Mth 458The Mathematical Theory of Games II

3
Mth 461Graph Theory I

3
Mth 462Graph Theory II

3
Stat 361Introduction to Statistical Methods

4
Stat 363Statistical Computing and Data Visualization in R

4
Stat 364Modern Regression Analysis

4
Stat 366Introduction to Experimental Design

4
Stat 387Introduction to Statistical Learning

4
Stat 451Applied Statistics for Engineers and Scientists I

4
Stat 452Applied Statistics for Engineers and Scientists II

3
Stat 464Applied Regression Analysis

3
Stat 467Applied Probability I

3
Stat 468Applied Probability II

3

These courses are listed in numerical order with no implied priority. Students are encouraged to consult with an advisor to select courses that best align with their interests and preparation. Other upper-division mathematics or statistics courses may be used to satisfy the requirement with prior written approval from the Computer Science Undergraduate Adviser.