Undergraduate curriculum overview

The Computer Science & Engineering department offers a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree for CSE students and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) for CLA students.

• The B.S. has credits in the upper division track allowing the student to pursue more deeply a particular area of computer science and tailor the degree to a specific area of interest. For students who are more likely to practice in an area that is highly specialized or technical, the B.S. may provide a better background.
• The B.A. includes a richer set of liberal education credits than the B.S. For application areas that involve the liberal arts, this broader background may be more appropriate. The B.A. may also be a more efficient option for students pursuing a double major or a large minor to stay on track for a four year graduation.

The B.S. and B.A. share many requirements, but they differ in the following ways:

• The B.S. requires two lab science courses (one of which is Physics I; the other is chosen from a list of approved lab science courses).
• The B.S. requires an upper division math oriented requirement.
• The B.S. includes 23 credits of upper division elective courses (sometimes referred to as “tracks”). These 23 credits include the upper division math-oriented required course, and ask that 11 out of the 23 total credits come from upper division CSCI courses. The other 12 can also be CSCI courses, but could also come from non-CSCI approved track electives. Conversely, the B.A. requires 8 credits of upper division (4XXX-5XXX) computer science courses.
• The B.A. requires an additional 18 upper division credits outside of CSCI to meet the CLA requirements. STAT 3021 counts for 3 of these 18 credits.
• The B.A. requires four semesters of second language coursework or demonstrated proficiency. (More information on this requirement can be obtained from the CLA advising office.)