Department of Computer Science

Undergraduate Program: 2003-2005

The Department of Computer Science offers two comprehensive undergraduate degree programs that prepare students for professional careers and/or graduate studies in computer science. A carefully designed set of core courses provides a solid foundation in computer science covering the entire spectrum of theory, software, and hardware. Upper-division technical electives build on the core to allow students to gain depth of knowledge in specialized areas of computer science. The Senior Design Project at the culmination of the program challenges students to demonstrate their knowledge and creative skills by completing a significant design project that has practical use. The curriculum has been developed in accordance to the recommendations of the Computer Science Accreditation Commission (CSAC) of the Computer Science Accreditation Board (CSAB) and the ACM/IEEE-CS Joint Curriculum Task Force.

Admission Requirements

Students intending to major in computer science must satisfy the following requirements to be formally admitted into the program:

• Completion or transfer credits for either 50:640:121 Unified Calculus I or 50:198:130 Calculus for Business, Economics, and Life Sciences.
• An average grade of 2.5 or better in 50:198:111 Introduction to Computer Science and 50:198:113 Programming with Data Structures. For transfer students, an average grade of 2.5 or better in the first two computer science courses (each at least 3 credits) taken at Rutgers, not including 50:198:110 Introduction to Computing and 50:198:151 Introduction to Programming Methods Using FORTRAN.

To continue in the program and graduate with a bachelor's degree in computer science, a student must achieve a grade of 2.0 or better in every computer science course required for the major.

Degree Programs

Students majoring in computer science may choose between two programs: the Bachelor of Science (B.S) program and the Bachelor of Arts (B.A) program. These two programs have identical computer science requirements and differ only in the natural science and mathematics requirements. The Bachelor of Science (B.S) degree requires a minimum of 35 credits in natural science and mathematics and is intended for students planning to pursue careers and/or graduate studies in science and engineering. The Bachelor of Arts (B.A) degree has less natural science and mathematics requirements (24 credits), thus allowing students greater opportunity to develop breadth of knowledge in other disciplines such as the arts, humanities, social sciences, and business.

Technical Tracks

Students majoring in computer science may develop an area of concentration by taking specific courses in one of two technical tracks currently offered by the department: the Scientific Computing Track and the Information Systems Track. The Scientific Computing Track is intended for students who wish to acquire advanced training in the mathematical foundations, methods, and tools of scientific computing, and how they can be applied toward the solution of scientific and engineering problems.The Information Systems Track is intended for students who wish to prepare for careers involving such responsibilities as development of systems architecture, systems standards, database design and implementation, network design, integration, testing, and operational management of information systems.

Honors Program

Students may complete an undergraduate thesis embodying original research work through the Honors Program. Eligibility in the program is judged by the student's academic performance and the availability of an appropriate supervising faculty member. Students who successfully complete the Honors Program will be given the distinction of graduating with "Honors in Computer Science".

Minor Program

Students majoring in another discipline may obtain a minor in computer science by completing 20 credits of selected computer science courses. Please see the Minor Program for details.

Course Offerings

The department offers a wide variety of undergraduate computer science courses. This includes core courses in data structures, algorithms, theory of computation, programming language concepts, software engineering, computer architecture, and operating systems, as well advanced technical electives in specialized areas such as artificial intelligence, database systems, information systems analysis and design, computer networks, distributed systems, computer graphics, scientific visualization, numerical methods, and high-performance computing. Please see Courses for a complete list of courses and their descriptions.