Jun 29, 2024

2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Computer Science B.S.C.S.

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

TOTAL DEGREE HOURS: 120
Plans of Study

The Computer Science program focuses on the design, development, and application of software systems. Additional course work in algorithms, discrete structures, object oriented design, data structures, operating systems, digital logic design, computer architecture, and a wide range of advanced electives extend and supplement the core.

Mission Statement

In keeping with the mission of the College of Engineering, the Department of Computer Science and Engineering strives for excellence in teaching, research, and public service. Specifically, the Department aspires to:

Lead the advancement of computer science, computer engineering, information technology, and cybersecurity through internationally recognized research and education, as well as technology transfer.
Prepare students for full and ethical participation in a diverse society and encourage lifelong learning.
Educate students in the best practices of the field as well as integrate the latest research into the curriculum.
Foster the development of problem solving and communication skills as an integral component of the profession.
Provide quality learning experiences through effective classroom practices, active learning styles of teaching, and opportunities for meaningful interactions between students and faculty.

Program Educational Objectives and Student Outcomes

The Department has established the following program educational objectives for Computer Science graduates.

Objective 1: Our graduates will apply their knowledge and skills to succeed in their careers and/or obtain advanced degrees.

Objective 2: Our graduates will function ethically and responsibly, and will remain informed and involved as full participants in our profession and society.

Objective 3: Our graduates will creatively solve problems, communicate effectively, and successfully function in multi-disciplinary teams.

Objective 4: Our graduates will apply principles and practices of computing grounded in mathematics and science to successfully complete software-related projects to meet customer business objectives and/or productively engage in research.

The following are the Student Outcomes. Graduates of the program will have an ability to:

Analyze a complex computing problem and to apply principles of computing and other relevant disciplines to identify solutions.
Design, implement, and evaluate a computing-based solution to meet a given set of computing requirements in the context of the program’s discipline.
Communicate effectively in a variety of professional contexts.
Recognize professional responsibilities and make informed judgments in computing practice based on legal and ethical principles.
Function effectively as a member or leader of a team engaged in activities appropriate to the program’s discipline.
Apply computer science theory and software development fundamentals to produce computing-based solutions. [CS]

University Admissions - College of Engineering

Admission to the University is based on the University’s Undergraduate Admission Requirements that may be found by clicking on the following urls:

Freshman: https://www.usf.edu/admissions/freshmen/admission-information/requirements-deadlines.aspx
Transfer: https://www.usf.edu/admissions/transfer/admission-information/index.aspx
International: https://www.usf.edu/admissions/international/admission-information/index.aspx

For Admission information specific to the College of Engineering, see the information at College of Engineering .

Progression Requirements in the Upper Division - Computer Science B.S.C.S.

Computer Science students who have fully met the below requirements and are in good academic standing, may progress into the upper level of the major. Prior to progression into the upper level, a student may take no more than two Departmental courses. The department may have continuation requirements, which specify minimum performance standards in core major courses which must be met before further registration in the department is granted.

Completion of:
- MAC 2311 - Calculus I Credit(s): 4 OR MAC 2281 - Engineering Calculus I Credit(s): 4 AND MAC 2312 - Calculus II Credit(s): 4 OR MAC 2282 - Engineering Calculus II Credit(s): 4
- PHY 2048 - General Physics I - Calculus Based Credit(s): 3 AND PHY 2048L - General Physics I Laboratory Credit(s): 1
- All students must complete the equivalent of USF Engineering Calculus I & II, and Calculus-based General Physics I (with lab) with minimum grades of C in each course (grades of C- are insufficient). The minimum overall grade average in these three courses required for progression to the upper level is between 3.0 and 3.8 for any given year. The minimum acceptable grade average will be posted on the Department’s website one year prior to the fall semester that the revised grade average is applicable. The computed grade average is based on the best attempts in these courses. These requirements must be met with a maximum of two attempts allowed for each course.
Completion of COP 2510 - Programming Concepts Credit(s): 3 with a minimum grade of B (grade of B- is insufficient) or another introductory programming course covering a modern programming language, with an emphasis on programming concepts and design methodology with a minimum grade of B (grade of B- is insufficient).
A minimum overall GPA of 2.0
A minimum USF GPA of 2.0

Minimum Continuation Requirements - Computer Science B.S.C.S.

Students meeting the above requirements may progress to either of the Computer Science or Computer Engineering degree tracks; however, continuation in the major will be allowed only for students who complete CDA 3103 - Computer Organization Credit(s): 3 and COP 3514 - Program Design Credit(s): 3 with minimum grades of B, based on best attempts in each course (grades of B- are insufficient). These requirements must be met with a maximum of two attempts allowed for each course.

Departmental Policies

In addition to the College’s graduation requirements, the Department has the following policies:

Mandatory academic advising and/or mentoring of students.
Exit interview and/or survey as a graduation requirement.

Required Courses: (92 credit hours)

State Mandated Common Course Prerequisites - Computer Science B.S.C.S. (25 Credit Hours)*

Following Florida BOG Regulation 8.010, state mandated common course prerequisites are lower-division courses that are required for progression into the upper division of a particular baccalaureate degree program.

Transfer students should complete the State Mandated Common Course Prerequisites at the lower level prior to entering the university. If these courses are not taken at a Florida College System institution, they must be completed before the degree is granted. Successful completion of the common prerequisites alone does not guarantee a student admission into the degree program.

Unless stated otherwise, a grade of C is the minimum acceptable grade in prerequisite courses.

COP XXXX** - 3 credit hours
MAC X311 OR MAC X281 Calculus I - 4 credit hours**
MAC X312 OR MAC X282 Calculus II - 4 credit hours**
(PHY X048 AND PHY X048L OR PHY X048C General Physics I with Lab - 4 credit hours**
(PHY X049 AND PHY X049L OR PHY X049C General Physics I with Lab - 4 credit hours**
XXX XXXX*** - 6 credit hours

* All state common prerequisite courses count towards major requirements and are not additional credit hours

** Introductory Programming in C, C++, Java, or equivalent language. Choose programming language required by the university to which the student wishes to transfer.

*** Science courses for Science majors.

State Mathematics Pathway - Computer Science B.S.C.S. (7 Credit Hours)*

The Computer Science B.S.C.S. uses the Algebra through Calculus Mathematics Pathway with the following requirements:

MAC 1105 - College Algebra Credit(s): 3 **
MAC 2281 - Engineering Calculus I Credit(s): 4
OR MAC 2311 - Calculus I Credit(s): 4
* Mathematics Pathway courses count towards the State Common Prerequisite math courses and are not additional credits

** Students may place out of MAC 1105 and begin at a higher-level math class

Major Core Courses: 28 courses; 75 credit hours

Major Electives: 6 courses; 18 credit hours

Computer Science students must choose 6 hours of software electives, 3 hours of theory electives, and an additional non-overlapping 9 hours of CSE electives (“software”, “hardware”, or ”theory”) in the Department.

Note: The Department website undergraduate section contains the most up to date list of Departmental upper-level technical electives. Additional electives may be available with a special topics course number (typically, CIS 4930). The prerequisite for Departmental upper-level technical electives is CDA 3201 Computer Logic and Design and COP 4530 Data Structures. Consult with the Department Undergraduate Advisor to learn more about available electives. A maximum of six (6) hours of CIS 4900 and/or any other supervised individual study (including CIS 4915 and CIS 4940) are allowed as Department major elective credit.

Software Electives: 6 credit hours

CAP 4034 - Computer Animation Fundamentals Credit(s): 3
CAP 4103 - Mobile Biometrics Credit(s): 3
CAP 4111 - Introduction to Augmented and Virtual Reality Credit(s): 3
CAP 4160 - Brain-Computer Interfaces Credit(s): 3
CAP 4628 - Affective Computing Credit(s): 3
CAP 4641 - Natural Language Processing Credit(s): 3
CAP 4662 - Introduction to Robotics Credit(s): 3
CAP 4744 - Interactive Data Visualization Credit(s): 3
CDA 4621 - Control of Mobile Robots Credit(s): 3
CEN 4072 - Software Testing Credit(s): 3
CIS 4345 - Big Data Storage and Analysis with Hadoop Credit(s): 3
CNT 4004 - Computer Networks I Credit(s): 3
CNT 4411 - Computing and Network Security Credit(s): 3
COP 4020 - Programming Languages Credit(s): 3
COP 4365 - Software System Development Credit(s): 3
COP 4520 - Computing in Massively Parallel Systems Credit(s): 3
COP 4620 - Compilers Credit(s): 3
COP 4710 - Database Design Credit(s): 3

Theory Electives: 3 credit hours

CIS 4212 - Privacy-Preserving and Trustworthy Cyber-Infrastructures Credit(s): 3
COT 4210 - Automata Theory and Formal Languages Credit(s): 3
COT 4521 - Computational Geometry Credit(s): 3
COT 4601 - Quantum Computing and Quantum Algorithms Credit(s): 3

CSE Electives: 9 credits hours

CAP 4034 - Computer Animation Fundamentals Credit(s): 3
CAP 4103 - Mobile Biometrics Credit(s): 3
CAP 4111 - Introduction to Augmented and Virtual Reality Credit(s): 3
CAP 4160 - Brain-Computer Interfaces Credit(s): 3
CAP 4628 - Affective Computing Credit(s): 3
CAP 4637 - Automated Reasoning and Theorem Proving Credit(s): 3
CAP 4641 - Natural Language Processing Credit(s): 3
CAP 4662 - Introduction to Robotics Credit(s): 3
CAP 4744 - Interactive Data Visualization Credit(s): 3
CDA 4203 - Computer System Design Credit(s): 3
CDA 4203L - Computer System Design Lab Credit(s): 1
CDA 4213 - CMOS-VLSI Design Credit(s): 3
CDA 4213L - CMOS-VLSI Design Lab Credit(s): 1
CDA 4253 - Field Programmable Gate Array System Design and Analysis Credit(s): 3
CDA 4321 - Cryptographic Hardware and Embedded Systems Credit(s): 3
CDA 4322 - Principles of Secure Hardware Design Credit(s): 3
CDA 4323 - Practical Hardware Security Credit(s): 3
CDA 4621 - Control of Mobile Robots Credit(s): 3
CEN 4072 - Software Testing Credit(s): 3
CIS 4212 - Privacy-Preserving and Trustworthy Cyber-Infrastructures Credit(s): 3
CIS 4345 - Big Data Storage and Analysis with Hadoop Credit(s): 3
CIS 4900 - Independent Study in Computer Science Credit(s): 1-5
CIS 4910 - Computer Science and Engineering Project Credit(s): 3
CIS 4915 - Supervised Research in Computer Science Credit(s): 0-5
CIS 4930 - Special Topics in Computer Science I Credit(s): 1-3 (See department website for list of approved topics)
CIS 4940 - Industry Internship Credit(s): 0-6
CNT 4004 - Computer Networks I Credit(s): 3
CNT 4411 - Computing and Network Security Credit(s): 3
COP 4020 - Programming Languages Credit(s): 3
COP 4365 - Software System Development Credit(s): 3
COP 4520 - Computing in Massively Parallel Systems Credit(s): 3
COP 4620 - Compilers Credit(s): 3
COP 4710 - Database Design Credit(s): 3
COT 4210 - Automata Theory and Formal Languages Credit(s): 3
COT 4521 - Computational Geometry Credit(s): 3
COT 4601 - Quantum Computing and Quantum Algorithms Credit(s): 3

Additional Information - Computer Science B.S.C.S.

GPA Requirements

Students must have and maintain a minimum 2.0 semester GPA, 2.0 Math and Science GPA, 2.0 Engineering GPA, 2.0 Specialization GPA, 2.0 USF GPA, and 2.0 overall GPA.

Grading Requirements

Unless otherwise stated, the minimum acceptable grade in all BSCS required math, science, and engineering courses is a C or higher (C- is insufficient). The minimum acceptable grade in specialization courses is a C-, except as stated in the major progression and continuation requirements.

Residency Requirements

Transfer students must complete a minimum number of approved specialization courses in the major at USF. The minimum number of USF specialization credit hours required is established by the respective academic department. In no case will this be less than 18 hours. Basic engineering courses are not considered specialization courses. The University residency requirement must also be met.

A dual degree student must meet the requirements of each major and have a minimum of 18 approved specialization hours taken in the degree granting department beyond those specialization hours required for the first degree.

Internship Opportunities

The College of Engineering and USF’s Center for Career and Professional Development Cooperative Education (Co-Op) program provides services for students interested in experiential educational experiences. A wide variety of industries and government agencies offer internships and cooperative education employment opportunities for engineering students. Participants gain valuable expertise in practical applications and other aspects of operations and development in a professional engineering environment. Students normally apply for participation in this program during their first year in the College of Engineering and pursue actual internships during their sophomore, junior and senior years. See the Department Undergraduate Advisor for more information on earning academic credit for internships.

Bachelor’s/Master’s Pathways

Students majoring in Computer Science have the option to pursue one of the following Bachelor’s/Master’s Pathways:

B.S.C.S. in Computer Science and M.S.C.S. in Computer Science

For more information, see the Graduate Catalog.

Accreditation Information

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

Research Opportunities - College of Engineering

Undergraduate students in any degree program are able to participate in undergraduate research. Several options exist to show mentored undergraduate research activity on a student’s official transcript. Those who wish to enroll in an undergraduate research course should consult with their academic advisor to understand how the credit will apply towards the degree requirements. If no credit is needed, students may be eligible to enroll in the 0-credit IDS 4914 - Advanced Undergraduate Research Experience course. This course will not impact degree credits or GPA but will show on an official transcript and document the experience. The Office of High Impact Practices and Undergraduate Research (HIPUR) is able to assist with further inquiries.

Advising Information - Computer Science B.S.C.S.

Department Undergraduate Advisor: http://www.usf.edu/engineering/cse/undergraduate/contacts.aspx

University of South Florida

Main Navigation