Dec 07, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Information Science B.S., with Data Science and Analytics Concentration


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Total Degree Hours: 120
Plans of Study

The Bachelor of Science in Information Science program is meant to prepare students for leadership careers in a wide array of environments and contexts related to the emerging knowledge economy. Concentrations are available in five high-demand job areas:

  1. Data Science and Analytics
  2. Health Informatics
  3. Information Security
  4. Intelligence Analysis
  5. Web Development Technologies 

The program integrates critical skills in information technology with the solid theoretical and disciplinary foundations of Information Science. Emphasis is given to understanding how people interact with information and technology; the complexities of the information society; information creation, storage, and organization applications and theories; information architecture; and related knowledge and skills needed to design, implement, and evaluate new tools and approaches to solve emerging information problems.

University Admissions - College of Arts and Sciences


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

For Admission information specific to the College of Arts and Sciences, see the information at College of Arts and Sciences .

Graduation Requirements - College of Arts and Sciences


Satisfactory completion of the following requirements:

  • Students must complete all State and University level graduation requirements.
  • Maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 in USF coursework. Note: Some Departments/program/major require a higher GPA. Students should refer to Department/program/major specific catalog requirements.
    • The College may approve an exception when a student has successfully earned the minimum grade required for all courses applied in the major but does not have a major GPA of 2.0.
  • Physical Education coursework is limited to two (2) semester hours.
  • ROTC courses that are primarily physical training and field experiences will not be applied to College of Arts and Sciences degree programs. All other military Science coursework will apply, in particular, coursework utilized toward completing an established ROTC minor will be applied to the total hours toward degree. 
  • When earning a second degree, double major or concurrent degree, the Major Core and Major Elective/Concentration areas of the degree audit must not overlap for both degrees.  All other areas of the degree audit may have overlapping credit hours applied.
  • Maximum of 20 hours of S/U option. S/U contracts must be negotiated in writing within the first three (3) weeks of the term. None of the 20 credits may be taken in the student’s major unless S/U is the only grading option. Coursework fulfilling the General Education Core Curriculum Requirements and the State Communication Requirement (formerly known as Gordon Rule Writing) and State Computation Requirement (formerly known as Gordon Rule Math) may not be taken S/U.
  • The Audit option is available only during the first 5 days of classes.
  • Complete all major course requirements.
  • College of Arts and Sciences students are expected to complete a minimum of 50% of their major and/or minor coursework in residence at USF. Some College of Arts and Sciences Departments/programs/majors have established additional major course hours to be taken in residency at USF. See the major or program section of the catalog for these credit-hour requirements.

Information Science Required Courses: (54 credit hours)


State Mandated Common Course Prerequisites - Information Science B.S. (15 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.

  • STA X023 Introductory Statistics I OR STA X122 Social Science Statistics course - 3 Credit Hours
  • MAD X107 OR MAD X105 OR MAD X104 Discrete Math course OR MAC X148 Mathematics (Calculus and Pre-calculus) OR MAC X106 (Combined College Algebra/Pre-Calculus) - 3 Credit Hours
  • COP X220 C Programming OR COP X030 Programming Concepts I OR COP X006 Orientation to Programming course - 3 Credit Hours
  • COP X513 Object Oriented Programming (OOP) for IT OR COP X800 Java Programming or COP X334 OOP in C++I OR COP X272C C/C++/Java Programming (L) OR COP X210 Pascal Programming I OR COP X551 Intro to OOP OR COP X250 OOP (Java SE) course - 3 Credit Hours
  • CGS X540 Intro to Databases for IT OR CGS X542 Database Management Systems OR LIS X780 Database Concepts OR COP X710 Database Design course - 3 Credit Hours

State Mathematics Pathway – Information Science B.S. (6 Credit Hours)*


The Information Science B.S. uses the Statistical Reasoning Mathematics Pathway with the following requirements:

Information Science Concentration Requirement


Students must choose one of the following five concentrations:

Note: Some elective courses from outside the school are only offered face-to-face, rather than online. There are a sufficient number of online electives, however, to meet the needs of students who do not wish to take on-campus courses.

Total Concentration Hours: 7 courses; 21 credit hours


Data Science and Analytics Concentration Core Courses: 6 courses; 18 credit hours)


Area of emphasis in deep knowledge discovery through data exploration, analysis, and inference.

Data Science and Analytics Concentration Elective Course: 1 course; 3 credit hours


Students choose three (3) credit hours of electives from the following list.  Additional course options may be approved by the advisor or Program Director.

Additional Information - Information Science B.S.


GPA Requirements


Major GPA (all USF courses which are applied to major requirements): 2.0
Gen Ed GPA (all USF courses which are applied to gen ed requirements): 2.0
USF GPA: 2.0
Overall GPA: 2.0

Grading Requirements


A “C” (2.0) or better to meet major course requirements unless specified elsewhere

Note:  Some USF courses have higher grade criteria to meet prerequisite knowledge necessary for progression into higher level courses.

Residency Requirements - College of Arts and Sciences


CAS Major Academic Residency Requirement: Fifty percent (50%) of the major must be taken at USF.

USF Academic Residency Requirement: Thirty (30) of the last 60 hours earned must be from USF.

Research Opportunities - College of Arts and Sciences


All undergraduate students in any degree program can participate in undergraduate research. There are a number of options to receive academic credit for a mentored research experience and to have the experience show on the official transcript. Students 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 2912 , IDS 4914  or IDS 4910  courses. These courses 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 will assist students in understanding the various course options.

Advising Information - College of Arts and Sciences


Undergraduate Advising Information

The College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) Advising Team provides students with support to create timely graduation plans that will integrate both their academic and professional goals.  Each of our undergraduate programs has dedicated professional advisors with specialized knowledge and understanding of the major requirements, course offerings, undergraduate research, and career opportunities in their field.  Additionally, we have dedicated pre-health and prelaw advisors to help students prepare for admission to professional graduate programs.

 

CAS Academic Advisor Contact information can be found here: CAS Advisors

To schedule an advising appointment: Advising Appointments

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