1. Statement of Major Focus and Objectives of the Revised Program

The major focus of the Computer Science (CS) revised curriculum is to perform a routine revision/improvement of the CS major curriculum, as the CS department has traditionally done every 3 to 5 years. The total required credit hours for the CS major remain unchanged (68-69 S.H.).

As computer science is a rapidly changing discipline, the objective is to (a) continually update/revise/improve the program based on students’ needs and to appropriately prepare our graduates for employment and graduate schools, (b) offer courses on new topics to meet the demand of the industry/employers, and (c) make the revised program/curriculum more clear, effective and flexible for students to enhance recruitment and retention as well as to produce quality graduates and workforce.

  1. New Catalog Content

SEE ATTACHED DOCUMENT (DOC-B)

  1. Description of Revision

C.1.Current CS Major requirement/description and proposed Revised CS major requirement/description: SEE ATTACHED DOCUMENTS (DOC C.1.A and C.1.B)

C.2.Summary of the Proposed Changes

  • There will be two codes through the Registrar’s office for the two options:
  • Computer Science (CS) Option-CSCS
  • Applied Computer Science (ACS) Option-CSAC
  • The TOTAL required credit hours in both the CS and ACS options remain unchanged, 68-69 S.H.
  • Current CORE courses (for all options): 32 S.H.
  • Current CS required courses: 37 S.H.
  • Current ACS required courses: 36-37 S.H.

Total CS option: 32+37= 69 S.H.

Total ACS option: 32+36 or 37 = 68 or 69 S.H.

  • Revised CORE courses (for all options): 35 S.H.
  • Revised CS required courses: 34 S.H.
  • Revised ACS required courses: 33-34 S. H.

Total CS option: 35+34= 69 S.H.

Total ACS option: 35+33 or 34 = 68 or 69 S.H.

  • We retain the breadth of the tracks through advised emphases in the ACS option.
  • We dropped the GIT track
  • We continue to enable, and retain, under-prepared, students to start at CS-116, CS 130, or CS 150 (Gen-ED courses)
  • We strengthen retention, by changing the math requirements.
  • Calculus II, a deterrent for many, is dropped. But we included Stat-210, which directly meets CS needs, in the core.
  • CS Option requires Math 160 (Calculus I).
  • ACS requires Math 140 (Applied Calculus)
  • Students planning on graduate school are advised to take Calculus II.
  • The core is expanded to include Networking and Communication (CS 313).
  • Streamlined requirements in the options and emphases should lead higher enrollment in CS courses – particularly CS-444 and CS-485.
  • CS 368 and CS 468 will be merged into a single 4 SH course, CS 368 (revised and expanded) and CS 468 is dropped.
  • We create two new important courses in the field (a)Computer and Network Security (CS 423) and (b) Mobile Application Development (CS 345). These are expected to be attractive electives.
  • Strengthened the elective requirements by
  • moving courses that were “possible electives” to core or required,
  • increasing the number of elective credits required for graduation
  • CS 310 is dropped from the core and its content will be covered in other related CS courses.
  • PHYS 332 is dropped from the core and added in the list of CS Electives

C.3.Detailed Information for each Required and Elective courses

SEE ATTCHED DOC B