Computer Information Systems, B.S.

Admissions

Entrance Requirements

Admission requirements and processes for freshman, transfer students, and former students seeking readmission are managed by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Transfer applicants from regionally accredited colleges and universities must have a cumulative 2.75 GPA on a 4.00 scale to enter the College of Engineering and Computing.  In addition, transfer applicants for the Aerospace Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering majors must also have completed a four semester-hour calculus course equivalent to MATH 141 with a grade of “C” or better.  

Current University of South Carolina students who wish to enter the College of Engineering and Computing, and former students seeking readmission, must have an institutional GPA of 2.50 or better on at least 15 hours earned at USC.   In addition, such applicants for the Aerospace Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering majors must also have completed a four semester-hour calculus course equivalent to MATH 141 with a grade of “C” or better.  

Degree Requirements (120-137 hours)

See College of Engineering and Computing for progression requirements and special academic opportunities.

Program of Study

Requirements Credit Hours
1. Carolina Core 34-44
2. College Requirements 0
3. Program Requirements 57-59
4. Major Requirements 27-36

Founding Documents Requirement

All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade in the subject areas of History, Political Science, or African American Studies that covers the founding documents including the United State Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation and one or more documents that are foundational to the African American Freedom struggle, and a minimum of five essays from the Federalist papers.  This course may count as a requirement in any part of the program of study including the Carolina Core, the major, minor or cognate, or as a general elective.  Courses that meet this requirement are listed here.

1. Carolina Core Requirements (34-44 hours)

CMW – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written (6 hours)

Must be passed with a grade of C or higher.

ARP – Analytical Reasoning and Problem Solving (7-8 hours) 

Must be passed with a grade of C or higher.

SCI – Scientific Literacy (8 hours)

  • Two 4-credit hour CC-SCI laboratory science courses

GFL – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language  (0-6 hours)

Score two or better on foreign language placement test; or complete the 109 and 110 courses in FREN, GERM, LATN or SPAN; or complete the 121 course in another foreign language.

GHS – ​Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Historical Thinking (3 hours) 

GSS – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Social Sciences (3 hours) 

AIU – Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding (3 hours)

CMS – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component1 (3 hours)

INF – Information Literacy1 (0-3 hours)

VSR – Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility1 (1 hour)

  • CSCE 390 - must be passed with a grade of C or higher
1

Carolina Core Stand Alone or Overlay Eligible Requirements — Overlay-approved courses offer students the option of meeting two Carolina Core components in a single course. A maximum of two overlays is allowed. The total Carolina Core credit hours for this program must add up to a minimum of 34 hours.

2. College Requirements (0 hours)

No college-required courses for this program.

3. Program Requirements (57-59 hours)

Supporting Courses (39 hours)

Foundational Courses

Course Title Credits
ENGL 462Technical Writing3
or ENGL 463 Business Writing
MATH 174Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science 13
or MATH 374 Discrete Structures
STAT 509Statistics for Engineers3
or STAT 515 Statistical Methods I
STAT 516Statistical Methods II3
Total Credit Hours12
1

MATH 174 and MATH 374 must be passed with a grade of C or higher

Liberal Arts Electives (9 hours)

Select from the following:

Lower Division Computing (18 hours)

Must be passed with a grade of C or higher.

Course Title Credits
CSCE 146Algorithmic Design II4
CSCE 190Computing in the Modern World1
CSCE 201Introduction to Computer Security3
CSCE 210Computer Hardware Foundations3
CSCE 215UNIX/Linux Fundamentals1
CSCE 240Advanced Programming Techniques3
CSCE 247Software Engineering3
Total Credit Hours18

Minor in Business Information Management (18 hours)

Course Title Credits
ECON 224Introduction to Economics3
ACCT 222Survey of Accounting3
MGMT 371Principles of Management3
MGSC 290Computer Information Systems in Business3
Electives
Select two of the following:6
ACCT 324
Survey of Commercial Law
ECON 311
Issues in Economics
ECON 379
Government Policy Toward Business
FINA 333
Finance and Markets
IBUS 301
Introduction to International Business
MKTG 350
Principles of Marketing
MGMT 373
Entrepreneurship and New Venture Opportunities
MKTG 351
Consumer Behavior
MGSC 395
Operations Management
Total Credit Hours18

Elective (0-2 hours)

The CIS curriculum includes 0-2 hours of electives depending on how students fulfill the Carolina Core requirements. Any course in the university can be used to satisfy the elective requirement (including additional electives in the major).

4. Major Requirements (27-36 hours)

Must be passed with a grade of C or higher.

Major Courses (24 hours)

Course Title Credits
CSCE 205Business Applications Programming3
or CSCE 242 Web Applications
CSCE 350Data Structures and Algorithms3
CSCE 416Introduction to Computer Networks3
CSCE 490Capstone Computing Project I3
CSCE 492Capstone Computing Project II3
CSCE 520Database System Design3
CSCE 522Information Security Principles3
CSCE 594Strategic Management of Information Systems3
Total Credit Hours24

Major Elective (3 hours) 

Students must complete 3 hours of Major Electives below. Students may choose to complete a concentration in Artificial Intelligence or Cybersecurity in place of the Major Electives.

Course Title Credits
Select one of the following:3
ITEC 447
Management of Information Technology
ITEC 560
Project Management Methods
Select an approved CSCE course, 510 and higher
Total Credit Hours3

Concentrations

Students may choose to complete a concentration below in place of the 3 hours of Major Electives.

Artificial Intelligence Concentration (12 hours)

Course Title Credits
CSCE 580Artificial Intelligence3
Select any three courses from the following:9
CSCE 555
Algorithms in Bioinformatics
CSCE 567
Visualization Tools
CSCE 574
Robotics
CSCE 578
Text Processing
CSCE 582
Bayesian Networks and Decision Graphs
CSCE 585
Machine Learning Systems
CSCE 587
Big Data Analytics
Total Credit Hours12

Cybersecurity Concentration (6 hours)

Course Title Credits
Select any two courses from the following:6
CSCE 311
Operating Systems
CSCE 548
Building Secure Software
CSCE 557
Introduction to Cryptography
Total Credit Hours6

Major Map

A major map is a layout of required courses in a given program of study, including critical courses and suggested course sequences to ensure a clear path to graduation.

Major maps are only a suggested or recommended sequence of courses required in a program of study. Please contact your academic advisor for assistance in the application of specific coursework to a program of study and course selection and planning for upcoming semesters.

Computer Information Systems, B.S.