Accreditation

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

Learning Outcomes

1. Students will demonstrate an ability to analyze a complex computing problem and to apply principles of computing and other relevant disciplines to identify solutions.
2. Students will demonstrate an ability to design, implement, and evaluate a computing-based solution to meet a given set of computing requirements in the context of the program’s discipline. 
3. Students will demonstrate an ability to communicate effectively in a variety of professional contexts.
4. Students will recognize professional responsibilities and make informed judgments in computing practice based on legal and ethical principles. 
5. Students will demonstrate the ability to function effectively as a member or leader of a team engaged in activities appropriate to the program’s discipline.
6. Students will demonstrate the ability to apply computer science theory and software development fundamentals to produce computing-based solutions.

Academic Standards

Program GPA

Program GPA requirement policies are described in the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing section of this bulletin. For the purpose of these policies, the following courses are used to determine the Program GPA for the Computer Science B.S.C.S. program: all Lower Division Computing, Computer Science Major, and Computer Science Elective courses, and CSCE 390.

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 minimum cumulative 2.75 GPA on a 4.00 scale to enter the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing. Current University of South Carolina students, and former students seeking readmission, must have an institutional GPA of 2.50 or better on at least 15 hours earned at USC.

Degree Requirements (120 hours)

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

Program of Study

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.

Requirements (120 hours)

¹

Must be passed with a grade of C or higher.

²

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 must add up to a minimum of 31 hours. Some programs may have a higher number of minimum Carolina Core hours due to specified requirements.

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 Science, B.S.C.S.

¹

Regardless of individual course grades, students must maintain a minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA. 

²

Some colleges require a minimum GPA for major courses.  

³

Students who place into MATH 115 will be required to successfully complete it before taking MATH 141.

⁴

The Carolina Core provides the common core of knowledge, skill and academic experience for all Carolina undergraduate students.  

⁵

Laboratory Science Requirement (4 hours): a 4-credit hour CC-SCI laboratory science course

⁶

Computer Science Major Electives (9 hours): any CSCE course 500 or higher.  Students may choose to complete a concentration in place of the Major Electives. 

⁷

Electives (4-13 hours): At least 120 degree applicable credits are required to complete the BSCS in Computer Science.  The CS curriculum includes 4-13 hours of electives depending on how students fulfill the Carolina Core requirements and their choice of Concentration.  Any course in the university can be used to satisfy the elective requirement, including additional electives in the major. 

⁸

Students in the College of Engineering and Computing are required to demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language equivalent to the 121 course by 1) a score of two or better on the foreign language placement test; or 2) completion of the 109 and 110 courses in FREN, GERM, LATN, or SPAN or completion of the 121 course in another foreign language.  Students who do not place out of the GFL requirement may need to take additional hours to meet this requirement. 

Program Notes:

• All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade that covers the founding documents. This course may fulfill any requirement in the program of study. Courses that meet this requirement are listed in the academic bulletin.
• No Carolina Core, Lower Division Computing, Computer Science Major, or Computer Science Elective course may be counted toward a minor or application area.  All other degree-required courses and electives may be used for a minor as appropriate.
• A student cannot repeat courses from the College of Engineering and Computing in which they earned a grade of C or better.  In addition, a student cannot repeat any course from the College a second time.  No more than four courses from the College of Engineering and Computing may be repeated in order to satisfy the requirements for any degree from the College, regardless of satisfactory work.  For this purpose, withdrawal from a course with a grade of W is not regarded as enrollment in that course.  A student that does not satisfactorily complete a degree-required College course within two attempts must change major or transfer out of the College of Engineering and Computing.
• Students may choose to complete a concentration in Artificial Intelligence (12 hours) or Cybersecurity (12 hours) in place of the major electives.  More details are available in the Bulletin.
• The last 25% of a student’s degree must be completed in residence at the University, and at least half of the hours in the student’s major courses and in the student’s minor courses (if applicable) must be taken at the University.
• Disclaimer: Prerequisites on courses are subject to change.  Please refer to Bulletin.