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

Program Summary

Requirements	Credit Hours
1. Carolina Core	35-41
2. College Requirements	0
3. Program Requirements	46-55
4. Major Requirements	30-33

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 (35-41 hours)

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

Must be passed with a grade of C or higher.

• ENGL 101
• ENGL 102

ARP – Analytical Reasoning and Problem Solving (8 hours) 

Must be passed with a grade of C or higher.

• MATH 141
• MATH 142

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.

• CC-GFL courses

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

• any CC-GHS course

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

• any CC-GSS course

AIU – Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding (3 hours)

• any CC-AIU course

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

• ​any CC-CMS course

INF – Information Literacy¹ (0 hours)

• ENGL 102

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 35 hours.

2. College Requirements (0 hours)

No college-required courses for this program.

3. Program Requirements (46-55 hours)

Supporting Courses (42 hours)

Foundational Courses (16 hours)

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
MATH 241	Vector Calculus	3
MATH 344	Applied Linear Algebra	3
MATH 344L	Applied Linear Algebra Lab	1
MATH 374	Discrete Structures (must be passed with a grade of C or higher)	3
STAT 509	Statistics for Engineers	3
ENGL 462	Technical Writing	3
or ENGL 463	Business Writing
Total Credit Hours		16

Laboratory Science Requirement (4 hours)

• A 4-credit hour CC-SCI laboratory science course

Lower Division Computing (22 hours)

Must be passed with a grade of C or higher:

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
CSCE 145	Algorithmic Design I	4
CSCE 146	Algorithmic Design II	4
CSCE 190	Computing in the Modern World	1
CSCE 211	Digital Logic Design	3
CSCE 212	Introduction to Computer Architecture	3
CSCE 215	UNIX/Linux Fundamentals	1
CSCE 240	Advanced Programming Techniques	3
CSCE 247	Software Engineering	3
Total Credit Hours		22

Electives (4-13)

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.

4. Major Requirements (30-33 hours)

Must be passed with a grade of C or higher.

Major Courses (21 hours)

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
CSCE 311	Operating Systems	3
CSCE 330	Programming Language Structures	3
CSCE 350	Data Structures and Algorithms	3
CSCE 355	Foundations of Computation	3
CSCE 416	Introduction to Computer Networks	3
CSCE 490	Capstone Computing Project I	3
CSCE 492	Capstone Computing Project II	3
Total Credit Hours		21

Major Electives (9 hours)

Any CSCE course 500 or higher.  Students may choose to complete a 12-hour concentration in Artificial Intelligence or Cybersecurity in  place of the Major Electives.

Concentrations (12 hours)

Students may choose to complete a 12-hour concentration below in place of the 9 hours of Major Electives.

Artificial Intelligence Concentration (12 hours)

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
CSCE 580	Artificial Intelligence	3
Select 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 Hours		12

Cybersecurity Concentration (12 hours)

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
CSCE 201	Introduction to Computer Security	3
CSCE 522	Information Security Principles	3
CSCE 548	Building Secure Software	3
Select one course from the following:		3
CSCE 520	Database System Design
CSCE 557	Introduction to Cryptography
Total Credit Hours		12

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.