Computer Science
-
Department Information
Computer Science
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
Joanna Wares, Chair
Professors Caudill, Charlesworth, Davis, Dumbaugh, K. Hoke, Kvam, Nall, Ross
Associate Professors Arnold, Denny, Kerckhove, LeCrone, Russell, Szajda, Wares
Assistant Professors Bhakta, Jiang, Park, Ware
Directors H. Hoke, Torres -
Major
The Computer Science Major
Note: The grade point average of the coursework comprising the major must be no less than 2.00 with no computer science course grade below C- (1.70). Students are strongly advised to consult with faculty in planning their major curriculum.
For the Bachelor of Arts degree
12 units, including:
Introduction to Computing
Data Structures with Lab
Discrete Structures for Computing
Software Systems Development
Computer Organization
Algorithms
Design and Implementation of Programming Languages
Three additional 1-unit CMSC electives at the 300 level. Without departmental approval, no more than one of these courses can be an Independent Study course.
Calculus I
Linear Algebra
For the Bachelor of Science degree
15 units, including:
Introduction to Computing
Data Structures with Lab
Discrete Structures for Computing
Software Systems Development
Computer Organization
Algorithms
Design and Implementation of Programming Languages
Three additional 1-unit CMSC electives at the 300 level. Without departmental approval, no more than one of these courses can be an Independent Study course.
Calculus I
Calculus II
Linear Algebra
Two units at the 300 level or above in mathematics or two units (or more) beyond the introductory level in one of the following fields: physics (200 level or above), chemistry (200 level or above), or biology (beyond 205).
may not be used to meet the 300-level MATH option for the BS degree
Note: Any MATH and CMSC double-major, or MATH major with CMSC minor, having earned at least an A- in
may exempt from but is required to complete an additional CMSC 300-level elective to complete the CMSC major or minor. -
Minor
The Computer Science Minor
Note: The grade point average of the coursework comprising the minor must be no less than 2.00 with no computer science course grade below C- (1.70). Students are strongly advised to consult with faculty in planning their minor curriculum.
Six units, including:
Introduction to Computing
Data Structures with Lab
Discrete Structures for Computing
Software Systems Development
Computer Organization or Algorithms
One elective unit chosen from:
A 1-unit 300-level Computer Science elective or
A 1-unit computationally intensive upper level course from another department approved by the computer science faculty.
-
Data Science and Statistics Concentration
The Data Science and Statistics Concentration
The concentration in data science and statistics with a major in computer science requires six units (where applicable, these may also count for major requirements).
Machine Learning (may replace with Statistical Learning)
Multivariate Calculus
Introduction to Data Science
Probability
Two units, chosen from:Database Systems
Simulation
Selected Topics (with approval)
Introductory Econometrics
Mathematical Statistics
Selected Topics in Mathematics
Note: Students completing a concentration in data science and statistics may not minor in mathematics or computer science.
-
Honors
Honors Program
Students invited into the honors program may earn honors in computer science by completing the following requirements:- Two 300-level courses for honors credit (one of which has a 300-level prereq: 321, 322, 323, 326, 330, 331, 332, 333, 334, 335);
- Two semesters of directed independent study ( ) for a total of two units. The independent study courses counting for honors credit must be taken after the student has been accepted into the honors program and chosen in consultation with the honors coordinator.
- Honors paper
Courses
-
CMSC 101 Minds and Machines
Units: 1
Fulfills General Education Requirement (FSSR)
DescriptionFormal deduction in propositional logic. The fundamentals of computer architecture. An elementary exploration of the extent to which symbolic reasoning can be automated, including a consideration of related results in fields such as neuroscience and artificial intelligence. Three lecture hours and one laboratory hour per week.
-
CMSC 105 Elementary Programming with Lab
Units: 1
Fulfills General Education Requirement (FSSR)
DescriptionSolving problems by writing computer programs. Introduction to computer architecture. Emphasis on symbolic reasoning using examples from a particular computing context. For non-majors. Not open to students who have completed any computer science course that fulfills major requirements. Three lecture hours and one laboratory hour per week.
-
CMSC 150 Introduction to Computing
Units: 1
Fulfills General Education Requirement (FSSR)
DescriptionTechniques for writing computer programs to solve problems. Topics include elementary computer organization, object-oriented programming, control structures, arrays, methods and parameter passing, recursion, searching, sorting, and file I/O. Three lecture hours and two laboratory hours per week. Students who have received credit for courses numbered CMSC 221 or higher may not take CMSC 150 for credit. Note: Knowledge of the topic of CMSC 150 is a prerequisite to all higher numbered Computer Science courses.
-
CMSC 195 Special Topics
Units: .25-1
DescriptionSpecial topics satisfying neither major nor minor requirements.
-
CMSC 221 Data Structures with Lab
Units: 1
Fulfills General Education Requirement (FSSR)
DescriptionIntroduction to data structures, including stacks, queues, linked lists, and binary trees. Topics include abstraction, object-oriented programming, recursion, and computational complexity. Three lecture hours and two laboratory hours per week.
PrerequisitesCMSC 150 with a grade of C- or better.
-
CMSC 222 Discrete Structures for Computing with Lab
Units: 1
DescriptionSets, functions, elementary propositional and predicate logic, elementary graph theory, recurrence relations, proof techniques (including mathematical induction and proof by contradiction), combinatorics, probability, and random numbers, with applications to computing. Three hours lecture and one hour lab per week.
PrerequisitesCMSC 150 with a grade of C- or better.
-
CMSC 240 Software Systems Development
Units: 1
DescriptionIntroduction to techniques necessary for development of large-scale software systems. Topics include the development life cycle; design considerations including OOP, patterns, reuse, and usability; repository management; testing, debugging, and static/dynamic analysis; and group work. Also includes introduction to Unix/Linux environments, and to the C++ programming language, including classes, inheritance, and polymorphism; pointers and dynamic memory allocation; and the C++ Standard Template Library (STL). Three lecture hours and one laboratory hour per week.
PrerequisitesCMSC 221 with a grade of C- or better.
-
CMSC 288 Computer Science Apprenticeship
Units: .25-.5
DescriptionParticipation in development of software, with supervision of computer science faculty. Does not count for computer science major or minor. No more than a total of 1.5 units of CMSC 288 may count toward the total number of units required for a degree.
-
CMSC 301 Computer Organization
Units: 1
DescriptionFundamentals of computer organization. Topics include instruction and, data representations, assembly language, processor data path design, memory systems and I/O. Also includes examination of how software characteristics impact hardware design and optimization. Three lecture hours and one laboratory hour per week.
PrerequisitesCMSC 221 and CMSC 240 (CMSC 240 may be taken concurrently), both with a grade of C- or better.
-
CMSC 315 Algorithms
Units: 1
DescriptionDesign, analysis, and implementation of advanced computer algorithms. Emphasis is given to problem-solving techniques, including the greedy method, divide-and-conquer, and dynamic programming. Specific problem domains vary. Topics may include sorting, graphs, networks, computational geometry, NP-completeness, approximation algorithms, text processing, distributed systems, and numerical algorithms. Three lecture hours and one laboratory hour per week.
PrerequisitesCMCS 221 and CMSC 222, both with a grade of C- or better.
-
CMSC 321 Operating Systems
Units: 1
DescriptionStructure of operating systems, process management, memory management, file systems, and case studies. Three lecture hours and one laboratory hour per week.
PrerequisitesCMSC 222 and CMSC 301, both with a grade of C- or better.
-
CMSC 322 Software Engineering Practicum
Units: 1
DescriptionProject-oriented course. Principles of software engineering will be emphasized throughout. Three lecture hours and one laboratory hour per week.
PrerequisitesTwo courses at the 300 level with grades of C- or better that have CMSC 301 or CMSC 315 as a prerequisite, or permission of instructor.
-
CMSC 323 Design and Implementation of Programming Languages
Units: 1
DescriptionConcepts in design and implementation of programming languages, including compile-time and run-time issues. Support for block-structured procedural languages, object-oriented languages, and functional languages. Three lecture hours and one laboratory hour per week.
PrerequisitesSenior standing and CMSC 301 and CMSC 315, both with a grade of C- or better, or permission of instructor.
-
CMSC 325 Database Systems
Units: 1
DescriptionIntroduction to systematic management of data: design and implementation of relational databases, data modeling, normalization, indexing, relational algebra, query processing, and transaction management. Programming projects include substantial use of SQL and its extensions. Three lecture hours and one laboratory hour per week.
PrerequisitesCMSC 221 and CMSC 222, both with a grade of C- or better.
-
CMSC 326 Simulation
Units: 1
DescriptionIntroduction to simulation. Discrete-event simulation, Monte Carlo simulation, simulation of queuing and inventory systems, random number generation, discrete and continuous stochastic models, elementary statistics, point and interval parameter estimation, and input modeling techniques. Three lecture hours and one laboratory hour per week.
PrerequisitesCMSC 222 and CMSC 240, both with a grade of C- or better.
-
CMSC 327 Machine Learning
Units: 1
DescriptionThe mathematics and computer programming underlying practical machine learning applications, and how to construct and evaluate the quality of such systems. Linear and logistic regression, artificial neural networks, support vector machines, K-means clustering. Other topics within Artificial Intelligence as time permits. Programming projects. Three lecture hours and one laboratory hour per week.
PrerequisitesCMSC 221, MATH 211 or MATH 212 or MATH 235, and MATH 245, all with a grade of C- or better.
-
CMSC 328 Numerical Analysis
Units: 1
Description(See MATH 328.)
-
CMSC 330 Theory of Computation
Units: 1
DescriptionFinite state machines, regular languages, push-down automata, and context-free languages. Turing machines, recursive functions, and related topics. Three lecture hours and one laboratory hour per week.
PrerequisitesCMSC 315 with a grade of C- or better.
-
CMSC 331 Introduction to Compiler Construction
Units: 1
DescriptionRegular languages, context-free languages, finite automata, push-down automata, lexical analysis, parsing, intermediate representation, and code generation. Three lecture hours and one laboratory hour per week.
PrerequisitesCMSC 222 and CMSC 301, both with a grade of C- or better.
-
CMSC 332 Computer Networks
Units: 1
DescriptionPrinciples and techniques for data communication between computers. Topics include design and analysis of communication protocols, routing, congestion control, network-centric applications, and recent advances. Three lecture hours and one laboratory hour per week.
PrerequisitesCMSC 301 with a grade of C- or better.
-
CMSC 333 Parallel Programming
Units: 1
DescriptionPrinciples and techniques for programming computers that have multiple processors. Writing programs for parallel computers that enhance run-time efficiency, portability, correctness, and software modifiability. Three lecture hours and one laboratory hour per week.
PrerequisitesCMSC 222 and CMSC 301, both with a grade of C- or better.
-
CMSC 334 Computer Security
Units: 1
DescriptionTheory, mechanisms, and implementation of computer security and data protection. Topics include encryption and authentication, program and language security, operating system security, and network security. Three lecture hours and one laboratory hour per week.
PrerequisitesCMSC 301 with a grade of C- or better, or permission of instructor.
-
CMSC 335 Computer Graphics
Units: 1
DescriptionDevice independent two- and three-dimensional computer graphics, interactive graphics, user interfaces, and human factors. Consideration of advanced modeling and rendering. Three lecture hours and one laboratory hour per week.
PrerequisitesMATH 245 and CMSC 222 and CMSC 301, all with a grade of C- or better.
-
CMSC 340 Directed Independent Study
Units: .25-1
DescriptionTo enable well-qualified students who have completed basic requirements for major to work independently in areas not included in curriculum.
PrerequisitesPermission of department chair and instructor.
-
CMSC 388 Individual Internship
Units: .25-1
DescriptionNo more than 1.5 units of internship in any one department and 3.5 units of internship overall may be counted toward required degree units.
PrerequisitesPermission of department chair.
-
CMSC 395 Selected Topics
Units: .5-1
DescriptionSelected topics in Computer Science
PrerequisitesPermission of instructor.
-
CMSC 406 Summer Undergraduate Research
Units: 0
DescriptionDocumentation of the work of students who receive summer fellowships to conduct research [or produce a creative arts project] in the summer. The work must take place over a minimum of 8 weeks, the student must engage in the project full-time (at least 40 hours per week) during this period, and the student must be the recipient of a fellowship through the university. Graded S/U.
PrerequisitesApproval for summer Arts and Sciences fellowship by faculty mentor.