Undergraduate Programs
Summary of all program requirements
For convenience, a summary of requirements for all undergraduate programs in the CSE Dept. and the corresponding advising sheets (bingo sheets) is available here.Switching to Semesters
OSU switched its academic calendar from quarters to semesters in the Summer of 2012. The information in these pages apply to the semester programs. If you notice any mistakes in these pages, please send mail to neelam AT cse
Here is a printable brochure (pdf). Please send comments or questions on this brochure to peg AT cse. Here is a copy of the slides used in a recent presentation to undecided engineering freshmen (but note that the information in those slides about the program in the CSE Dept. is outdated because of the semester switch).
As we were preparing for the transition to semesters, a "Semester Conversion page" was created to provide students and others detailed information about the conversion. The information in that page and the pages it links to may be of interest to students who joined OSU under the quarter calendar. Any such student who has not yet completed the individualized transition plan (described in the semester-conversion page) should check with the Advising Office immediately.
A key guiding principle that was followed in designing the transition policies is that every credit hour (whether it was a CSE course or a non-CSE course) that was required in the quarter program would be counted towards the semester program (either as the corresponding required course or towards technical electives) so that no student's graduation would be delayed because of the switch to semesters.
As we gain experience under semesters, we expect to have to make changes in the programs. To help coordinate the discussions concerning these changes, the changes being currently considered will be described here.
For reference, the brochure describing the (now outdated) quarter program is available here.
Is computing for you?: First things first: Are you interested in pursuing a computing career? Not sure? Get concise and authoritative answers to many of your general questions here:
Computing major programs in the CSE Dept.: The following major programs are available in the CSE Dept. at OSU to undergraduate students interested in computing:- Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering (BS CSE)
- Bachelor of Science in Computer and Information Science (BS CIS)
- Bachelor of Arts in Computer and Information Science (BA CIS)
- Minor in Computer and Information Science
- Minor in Computational Science
- Distribution of CSE/non-CSE hours in various computing programs under semesters
- Combined BS/MS in Computer Science: Allows undergraduates to start their Master's degree in their senior year and apply some courses to both their Bachelor and Master's degrees. Some other "dual" programs are available that may also be of interest to some students.
Research opporunities: Many undergraduate students in computing programs participate in research during the undergraduate years, some of them starting as early as in their sophomore year. These possibilities are described in the undergrad research page.
Job prospects for computing majors: Employment and salary prospects are very bright for qualified students with computing degrees, according to projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for 2008-2018. Fully 2/3 of all new job openings for those with bachelor's degrees in engineering fields are expected to be in the computing professions. The two categories of "software engineer", by themselves, account for over 41% of all projected engineering job openings during the decade.
The BS CSE and the BS CIS programs prepare students for a range of careers in Computer Science and Engineering. The Computer Science portion of these two programs are nearly identical to each other. The main difference between the two is that while the BS CSE program requires students to take a range of (non-computing) engineering courses, the BS CIS program has a larger General Education component, allowing the student to choose from a range of general education courses based on his or her interests. The BS CSE program is offered through the College of Engineering, and the BS CIS program through the College of Arts and Sciences.
The BA CIS program allows students considerable flexibility in tailoring the choice of courses, including Computer Science courses, according to their specific interests. This degree is offered through the College of Arts and Sciences. This degree requires the student to identify a related field that offers a high potential for computing applications, and take several courses in the related field at both the introductory and advanced levels. This is offset by a somewhat lighter set of requirements in advanced computing courses. The General Education component of this program is similar to that of the BS CIS program.
Other programs: The CIS Minor program is intended for students who have an interest in another major but are interested in getting a reasonable exposure to Computer Science. There are no specific prerequisites for admission to the Minor. The Computational Science Minor is intended for students in engineering and natural sciences intersted in applying computing techniques (such as simulation) for solving problems in their own discipline.
Two other options that might be of interest are the BS BA (Information Systems option) offered by the Fisher College of Business; and BS ECE (Computer Eng. specialization) offered by the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. For information about these programs, contact the Fisher College and the ECE Dept. respectively.
