Computer Science
William Joel, Chair
joelw@wcsu.edu
Westside Classroom Building 110, Westside campus
(203) 837-9353
(203) 837-8339 (fax)
Linda Carpenter, Department Secretary
carpenterl@wcsu.edu
Westside Classroom Building 211, Westside campus
(203) 837-9345
(203) 837-8339 (fax)
Faculty
| W. Joel , Chair | G. Ganchev |
| R. Gurkewitz | T. Ivanov |
Adjunct Faculty:
| J. Howells | R. Morgan |
| J. Rosco | S. Veillette |
Overview
The Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science degree is designed to meet the needs of students interested in software development. It can accommodate students who plan to enter the profession directly from college or who plan to continue with graduate study. The program is continuously revised to keep it up to date. The department recommends that all computer science majors pursue a minor in some field.
Mission
Consistent with the university’s mission of being an accessible, responsive, and creative intellectual resource for the people and institutions of Connecticut, the department’s mission is to offer a broad and up-to-date curriculum that provides students with a comprehensive foundation that permits graduates to adapt to new technology and new ideas.
To accomplish our mission the Department of Computer Science has the following goals:
- To continually monitor and be guided by the curriculum recommendations of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
- To provide a curriculum that will prepare our graduates for careers in the software industry, or to prepare our graduates for graduate education in computer science and related fields.
- To emphasize fundamental concepts and principles in the curriculum.
- To provide opportunities for laboratory experiences by providing students and faculty with up-to-date computer networked hardware and software systems.
- To provide a personalized learning environment through the use of faculty mentored student developed study, independent study and cooperative education courses.
- To create synergies with other departments at the university so that our programs will benefit their students and ours.
- To maintain a close relationship with our local industry so that we can prepare our graduates for careers in the software industry.
- To provide opportunities for faculty growth and development through reassigned time for research, attendance at professional meetings and attendance at high quality professional development seminars.
Degree Programs in Computer Science
Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science
Minor Programs
Computer Science
Digital Media
Informatics
Security
Web Development
Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science (B.A.)
Requirements:
Students must complete all general education requirement (see program sheet for details), the course and credits listed below and additional free electives to total a minimum of 122 semester hours, including foreign language and physical education. A GPA of 2.5 or better is required in the major CS and math courses for graduation.
Required Courses:
CS 170 Computer Science I: Language (F,S)
CS 171 Computer Science II: Data Structures (F,S)
CS 205 Data Modeling and Database Design (F)
CS 215 Computer Architecture (S)
CS 240 Computer Organization & Software (S)
CS 315 Design and Analysis of Algorthms (F)
CS 350 Software Engineering (S)
CS 355 Programming Languages (F)
CS 450 Operating Systems (F)
MAT 120 Elementary Statistics (F,S)
CS/MAT 165 Introductory Discrete Mathematics (F, S)
MAT 181 Calculus I (F, S)
CS/MAT 359 Introduction to Theory of Computation (even S)
Twelve semester hours of approved computer science electives.
The following is a per-semester sequence of courses. However, due to the diversity of student backgrounds, students must consult with their faculty advisor to select the program sequence which best fits their needs. A student with relatively little programming experience should take CS 140 or CS 143 in his/her freshman year.
Freshman Year
| Fall Semester | Spring Semester |
| CS 140 or CS 143 | CS 170 |
| MAT 133 or MAT 170 | MAT 165 |
Sophomore Year
| CS 171 | CS 215 |
| CS 205 | CS 240 |
| MAT 181 | MAT 120 |
Junior Year
| CS 315 | CS 350 |
| CS Elective | CS Elective |
| Lab science | Lab science |
Senior Year
| CS 450 | CS Elective |
| CS 355 | CS/MAT 359 |
MINOR IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
Sixteen (16) semester hours are required:
CS 170 Computer Science I
CS 171 Computer Science II
CS 215 Computer Architecture
CS 240 Computer Organization and Software
MINOR IN DIGITAL MEDIA
Sixteen to eighteen (16-18) semester hours are required:
CS 170 Computer Science I or
CS 250 Advanced Topics in Programming with JAVA
or CS 144 Advanced Visual Basic
ART 108 Design I
ART 111 Drawing I
CS 235 Digital Media
CS 330 Computer Graphics or
CS 340 Computer Animation or
ART 152 Photography I or
ART 327 Digital Design or
ART 328 Illustration III/Animation Production
MINOR IN INFORMATICS
Fifteen to sixteen (15-16) semester hours are required:
CS 170 Computer Science I or
CS 250 Advanced Topics in Programming with JAVA or
CS 144 Advanced Visual Basic
CS 205 Database Modeling and Database Design
CS 215 Computer Architecture
CS 320 Artificial Intelligence
MINOR IN SECURITY
Fourteen to fifteen (14-15) semester hours are required:
CS 166 Intro to Unix
CS 170 Computer Science I or
CS 250 Advanced Topics in Programming with JAVA or
CS 144 Advanced Visual Basic
CS 240 Computer Organization and Software
MIS/JLA 341 Information Systems Security
MINOR IN WEB DEVELOPMENT
Fifteen to sixteen (15-16) semester hours are required:
CS 110 Website Production
CS 170 Computer Science I or
CS 250 Advanced Topics in Programming with Java or
CS 144 Advanced Visual Basic
CS 205 Database Modeling and Database Design
CS 245 Web Applications Development
