CS Semester Curriculum

Undergraduate

Semester System Curriculum

for Computer Science

Starting September 1998

`Revised 13Aug97`

This set of semester-system requirements for the Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science was approved by the faculty on March 12, 1997. The current quarter system requirements are presented to simplify comparison. Please send comments to semesters@cs.utah.edu.

Click here to see the list of proposed semester-length courses.

Click here to see a sample four-year semester-based curriculum based on the proposed requirements.

Goal Statement

The goal of the undergraduate computer science program is to give our students a mixture of technical background, breadth of exposure, and depth of understanding that will prepare them to become and remain leaders in the rapidly evolving field of computing. We want to give our students a solid background of engineering skills to prepare them to succeed in the short term, a broad exposure to a variety of topics to prepare them for a lifetime of learning, and the experience of exploring in depth a specific area of computer science to give them an appreciation for the intellectual potential of the field. Within this framework, we recognize that there is room for each student to fine tune a degree program that is appropriate to his or her background, aptitude, interests, and goals.

Caveats

Here are some things to keep in mind when reading this document.

One quarter hour of effort is equal to two-thirds of a semester hour of effort. We have endeavored to keep the number of semester hours that are required in each category of the curriculum at approximately two-thirds of the number of quarter hours that are currently required. (The general education requirements, which are dictated by the University, violate this constraint.)
The number of different courses that we offer must also decrease by approximately two-thirds if the faculty teaching load is to remain constant. This means that we must eliminate some classes and consolidate others.
The hardest part about the semester conversion process will be dealing with students who have completed some of their requirements under the quarter system and who must finish their requirements under the semester system. We are developing guidelines for such students, and we will be making further announcements during the spring quarter.

General Education

Semesters (21 hours)
Students must complete six 3-hour courses to satisfy the intellectual explorations requirement. Students must take two courses each from fine arts, humanities, and social sciences. One of the courses must satisfy the diversity requirement. The College of Engineering will doubtless place further conditions on these six courses.
Students must also take a 3-hour course from the approved list of American Institutions courses.

Quarters (28 hours)
Students must complete eight courses to satisfy the liberal education requirement. The courses must comprise at least 28 hours, must include courses numbered 300 or above, and must include at leasat two groups with at least two courses in each group that form a concentration.

Writing Requirement

Semesters (6 hours)

Two writing classes

Writing 2010, Intermediate Writing (3 hours)

Writing 3400, Professional Writing (3 hours)

Quarters (8 hours)

Two writing classes

Writing 112, College Writing II (4 hours)

Writing 301, Technical Writing (4 hours)

Calculus Requirement

Semesters (8 hours)

Two semesters of calculus

Math 1210, Calculus I (4 hours)

Math 1220, Calculus II (4 hours)

Quarters (12 hours)

Three quarters of calculus

Math 111, Calculus I (4 hours)

Math 112, Calculus II (4 hours)

Math 113, Calculus III (4 hours)

Physics Requirement

Semesters (8 hours)

Two semesters of physics

Physics 2210, Physics I (4 hours)

Physics 2220, Physics II (4 hours)

Quarters (12 hours)

Three quarters of physics

Physics 221, Physics I (4 hours)

Physics 222, Physics II (4 hours)

Physics 223, Physics III (4 hours)

Math/Science Restricted Elective

Semesters (9 hours)

A combination of three math, science, and/or engineering classes, including at least two math classes, must be taken. The courses must either be listed below or must have Math 1220 (Calculus II) as a prerequisite. Students will typically choose classes that are prerequisites for their computer science electives.

Biology 1000, General Biology (4 hours)

Chemistry 1210, General Chemistry I (5 hours)

Quarters (15 hours)

Three quarters of engineering math

Math 251, Ordinary Differential Equations (3 hours)

Math 252, Matrices and Vector Analysis (3 hours)

Math 507, Probability (4 hours)
One quarter of chemistry

Chemistry 121, General Chemistry I (5 hours)

CS Requirement

Semesters (49.5 hours)
The following computer science courses must be taken:

CS 1010, Introduction to Unix (0.5 hours)

CS 2010, Computer Science I (4 hours)

CS 2020, Computer Science II (4 hours)

CS 2030, Computer Science III (*)

CS 3500, Software Practice (4 hours)

CS 3810, Computer Architecture (4 hours)

CS 3100, Models of Computation (3 hours)

CS 3510, Algorithms/Data Structures (3 hours)
CS restricted elective. Four of the following five courses must be taken:

CS 3520, Programming Languages (3 hours)

CS 3700, Digital Design (4 hours)

CS 3200, Scientific Computation (3 hours)

CS 5460, Operating Systems (3 hours)

CS 5470, Compilers (3 hours)

Capstone experience. One of these two courses must be taken:

CS 4500, Software Engineering Lab (3 hours)

CS 4970, Bachelor's Thesis (3 hours)
CS elective. Four additional CS courses at the 300 level or higher totaling at least 12 hours.
Quarters (74 hours)
The following computer science courses must be taken:

CS 110, Introduction to Unix (1 hour)

CS 201, Computer Science I (4 hours)

CS 202, Computer Science II (4 hours)

CS 300, Discrete Structures (3 hours)

CS 354, Algorithms and Data Structures (4 hours)

CS 355, Programming Language Concepts (4 hours)

CS 356, Object-Oriented Software Engineering (4 hours)

CS 361, Logic Design (4 hours)

CS 362, Computer Architecture and Design I (4 hours)

CS 363, Computer Architecture and Design II (3 hours)

CS 376, Scientific Computation (3 hours)

CS 451, Senior Software Lab (3 hours)

CS 452, Senior Software Lab (3 hours)

CS 453, Senior Software Lab (3 hours)

CS 505, Theoretical Computer Science (3 hours)

CS 506, Operating Systems (3 hours)

CS 507, Compilers (3 hours)

CS 508, Networks (3 hours)
Five additional CS courses at the 300 level or higher totaling at least 15 hours. Three of the courses must form a concentration.

Free Electives

Semesters (20.5 hours)

122 semester hours are required to graduate. The above requirements can be completed in a minimum of 101.5 hours. At most 20.5 hours of free electives would then have to be completed.

Quarters (34 hours)

183 quarters hours are required to graduate. The above requirements can be completed in a minimum of 149 hours. At most 34 hours of free electives would then have to be completed.

Sample Semester Curriculum

Year 1

Fall Semester (15.5 hours)

Math 1210 Calculus I 4

CS 1010 Introduction to Unix .5

CS 2010 Computer Science I 4

Physics 2210 Physics I 4
Gen Ed General Education 3

Spring Semester (15 hours)

Math 1220 Calculus II 4

CS 2020 Computer Science II 4

Physics 2220 Physics II 4

Writing 2010 Writing 3

Year 2

Fall Semester (15 hours)

CS 2030 Computer Science III *

CS 3500 Software Practice 4

CS 3810 Computer Architecture 4

Math/Science Math/science elective 4

Writing 3400 Professional Writing 3

Spring Semester (14 hours)

CS 3100 Models of Computation 3

CS 3510 Algorithms/Data Strs 3

Math/Science Math/science elective 4

Gen Ed General Education 4

Year 3

Fall Semester (16 hours)

CS CS Restricted Elective 3

CS CS Restricted Elective 3

Math/Science Math/science elective 3

Gen Ed General Education 3

Free Elective Free elective 4

Spring Semester (16 hours)

CS CS Restricted Elective 3

CS CS Restricted Elective 3

Free elective CS elective 3

Gen Ed General Education 4

Free Elective Free elective 3

Year 4

Fall Semester (16 hours)

CS CS Elective 3

CS CS Elective 3

Gen Ed General Education 3

Gen Ed General Education 3

Free elective Free elective 4

Spring Semester (15 hours)

CS 4500 Capstone Experience 3

CS CS Elective 3

Gen Ed General Education 3

Free Elective Free Elective 3

Free Elective Free Elective 3

*CS 2030 is a two-hour course that will be required of all newly admitted majors during the fall semester of 1998. These students will have taken the two-quarter CS 201-202 sequence instead of the two-semester CS 2010-2020 sequence. CS 2030 is designed to bring these students up to speed. It will be neither offered nor required after 1998.

Semester Conversion

zachary@cs.utah.edu