Bachelor of Science

The Bachelor of Science in Computer Science is the first university degree in the field and may take at least four years of full-time work to complete. Students may enter the program directly from high school; after preliminary coursework in a two-year community college program; or after they have work experience in the field without a college degree. The department makes every effort to place students in courses appropriate to their actual level of knowledge.

Note that these courses reflect the requirements for the most recent catalog (also known as the PSU Bulletin), which includes a section specifically for the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science . For earlier catalogs and inquiries regarding degree requirements, please consult with an Advisor for more information.

Course Prerequisites

Before enrolling in any Computer Science course, students should read the course description and ensure that they have completed all prerequisites with a grade of C or better. Students who have not met this requirement may be administratively dropped from the course. The prerequisites for each required CS course can be viewed in graphical form for the 2022-23, 2023-24 , and 2024-25 academic years. In these diagrams, an arrow points to the courses that require the prerequisite.

CS Upper Division Electives

• Registration for 300-level and 400-level CS courses requires admission to the CS Upper Division program.
• CS Upper Division electives can be any 300-level and 400-level CS courses including CS 410 and/or ECE 341, ECE 455, ECE 456, ECE 485, and ECE 486.
• A total of 24 credits of CS Upper Division electives are required. At least one of these electives must be a Programming intensive course (noted by a P suffix on the course number). And at least one of these electives must be an approved Computer Science Security elective (currently CS 491, CS 495, or CS 496).
• A maximum of 4 credits may count from CS 309, CS 401, CS 405, CS 406, CS 407, and CS 409.
• CS 404 and any courses specifically described as not being applicable to the CS degree may not be used.
• 44 of the 52 Upper Division CS credits must be taken at PSU after admission to the CS Program.

Postbaccalaureate

Postbac students working toward a second bachelor's degree must satisfy all required CS and Non-CS courses listed above, but are not required to take free electives or to satisfy the general University requirements. Courses taken for the first undergraduate degree may be used to satisfy these requirements, provided the student takes at least 45 credits at PSU. For example, a student with an undergraduate degree in physics or electrical engineering will have likely satisfied most or all of the science and math requirements while one with a major in literature or fine arts will likely need to take more courses to earn the CS degree.