Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

The Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence degree offered within the Department of Computer Science is a four year full-time program. 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.

1. CS Course Requirements

All computer science courses must be graded C or better.

2. Non-CS Course Requirements

Courses taken outside the department must be graded C- or better.

  • COMM 111Z Public Speaking (4)*
  • WR 227Z Technical Writing (4)
  • MTH 251 Calculus I (4)
  • MTH 252 Calculus II (4)
  • MTH 253 Calculus III or MTH 261 Intro. to Linear Algebra (4)
  • Approved Lab Science (12-15)**
  • Approved Mathematics Electives (7)**

*Waived for students who have taken Freshman Inquiry

** There are several categories of required electives, including Programming Intensive, Security, Lab Science, and Mathematics electives. Please see the Bulletin for details about which courses are approved for each category .

3. General Education Requirements

All undergraduate students must satisfy the university's general education requirements , which are designed to assure that graduates have a breadth of coursework from across the university's curricula. Note that these can vary with the chosen catalog year. For transfer students , the number and type of general education courses that are required depends on the total credits transferred. Please consult with a Pathway Adviser for any questions regarding these requirements.

Beginning with the 2022-23 catalog, all Portland State undergraduate students must fulfill the Race and Ethnic Studies requirement (RESR) to earn their bachelor's degrees.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. Graduation Procedure

Students must apply two terms prior to their expected date of completion. The online graduation application is available on myPSU. Details and specific deadlines for degree applications are published on the Office of Registrar page.

8. Course Plan

8.1. First Year

Fall Courses

Fall Credits

Winter Courses

Winter Credits

Spring Courses

Spring Credits

First Year Inquiry

5

First Year Inquiry

5

First Year Inquiry

5

Approved Lab Science Elective

5

Approved Lab Science Elective

5

Approved Lab Science Elective

5

MTH 251Z

4

MTH 252Z

4

CS 162

4

CS 161

4

Total Fall Credits

14

Total Winter Credits

18

Total Spring Credits

14

First Year Note : Honors College options exist to replace University Studies. Contact Honors College for more information.

8.2. Second Year

Fall Courses

Fall Credits

Winter Courses

Winter Credits

Spring Courses

Spring Credits

Race and Ethnic Studies Requirement

3-4

Sophomore Inquiry

4

Sophomore Inquiry

4

MTH 253Z or MTH 261

4

CS 250

4

CS 205

4

CS 163

4

General Elective

4

CS 251

4

General Elective

4

General Elective

4

Total Fall Credits

15-16

Total Winter Credits

12

Total Spring Credits

16

8.3. Third Year

Fall Courses

Fall Credits

Winter Courses

Winter Credits

Spring Courses

Spring Credits

Upper Division Cluster

4

Upper Division Cluster

4

Upper Division Cluster

4

CS 302

4

CS 314

4

Upper Division CS Security Elective

4

CS 350

4

CS 333

4

CS 486

4

WR 227Z

4

CS 305 or PHL 314U

4

Upper Division CS Elective

4

Total Fall Credits

16

Total Winter Credits

16

Total Spring Credits

16

Third Year Milestone : Opt-in to major via the department during fall term prior to week 8.

8.4. Fourth Year

Fall Courses

Fall Credits

Winter Courses

Winter Credits

Spring Courses

Spring Credits

CS 358

4

CS 469

4

CS 470

4

Upper Division CS Elective

4

Upper Division CS Elective

4

Upper Division CS Elective

4

Math Elective or CS 311

4

Math Elective

3

Upper Division CS Elective

4

General Elective

4

General Elective

3

Total Fall Credits

12

Total Winter Credits

15

Total Spring Credits

15

8.5. Additional Map Notes:

  • Approved Lab Science Elective : See the Computer Science website for list of approved courses.
  • CS 161 : Students interested in the Discover CS Cohort should begin that program with CS 161 in Fall and work with their advisor to make appropriate schedule adjustments
  • Race and Ethnic Studies Requirement : Two courses required, each minimum 3 credits: one course must focus on the U.S. experience; the second course must center the experiences of groups under European and U.S. colonialism and imperialism beyond the United States. One must be within the School of Gender, Race and Nations or be cross-listed with one of the SGRN units: Black Studies (BST), Chicanx/Latinx Studies (CHLA), Indigenous Nations Studies (NAS), or Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WS). Students are encouraged to take RESR course in Junior year as part of their Junior Cluster, otherwise must take it as a General Elective course in their Senior year.
  • Upper Division CS Security Elective: See the Computer Science website for list of approved security elective courses.
  • Upper Division CS Elective: See the Computer Science website for list of approved courses.
  • Math Elective or CS 311: See the Computer Science website for list of MTH, STAT and CS elective courses.
  • General Elective : May need to use this elective to complete BS Arts & Letters/Social Science credit requirement, or complete Race and Ethnic Studies Requirement.
  • You may need to add additional general elective credits to your plan to reach 180 total credits.

9. AP and IB CS credits

Students who have taken Computer Science courses can obtain credit and waive courses within the Computer Science curriculum.  The current set of equivalencies across the State of Oregon can be found for the Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science exams here and the International Baccalaureate Computer Science courses here .

Currently, we allow the following:

  • AP Computer Science Principles (3 or above): CS 160
  • AP Computer Science A (3 or above): CS 161
  • IB Standard Computer Science (4 or above): CS 160
  • IB Higher Level Computer Science (4 or above): CS 161

10. Honors Track

The Computer Science Honors Program provides a valuable opportunity for qualified students to research a specialty area within Computer Science with a faculty advisor.

10.1. Admission Requirements

Exceptions to these requirements may be approved by the department given sufficient documentation of extenuating circumstances; please contact an advisor for further information.

10.2. Program Requirements

Upon acceptance to the CS Honors program, the student must declare a research area of interest within Computer Science no later than the beginning of their Senior year (preferably by Spring quarter of Junior year). The student should identify a faculty member who is willing to serve as their thesis advisor, and this appointment will then be confirmed by the Department Chair. CS Honors theses will follow ACM document guidelines for style and formatting. The Honors thesis research is usually conducted after completing the course requirements of the student's Junior year.

10.3. Graduation Requirements

  • Completion of a written Honors thesis, in conjunction with a faculty advisor, with a minimum grade of B+.
  • Presentation of research to CS faculty and students in a seminar format.
  • Minimum overall 3.5 PSU GPA

Note: Honors Thesis (CS 403) may qualify as an approved CS elective.

11. Catalog

For guidance on the degree program or graduation application, or to ask questions relating to course selection, degree requirements, or earlier catalogs, please contact our Undergraduate Advisor, at uccs@pdx.edu .