Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

The Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree is accredited by ABET. ABET Logo

CSC Major Degree Requirements:

Degree requirements are "locked in" when students are admitted and will never change afterwards. The admission term of a student is found at the top of their Degree Audit on RamPortal. The Academic Catalog memorializes the major requirements by admission term. Degree requirements are also presented here for convenience, and should mirror the academic catalog.

Admission Term: Fall 2025 - Later

Core Curriculum: 60 credits

Computer Science Requirements: 27 credits (3 cr. each)

  • CSC 141: Computer Science I
  • CSC 142: Computer Science II
  • CSC 220: Foundations of Computer Science
  • CSC 231: Computer Systems
  • CSC 240: Computer Science III
  • CSC 241: Data Structures and Algorithms
  • CSC 301: Computer Security
  • CSC 345: Programming Language Concepts and Paradigms
  • CSC 402: Software Engineering

Communication Skills Requirements: 6 credits (3 cr. each)

  • ENG 368* OR ENG 371*: Business and Organizational Writing OR Technical Writing
  • SPK 208* OR SPK 230 OR SPK 199: Public Speaking OR Business and Professional Speech Communication OR Transfer Credit

Mathematics Requirements: {10-11} credits

  • MAT 121: Statistics I (3 cr)
  • MAT 151*: Introduction to Discrete Mathematics (3 cr)
  • MAT 161: Calculus I (4 cr)
  • MAT 162 OR STA 200: Calculus II (4 cr) OR Statistics II (3 cr)

Courses with (*) also count towards general education credits.

Science Requirements: {6-8} credits

You must take two science courses that fulfill the general education science requirement.

Advanced Requirements: 21 credits

In addition to the Core Curriculum, a student must take 21 credits of Computer Science (CSC) electives consisting of 300-level or 400-level courses according to these stipulations:

  1. A minimum of 9 credits of 400-level courses is required.
  2. The internship course, CSC 400, can apply 3 credits towards the Advanced Requirements.

Admission Term: Fall 2019 - Summer 2025

Core Curriculum - 60 credits

Computer Science Requirements - 27 credits (3 cr. each)

  • CSC 141: Computer Science I
  • CSC 142: Computer Science II
  • CSC 220: Foundations of Computer Science
  • CSC 231: Computer Systems
  • CSC 240: Computer Science III
  • CSC 241: Data Structures and Algorithms
  • CSC 301: Computer Security
  • CSC 345: Programming Language Concepts and Paradigms
  • CSC 402: Software Engineering

Communication Skills Requirements - 6 credits (3 cr. each)

  • ENG 368* OR ENG 371*: Business and Organizational Writing OR Technical Writing
  • SPK 208* OR SPK 230 OR SPK 199: Public Speaking OR Business and Professional Speech Communication OR Transfer Credit

Mathematics Requirements - 10 credits

  • MAT 121: Statistics I (3)
  • MAT 151*: Introduction to Discrete Mathematics (3)
  • MAT 161: Calculus I (4)
  • MAT 162 OR STA 200: Calculus II (4) OR Statistics II (3)
    Courses with (*) also count towards general education credits.

Science Lab Requirements 

You must take two laboratory science course intended for science majors; the current list of such courses includes:

  • BIO 110*: General Biology (3)
  • CHE 103* &  CRL 103: General Chemistry I (3) & Lab (1)
  • ESS 101*: Introduction to Geology (3)
  • PHY 130*: General Physics I (4)
  • PHY 170*: Physics I (4)
    Courses with (*) also count towards general education credits.

Large Scale Systems - 3 credits

Select from one of these courses:

  • CSC 416: Design/Construction Compilers
  • CSC 417: User Interfaces
  • CSC 418:  Modern Web Applications Using Server-Side Technologies
  • CSC 466: Distributed and Parallel Computing
  • CSC 467: Big Data Engineering
  • CSC 468: Introduction to Cloud Computing
  • CSC 476: Game Development
  • CSC 496: Topics in Complex Large-Scale Systems

Advanced Requirements - 18 credits

In addition to the Core Curriculum and Large Scale System requirement, a student must take 18 credits of Computer Science (CSC) electives consisting of 300-level or 400-level courses according to these stipulations:

  1. A minimum of 6 credits of 400-level courses is required.
  2. The internship course, CSC 400, can apply 3 credits towards the Advanced Requirements.

Advanced Placement Credit

CSC credit is awarded for the following two AP computer science exams:

  • Computer Science A exam, score of 3,4,5 is awarded 3 credits of CSC141
  • Computer Science Principles exam, score of 3,4,5 is awarded 3 credits of CSC110

Visit the Registrar’s website for more information on how course credit for success on AP and other exams in computer science is awarded.

Transfer and Continuation Requirements

Students who seek to transfer to the Computer Science major from another college or from another major within WCU must first satisfy all these conditions:

  • have received a grade of C- or better for both CSC141 and CSC142
  • have received a grade of C- or better in at least two of the following three courses: MAT121, MAT151, MAT161
  • have a GPA at least 2.5 over all CSC major courses taken, and a GPA at least 2.0 over all required MAT courses taken.

All Computer Science majors at WCU must satisfy the same requirements as stated above before being permitted to take any 300 or higher level Computer Science major courses. Exceptions to this transfer and continuation policy can be made on a case by case basis by the department chairperson.

Graduation Requirements

In order to graduate, a Computer Science major must earn a grade of C- or better in each course taken to fulfill the requirements listed above. Furthermore, the overall GPA must be at least 2.5 in CSC courses and at least 2.0 in MAT courses taken as requirements. This policy does not apply to courses taken as free electives.