Program requirements and other relevant information can be found in the links below:
Computer Science Electives
CS students must complete two courses (6 credits) of computer science electives.
- These courses must be at the 300 level or higher.
- These may be any non-required courses offered by the CS Department that are not taken to fill other slots (courses cannot be “double counted”).
- Two of these courses must be a part of a project sequence.
General Education Requirements
CS students must complete six courses (18 credits) that satisfy the University General Education Requirements.
- Three courses (9 credits) must be approved Arts and Humanities (AH) courses
- Three courses (9 credits) must be approved Social Sciences (SS) courses
- ENGL.2200 Oral & Written Communication for Computer Science is required and counts as one of the three required AH GenEds
- One of these courses (either AH or SS) must satisfy the CS Ethics Requirement
- One (again either AH or SS) must satisfy the University Diversity Requirement
Technical Electives
CS students must complete 6 credits of technical electives. These are courses offered by the College of Sciences (our college) or the College of Engineering.
- Courses that fulfill this requirement must be classified as required or elective courses for the majors in those departments.
- To use a CS course as a technical elective, it must be at the 3000, 4000, or 5000 level.
Natural Science Electives
CS students must complete 12 credits of natural science courses. These are courses offered by one of the four natural science departments in the College of Sciences: Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Environmental/Earth/Atmospheric Sciences, and Physics/Applied Physics.
- Courses that fulfill this requirement must be classified as required or elective courses for the majors in those departments (with some exceptions).
- Two of the three natural science courses must be taken with their associated labs.
- The remaining 4 credits can be satisfied either by taking a third 3-credit natural science course with its companion 1-credit lab, or by taking two 3-credit natural science courses without their companion labs.
- The total number of credits applied to this requirement plus the number of credits earned in Math (MATH.xxxx) courses must total at least 30.
The Computer Science faculty recommends that students always take the companion lab for any natural science course when a lab is available.
General (Free) Electives
CS students must complete 12 credits of almost any course offered by the University. At least one general elective must be in a non-technical area (not computer science, the sciences, mathematics, engineering, and similar disciplines) such as the humanities or social sciences that does not have a computation or other technical focus. For all general electives, CS students must avoid:
- Courses in areas required by the CS curriculum (such as mathematics) unless they are at a level higher than those required by the CS courses.
- Non-CS courses having a significant computing component or a significant overlap in content with courses required by the CS curriculum, such as MIS or IT courses.
- Mathematics courses below the level of the science and engineering calculus sequence.
- Certificate courses offered through Continuing Education.
- CS courses for non-majors.
The determination of the acceptability of any proposed general elective course will be made by the CS department undergraduate coordinator.
You may take courses that do not qualify as general electives. Such courses will appear on your transcript and are part of your overall GPA, but they will not count toward your BS degree in Computer Science. Students who took courses in the above categories before they came to UMass Lowell are usually allowed to use them as general electives.
The Ethics & Diversity Requirements
Computer Science requires all its undergraduate majors to complete at least one ethics course. This requirement can be satisfied by completing any course that fulfills the university's Social Responsibility and Ethics Requirement.
Here are a few SRE courses which are particularly relevant to understanding the professional and ethical responsibilities within the field of computer science as well as factors relevant to understanding the social impacts of technology:
- ENGL.2490: Literature on Technology and Human Values (Formerly 42.249)
- FAHS.2200: Designing the Future World (Formerly 57.220)
- PHIL.2030: Introduction to Ethics (Formerly 45.203)
- PHIL.3340: Engineering and Ethics (Formerly 45.334)
- PHIL.3350: Ethical Issues in Technology (Formerly 45.335)
Of course, you are not limited to the courses on this list to fulfill the requirement.