In today’s world, more than ever, CS is used in the service of all diversity of disciplines from the arts and humanities to science and engineering. Being proficient in computer science can help students to excel in the discipline that most interests them.
Students who wish to develop competency in Computer Science, but are majoring in a different discipline may wish to pursue a CS Minor. The CS minor is 6 courses subject to particular constraints as detailed below.
This page is not intended as a substitute for the catalog.
Please consult with your advisor and the catalog for the year in which you were admitted.
Requirements
The CS minor requires completing CS 149, CS 159, and four additional CS courses (excluding CS 260 and CS 280). One of the four courses must include CS 240*, CS 261, or CS 345. Select courses that are appropriate for your goals.
*CS 240 requires a calculus prerequisite (MATH 231 or equivalent) that does not count toward the CS minor.
To discuss any details, schedule a meeting with our CS Advisor, Paige Normand.
Full Stack Web Development
Recommended for majors: Media Arts, Business, Biology, Chemistry, ISAT
This sequence includes an introduction to the software engineering practices that are used by professional developers, along with practical courses focused on building websites and databases. This group of courses would be good for students wanting to focus on practical software development skills that many employers are seeking.
Courses: CS 343, CS 345, CS 347, CS 374
Human-Centered Computing
Recommended for majors: Media Arts, ISAT, Humanities, Social Sciences, Business, Psychology
This sequence emphasizes the interaction between humans and computing systems. In addition to building technical programming skills, these courses examine how computing impacts society and how we design applications that are easy to use by non-technical users.
Courses: CS 343, CS 330, CS 345, CS 447 [optional: CS 347]
AI and Robotics
Recommended for majors: Physics, Engineering, ISAT, Philosophy
This sequence focuses on how to build autonomous robots and software that can automate decision making. These courses begin with the mathematical foundation for studying algorithms, which is necessary for evaluating what can and cannot be done with AI. It is also recommended that students take CS 330, which includes a discussion of the ethical implications of AI and automated decision-making.
Courses: CS/MATH 227, CS 240, CS 354, CS 444, [recommended: CS 330]
Note, CS 240 has a calculus prerequisite (MATH 231 or 235). CS 354 and CS 444 both have a statistics prerequisite (MATH 220, 229, or 318).
Mathematics and Algorithms
Recommended for majors: Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, Economics, Philosophy
This sequence focuses on the core mathematical foundations of CS, providing the tools for analyzing the efficiency of algorithms that are used to solve common problems. These courses also explore problems that are inherently difficult--if not impossible--to solve with a computer.
Courses: CS/MATH 227, CS 240, CS 327, and either CS 412 or CS 442
Note, CS 240 has a calculus prerequisite (MATH 231 or 235). CS 412 and CS 442 both have a statistics prerequisite (MATH 220, 229, or 318).
Hardware and Computer Systems
Recommended for majors: Physics, Engineering, ISAT
This sequence examines the core foundations of the overall field of CS. After building a solid understanding of software and algorithms, these courses also examine how that software gets translated into the electrical machine language that controls the computer. The optional CS 361 course would extend this to study how to build software that performs multiple tasks in parallel, including high-performance scientific computing, web servers, peer-to-peer file sharing, etc.
Courses: CS 101, CS/MATH 227, CS 240, CS 261, [optional: CS 361]
Note, CS 240 has a calculus prerequisite (MATH 231 or 235).
