The Current Computer Science Major and Minor

The following are the requirements that apply to students matriculating in the fall of 2005 or later.

Core Course Requirements include:

• CS-101 Problem Solving and Structured Programming
• CS-102 Object-oriented Intermediate Programming
• CS-211 Data Structures

Requirements for the Major

In addition to the core courses, a major must complete the following courses:

• CS-221 Computer Systems and Assembly Language
• MA-232 Discrete Math (taught by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics)
• CS-312 Algorithms
• CS-324 Computer Architecture
• CS-322 Operating Systems
• two additional computer science courses at the 300 level (for a total of 40 credits)

At least 36 of these credits must be taken at Mount Holyoke. A student planning to take a junior year or semester abroad should plan their coursework carefully so they can comply with this requirement. In this regard, her major advisor should be of considerable help.

It is strongly recommended that students acquire skills in calculus (equivalent to those taught in Mathematics 101 and 202) by the end of their second year. These skills are expected of students in some of the 300 level computer science courses. Computer Science majors who elect a mathematics or statistics minor may not count MA-232 or any other CS or Math course for credit in both mathematics and computer science.

Students with graduate school or technical careers in mind are strongly encouraged to consider an honors project and to take more computer science courses than are required for the minimum major. In planning her list of extra CS courses we encourage the student to consider the many interesting courses available through the 5-college consortium and/or programs abroad. These students should also consider taking additional courses in physics (e.g. physics 216, 308), chemistry (e.g. chemistry 207), mathematics (e.g. Mathematics 203, 211, 333), and statistics (e.g. Statistics 240, 340).

The CS faculty will be very happy to help the interested student plan this part of her curriculum.

Requirements for the Minor

The computer science minor requires that the student complete the core courses and two 300-level computer science courses, for a total of 20 credits. Students interested in a computer science minor should consult with a member of the computer science faculty.