Applied Computer Science, BS

Degree Requirements

For the BS ACS degree, students must complete 120 credits, including the Mason Core  requirements.  The program requires foundation, core, and concentration courses as described below. These course requirements provide expertise in programming, computer systems, software requirements and modeling, formal methods, and analysis of algorithms.

Total: 120 credits

Note:

Students must take CS 101  within their first year at the university.  Students should take CS 105  during their second semester.  A grade of C or better must be earned in CS 306  for this course to satisfy the Mason Core  synthesis requirement.

Applied Computer Science majors must take the Natural Sciences section of ENGH 302 .

CS Honors Program

The Department of Computer Science offers a CS Honors Program for students with strong computational foundations and the drive to delve deeper into computing.  The program is based on the bachelor of science in computer science and applied computer science curriculum and is distinct from the University Honors College curriculum.

Students must be seeking a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science or a Bachelor of Science in Applied Computer Science and must apply for entry into the CS Honors Program after completing 12 credits of CS courses.  Applicants must meet the GPA requirements outlined below to enter into the CS Honors Program.

CS Honors Program students must fulfill all standard courses required by the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science or  Applied Computer Science degree as well as the following additional requirements.

• GPA Requirement: Students must maintain an overall GPA of at least 3.50 and a GPA of at least 3.50 for courses which count towards the BS/CS or BS/ACS major including math, natural sciences, and all CS/SWE courses.
• Research Project Requirement: Students must complete a significant research project prior to graduation.  Students should seek out a CS faculty member willing to serve as their research advisor for the project.  The project should comprise original work by the student and be demonstrated via two channels: (1) a written project report that is approved by the student’s research advisor and submitted to the department; (2) a presentation of the project to an audience of students and/or faculty.
• Advanced Course Requirement: At least two Advanced Courses must be completed.  A complete list of acceptable advanced courses is maintained by the CS department and is available on the department web site.

Writing-Intensive Requirement

Computer science majors complete the writing-intensive requirement through a sequence of projects and reports in CS 306  and CS 321 .  Faculty members provide feedback on students’ expository writing.

Grades

Students must earn a C or better in any course intended to satisfy a prerequisite for a computer science course.  Computer science majors may not use more than one course with grade of C- or lower toward department requirements.

Repeating Courses

Students may attempt an undergraduate course taught by the Volgenau School of Engineering twice.  A third attempt requires approval of the department offering the course.  This policy does not apply to STAT 250 , which follows the normal university policy for repeating undergraduate courses.

The CS Department may not allow students to retake certain high-demand CS courses in which they have already earned a grade of C or better simply to improve their GPA.

Termination from the Major

No math, science, or Volgenau School of Engineering course that is required for the major may be attempted more than three times.  Those students who do not successfully complete such a course within three attempts will be terminated from the major.  Undeclared students in the Volgenau School who do not successfully complete a course required for a Volgenau School major within three attempts will also be terminated.  For more information, see the “Termination from the Major” section under AP.5 Undergraduate Policies.  

Once a student has attempted one of these courses twice unsuccessfully, the third attempt must be no later than the next semester of enrollment, excluding summers. Failure to take the course at that time will result in termination from the major. If the student is unable to take the course when required, the student may request an extension to a future semester; extensions require approval of the student’s advisor, their department, and the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs. The deadline for extension requests is the add deadline for the semester in which the course is required.

Students who have been terminated from a Volgenau School of Engineering major may not register for a Volgenau School course without permission of the department offering the course. This applies to all undergraduate courses offered by the Volgenau School except IT 104 and STAT 250.

A student may not declare any major in the Volgenau School of Engineering if the student has previously met the termination criteria for that major at any time, regardless of what the student’s major was at the time the courses were taken.

Change of Major

Students requesting a change of major to  applied computer science must meet with the Volgenau School of Engineering Coordinator of Undergraduate Advising, 2500 Nguyen Engineering Building. Students requesting a change of major to applied computer science must have a GPA of at least 2.75 in computer science and math courses and successfully completed CS 112  or CS 211  and MATH 113 ,  MATH 114 , or MATH 125  with a grade of B or better.

Advanced Placement, Credit by Exam

A score of 3 on the Advanced Placement (AP) computer science exam qualifies students for credit in CS 112 .  An AP score of 5, together with demonstrated competence in the programming language used in CS 211 , qualifies students for credit in CS 211.  A score of 4 on the International Baccalaureate (IB) computer science exam qualifies students for credits in CS 112, and a score of 5 or more qualifies students for credit in CS 211.