The primary goal of the Computer Science Major at Simpson College is to give students a foundation for advanced study or professional practice. The program outlined below is designed to provide a coherent and broad-based coverage of the discipline of computing, giving a reasonable level of understanding in each of the areas and processes that define the discipline, as well as the interrelationships among these areas.
Students planning graduate study in computer science are strongly encouraged to elect CmSc 315 Programming Languages, and CmSc 365 Theory of Computation, and to take additional upper-division courses in Mathematics.
Computer Science Course Descriptions
B.A. Degree Requirements for a Computer Science Major:
Major course requirements, 55 hours
Cornerstone requirements, 34 (beyond those satisfied by a major requirement)
Writing competency (Eng 102), 3
Mathematics competency (satisfied by major requirement)
Elective requirements, 37 or 38 hours
Total credits, 128 hours
Courses required for major:
___ CmSc 150 Fundamentals of Computing I, 4 hours
___ CmSc 155 Fundamentals of Computing II, 4
___ CmSc 180 Discrete Mathematics, 3
___ CmSc 220 The Social Context of Computing, 3
___ CmSc 250 Intro to Algorithms & Algorithm Analysis, 4
___ CmSc 265 Computer Organization, 3
___ CmSc Capstone course, 3
Required Mathematics:
___Math 140 Elements of Calculus, 4 OR Math 151 Calculus I, 4
___Math 201 Elementary Statistics, 3
___Math 255 Linear Algebra, 3
Electives: Choose five 300-level CmSc/CIS courses:
___ CmSc 310 Artificial Intelligence, 3
___ CmSc 315 Programming Languages, 3
___ CmSc 330 Digital Systems, 3
___ CmSc 335 Operating Systems , 3
___ CmSc 340 Introduction to Networks, 3
___ CmSc 355 Advanced Database Systems, 3
___ CmSc 360 Algorithms, 3
___ CmSc 365 Theory of Computation, 3
___ CmSc 370 Senior Seminar, 1.5 (may be taken twice)
___ CmSc 375 Software Engineering, 3
Additional Electives: Choose three
___CIS 255 Introduction to Database Systems, 3
___CIS 260 Programming Languages (C++, Cobol, Java, Visual Basic, C#, or SQL), 3
___CIS 270 Web Development, 3
___Math 265 or above, 3
___Any CmSc/CIS 300-level course not used above, 3
Total hours in major, 58
COMPUTER SCIENCE MINOR
Courses required for minor:
___ CmSc 150 Fundamentals of Computing I, 4 hours
___ CmSc 155 Fundamentals of Computing II, 4
___ CmSc 180 Discrete Mathematics, 3
___ CmSc 220 The Social Context of Computing, 3
___ CmSc 265 Computer Organization, 3
One additional 200/300-level CmSc/CIS course, 3
Total hours in minor, 24

