Undergraduate Programs
The Department of Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offers three different undergraduate degree programs, a five year combined BS/MS program, a minor in Computer Science and a Software Engineering Certificate. For a description of each program and its requirements, click on the corresponding link below.
College of Engineering Degrees
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Degrees
Other Programs
The differences among the three BS degrees are mainly contained within both the college requirements and the department requirements. For example, the College of Engineering requires physics and chemistry, while the College of LAS does not. Also, the General Education requirements are slightly different between the two colleges. As for the department requirements, the Math/CS major requires about three more math classes, and about five fewer CS classes, than the CS major. The Stats/CS degree is similar to the Math/CS degree, but with stats classes instead of some of the math. There is a core of about 15 Math and CS courses that are common to all three majors, so there are a lot more similarities than differences.
Students sometimes ask if the major matters to employers. We
don't have specific statistics about that, but our impression is
that most employers do not favor any one over another. However, employers do sometimes prefer students to have had more CS courses; since the LAS degrees have fewer required CS courses, students who take the minimum number of CS courses for those degrees will be at a disadvantage compared to COE students.
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (B.S.)
This curriculum is offered for students seeking a broad and deep knowledge of the theory, design, and applications of digital computers. The first two years are spent on basic work in mathematics and physics, and an introduction to the fundamental areas of computer science. The third year completes the work in basic computer science and requires electives to broaden the academic background of the student. During the fourth year, each student is encouraged to obtain a deeper understanding of topics in which the student has particular interest.
Degree Requirements:
Coursework for
students who began as undergraduates (here or at another
institution) before Fall 2005
Coursework for students who began as undergraduates (here or at another institution) Fall 2005 or after
A suggested sequence of courses for freshmen entering Fall 2005 or later with no AP credit is available at Suggested Sequence of Courses.
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5 Year Bachelor of Science/Master of Science in Computer Science (B.S./M.S.)
The five-year B.S.-M.S. program in Computer Science combines two degrees: a B.S. in Computer Science with an M.S. (with thesis) in Computer Science. Current UIUC Computer Science students enrolled in the College of Engineering with junior standing who maintain superior academic performance are eligible to apply for this program. Students admitted to the program will receive both degrees once all requirements for the 5-Year B.S.-M.S. degree program have been successfully completed.
Program Admission and Program FAQ
Degree Requirements:
B.S. Component: (120 hours plus 3 distribution courses for 9-12 graduate hours)
- Same required courses as the traditional B.S. degree with the minimum hours required reduced to 120 hours
- Architecture (CS 431 or CS 433), Theory (CS 473 or CS 475), and Software (CS 421 or CS 423) courses must be taken for graduate hours (students must take the graduate section of the course if offered).
- University undergraduate student minimum residence requirement satisfied
- Overall GPA of 3.5 maintained through completion of B.S. component of the program.
M.S. Component: (minimum 16 additional coursework hours plus 4 hours of CS 599 thesis)
- Identical to the traditional M.S. program with the distribution coursework satisfied while still classified as undergraduate (though held to the standards of a graduate student)
- Satisfy the university's graduate student minimum residence requirement
- Overall GPA of 3.0 must be maintained through completion of M.S. component of the program.
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Minor in Computer Science
Any undergraduate on campus may pursue a minor in Computer
Science - except for students majoring in Computer Engineering.
Contact your college office for details about how to declare a CS
minor. Some colleges or departments place special conditions on
minors. For example:
- College of Engineering: All majors except those in computer science and computer engineering may elect this minor. The major department has final approval of the minor courses.
- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Two courses (at least 6 hours) of this minor must meet the LAS advanced hours requirement. All 400-level CS courses meet this requirement, as well as CS 232 and CS 257. Thus, LAS students must take at least one 400-level course (to satisfy the CS minor requirement), and then take either another 400-level course or CS 232 or CS 257 (to satisfy the LAS requirement).
Minor Requirements:
- Coursework
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Software Engineering Certificate
The Computer Science Department offers a special certificate program in software engineering for students in computer science. The program provides to participating students the depth and breadth necessary for satisfying possible future software engineering accreditation requirements. Interested students are asked to register for this program in their junior year, by visiting the College of Engineering main office at 206 Engineering Hall.
Certificate Requirements
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Bachelor of Science in Math and Computer Science
The mathematics and computer science program offered by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is for students with strong interests in both mathematics and computer science. The major courses are divided about equally between the two areas. The first two years are spent on basic work in mathematics and general education, and an introduction to the fundamental areas of computer science: programming, theory of computation, the architecture of digital computers, and numerical analysis. The third year completes the work in basic computer science and mathematics and requires electives to broaden the background of the student. During the fourth year, each student is encouraged to obtain a deeper understanding of topics in which the student has particular interest.
Degree Requirements
- Coursework
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Bachelor of Science in Statistics and Computer Science
The statistics and computer science program offered by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is for students with strong interests in both statistics and computer science. The major courses are divided about equally between the two areas. The first two years are spent on basic work in mathematics and general education, and an introduction to the fundamental areas of computer science: programming, theory of computation, the architecture of digital computers, and numerical analysis. The third year completes the work in basic computer science and statistics, and requires electives to broaden the background of the student. During the fourth year, each student is encouraged to obtain a deeper understanding of topics in which the student has particular interest.
Degree Requirements:
- Coursework
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Last Modified November 26 2007 09:04:38.
