Undergraduate Program Guide

Bachelor of Science

in

Computer Science
2013-2014

DEPARTMENT OF
COMPUTER SCIENCE and ENGINEERING

The University of Texas at Arlington

500 UTA Blvd.
Engineering Research Building, Room 640
P. O. Box 19015
Arlington, Texas 76019-0015

Phone (metro) -- (817) 272-3785

FAX (metro) -- (817) 272-3784
Homepage -- http://www.cse.uta.edu

Fall, 2013
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Purpose ............................................................................................................................. 3

Program Objectives........................................................................................................... 3

Program Outcomes ........................................................................................................... 3

Program Overview ............................................................................................................ 4

Degree Requirements ....................................................................................................... 4

Course Offerings ............................................................................................................... 5

Admission Requirements .................................................................................................. 5

Prior Preparation ............................................................................................................... 5

Readiness Examinations................................................................................................... 5

Student Advising ............................................................................................................... 5

Transfer Students and Transfer Credits ............................................................................ 5

Cooperative Education Program ....................................................................................... 6

Honors Program ................................................................................................................ 6

Graduate Degree Paths .................................................................................................... 6

Elective Courses ............................................................................................................... 6

Mathematics (MEL) ............................................................................................... 7

Science (SEL) ....................................................................................................... 7
Technical (TEEL)................................................................................................... 7
Social/Cultural (SCEL) .......................................................................................... 8
Fine Arts (FAEL).................................................................................................... 9
 BSCS UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM GUIDE

PURPOSE

This document has been prepared to assist the new or prospective student in understanding the undergraduate
program in Computer Science (CS) offered by the University of Texas at Arlington.

The Undergraduate Catalog is the official source of university information. Each student should become familiar
with it, and consult it for answers to questions regarding policies, regulations, and course descriptions. It is also
important that all students watch for memos and notices posted on the CSE department bulletin boards and
website that pertain to undergraduate students. These notices are of a current or real-time nature, dealing with
required student actions or important opportunities.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

The BSCS program has been formulated so that graduates will: (1) enter the computing profession or advanced
studies supported by their fundamental knowledge of mathematics, basic science, computing systems and
science; (2) will advance in this profession supported by their ability to work in teams, analyze complex computing
systems, design solutions and implement these solutions using computer software tools and technologies; and (3)
demonstrate success and leadership while advancing the practice of computing by contributing to the growth of
their employers, communities, and professional societies through their proficiency in communication,
understanding of professional ethics and the ability to engage in continuing professional development.

PROGRAM OUTCOMES

From the educational objectives described above, the department designed the programs to meet the following
Program Outcomes, to ensure that its graduates have:

 an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering

 an ability to design and construct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data
 an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs
 an ability to function on multidisciplinary teams
 an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems
 an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
 an ability to communicate effectively
 the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal
context
 a recognition of the need for, and the ability to engage in, lifelong learning
 a knowledge of contemporary issues
 an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice

1
This guide is not an official publication and the contents hereof are not official policy of The University of Texas at Arlington or of The
University of Texas System. In all matters, the Rules and Regulations of the Regents of The University of Texas System, The Handbook of
Operating Procedures of The University of Texas at Arlington, and the Undergraduate Catalog of The University of Texas at Arlington shall
supersede this guide.

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PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Historically, the computer science program started at UTA in the early 1970’s as a master’s level program within
the Industrial Engineering Department. A Ph.D. program was started a few years later. The bachelor’s degree
was first offered in 1978.

A separate Department of Computer Science and Engineering was established in 1980, and the undergraduate
program was accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in 1983, and has
maintained its accreditation ever since. This was the first CSE undergraduate program to be accredited in the
state. The program received accreditation from the Computing Sciences Accreditation Board (CSAB) in 1995,
making it the first program in Texas accredited by both ABET and CSAB. In 2001 the CSE department started
the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree and the Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering
degree.

Our graduates are readily recruited by industry and can be found in exciting computer related positions
throughout the area and the nation.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

The degree requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (BSCS) degree are given below. The
program is divided into two levels or subprograms: the pre-professional and the professional programs. All pre-
professional courses must be passed (math, science and computer science courses with at least a C grade), and
a minimum UTA GPA of 2.25 must be earned before the student is admitted to the professional program.

Two four-hour freshman level foreign language courses in the same language are also required unless the
student has completed at least two years of a foreign language in high school or English is his/her second
language.

Pre-Professional Courses

English: ENGL 1301 and 1302

Mathematics: MATH 1426 and 2425
Natural Science: PHYS 1443 and 1444
Computer Science & Engr.: CSE 1104, 1105, 1320, 1325, 2312, 2315 and 2320

General Education Courses

Literature: 3 hours of literature (English or modern and classical languages) or approved substitute
Liberal Arts: COMS 2302
Fine Arts: 3 hour approved fine arts elective (see page 9)
History: HIST 1311 and 1312
Political Science: POLS 2311 and 2312
Social/Cultural Studies: 3 hour approved social or cultural elective (see page 8)

Professional Courses

Computer Science & Engr.: CSE 3302, 3310, 3315, 3320, 3330, 4314, 4316, and 4317
One of: CSE 4303, CSE 4305, CSE 4308
Industrial Engineering: IE 3301 (or MATH 3313), and IE 3312
Mathematics: CSE 3380 or MATH 3330, and a three hour approved math elective (see page 7)
Science: 4 hour approved science elective (see page 7)
Technical Electives: 15 hours of approved technical electives (see page 7)

Pre-Professional Total: 39 hours.

General Education Total: 24 hours.
Professional Total: 58 hours.

Total (for degree): 121 hours, plus modern and classical languages as required.

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ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Requirements for admission as a Computer Science major are governed by the requirements stated under the
College of Engineering section of the Undergraduate Catalog.

All entering students majoring in Computer Science are permitted to enroll in general education and pre-
professional courses for which they are qualified. Students completing these pre-professional courses must meet
the academic requirements specified by the College of Engineering prior to applying for admission to the
professional program. The Computer Science and Engineering Department requires a 2.25 overall grade point
average on a 4.0 scale in each of three categories: (1) overall, (2) required science, mathematics, and
engineering courses, and (3) required CSE courses. Students not in the professional program will not be allowed
entrance into any (4000) senior level courses.

PRIOR PREPARATION

The baccalaureate program in computer science, BSCS, is a four-year program, and requirements for the degree
are based upon prior high school preparation through either an honors or college track. More specifically,
entering students are expected to have a background in mathematics through pre-calculus, high school
chemistry, and programming in a high-level language such as C, C++, Java or Python.

Students who have not had the appropriate preparation should contact the departmental advising office for
assistance in structuring a degree plan that will include leveling courses. Students requiring leveling courses may
require a longer period of time to complete their undergraduate program.

READINESS EXAMINATIONS

Students will be required to pass readiness examinations before enrolling in the courses listed below unless
the course prerequisite was taken at U.T. Arlington and passed with a C or better grade. Students not passing
the readiness examination must take the prerequisite course. A readiness examination may be taken only once,
per course. Additional information is available in the departmental office.

CSE 1320: Intermediate Programming

CSE 1325: Object-oriented Programming

STUDENT ADVISING

Computer Science (CS) majors are required to be advised by a departmental advisor each semester. Consult the
departmental bulletin boards or Web site for advising hours. Continuing students are able to submit advising
requests via the CSE Web site. New and transfer students must also be advised prior to the beginning of the
semester in which they first enroll.

TRANSFER STUDENTS AND TRANSFER CREDITS

After admission and prior to registration, transfer students should contact the Department of Computer Science
and Engineering for advising. At the time of advising, a transfer student must present to their undergraduate
advisor an official transcript (or copy) from each school previously attended. Only the equivalent courses in a
program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), or equivalent freshman,
sophomore, or general education courses accepted by the department chairperson can be counted toward a
degree in computer science.

A student, once admitted to The University of Texas at Arlington and enrolled in the Computer Science (CS)
program, cannot enroll in courses at another college or university and transfer those courses for credit toward a
degree in Computer Science (CS) without having obtained prior permission from the Department of Computer
Science and Engineering.

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COOPERATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM

Cooperative education or Co-op programs are arrangements where students alternate periods of full-time
employment with periods of full-time study, usually during the last two years of a degree program. The
employment is directly related to the student’s major and pays an attractive salary. Thus, Co-op students gain
valuable career related experience before graduating while earning a meaningful income. Cooperative education
opportunities are plentiful for Computer Science (CS) students.

HONORS PROGRAM

The Computer Science and Engineering department encourages qualified CS majors to participate in the Honors
College described in the Undergraduate Catalog. Projects may be pursued in any one of the areas of
concentration within the Department of Computer Science and Engineering.

GRADUATE DEGREE PATHS

Computing is a rapidly changing discipline requiring lifelong learning by its professionals. Completing a graduate
degree enhances an individual’s ability to assimilate and apply their knowledge and skills to meet on the job
challenges and the needs of society. Pursuing a graduate degree on a full-time basis immediately after
completing the baccalaureate is an attractive option for many students. Students are encouraged to discuss
possibilities with a Graduate Advisor upon advancement to a Bachelor of Science professional program.

Fast Track Program for Master’s Degree

The Fast Track Program enables outstanding UT Arlington senior undergraduate students in Computer Science
to satisfy degree requirements leading to a master's degree while completing their undergraduate studies. When
senior-level students are within 15 hours of completing their undergraduate degree requirements, they may take
up to 9 hours of graduate level coursework designated by the Graduate Program to satisfy both undergraduate
and graduate degree requirements. In the limiting case, a student completing the maximum allowable hours (9)
while in undergraduate status would have to take only 21 additional hours to meet minimum requirements for
graduation in a 30 hour thesis master’s degree program (M.S.) or 27 additional hours for a non-thesis master’s
degree program (M.S.)

Interested UT Arlington undergraduate Computer Science students should apply to the Graduate Program when
they are within 30 hours of completing their bachelor’s degrees. They must have completed at least 30 hours at
UTA, achieving a GPA of at least 3.0 in those courses, and have an overall GPA of 3.0 or better in all college
courses. Additionally, they must have completed at least 11 hours of specified undergraduate foundation courses
with a minimum GPA of 3.3 in those courses. Contact the Undergraduate Advisor or Graduate Advisor in
Computer Science & Engineering for more information about the program.

Direct Acceptance to Doctoral Programs from Bachelor’s Degree Program

Excellent undergraduate students may qualify for acceptance to doctoral studies without the intermediate
completion of a master’s degree. Students should discuss the expected level of commitment and possibilities for
long-term support with a Graduate Advisor.

ELECTIVE COURSES

Courses that can be used to satisfy the various elective requirements in the CS curriculum are listed below by
category. Please note that courses listed in more than one category may be used to satisfy the
requirements of only one of those categories.

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Mathematics Electives (MEL)

Any of the following courses may be used to satisfy the mathematics elective requirement. The use of any other
course for the mathematics elective must be approved in advance by the department chairperson. Consult the
undergraduate catalog for course descriptions and prerequisites.

MATH 2326 – Calculus III

MATH 3300 – Introduction to Proofs
MATH 3303 – Mathematical Game Theory
MATH 3304 – Linear Optimization Applications
MATH 3307 – Elementary Number Theory
MATH 3315 – Mathematical Models
MATH 3318 – Differential Equations
MATH 3321 – Abstract Algebra
MATH 3335 – Analysis I
MATH 3345 – Numerical Analysis and Computer Applications

Science Electives (SEL)

Any of the following courses may be used to satisfy the science elective requirement. The use of any other
course for the science elective must be approved in advance by the department chairperson. Consult the
undergraduate catalog for course descriptions and prerequisites.

BIOL 1441 - Cell and Molecular Biology

BIOL 1442 - Structure and Function of Organisms
CHEM 1441 - General Chemistry
CHEM 1442 - General Chemistry
CHEM 1465 – Chemistry for Engineers
GEOL 1425 - Earth Systems

Technical Electives (TEEL)

Any of the following courses may be used to satisfy technical elective requirements. The use of any other course
for a technical elective must be approved in advance by the lead undergraduate advisor. The courses may be
taken in any combination except that four or more must be 4000-level CSE courses. Consult the
undergraduate catalog for course descriptions and prerequisites.

CSE 4303 – Computer Graphics

CSE 4305 – Compilers for Algorithmic Languages
CSE 4308 – Artificial Intelligence I
CSE 4309 – Artificial Intelligence II
CSE 4319 - Modeling and Simulation
CSE 4321 – Software Testing and Maintenance
CSE 4322 – Software Project Management
CSE 4323 - Quantitative Computer Architecture
CSE 4331 - Database Implementation and Theory
CSE 4334 – Data Mining
CSE 4340 – Mobile Systems Engineering
CSE 4344 - Computer Network Organization
CSE 4345 – Computational Methods
CSE 4346 - Advanced Computer Networks
CSE 4348 - Multimedia Systems
CSE 4351 - Parallel Processing
CSE 4360 - Autonomous Robot Design and Programming
CSE 4361 – Software Design Patterns
CSE 4380 – Information Security
CSE 3311 – Object-Oriented Software Engineering
CSE 3313 – Introduction to Signal Processing
EE 3317 - Linear Systems
IE 3315 - Operations Research I
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Social/Cultural Electives (SCEL)

Any of the following courses may be used to satisfy the social/cultural elective requirement. The use of any other course for
the social/cultural elective must be approved in advance by the department chairperson. Consult the Undergraduate
Catalog for course descriptions, prerequisites and special considerations of credit.

ADVERTISING (ADVT)
2337

ANTHROPOLOGY (ANTH)
1306 2322

ARCHITECTURE (ARCH)
2300

BIOLOGY (BIOL)
2317

BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (BUSA)

2302

CLASSICS (CLAS)
1300 2307

COMMUNICATION (COMM)
1300

ECONOMICS (ECON)
2305 2337

ENGLISH (ENGL)
2309 2319 2329

HISTORY (HIST)
2301 2302

HUMANITIES (HUMA)
2301

LINGUISTICS (LING)
2301

MUSIC (MUSI)
2300

PHILOSOPHY (PHIL)
1304 1310 2300 2312 2313

PUBLIC RELATIONS (PREL)

2338

PSYCHOLOGY (PSYC)
2310 2317

SOCIOLOGY (SOCI)
1311 2312

SOCIAL WORK (SOCW)

2311

URBAN AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS (URPA)

1301

WOMEN'S STUDIES (WOMS)

2310

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Fine Arts Electives (FAEL)

Any of the following courses may be used to satisfy the fine arts elective requirement. The use of any other course for the fine
arts elective must be approved in advance by the department chairperson. Consult the Undergraduate Catalog for course
descriptions, prerequisites, and special considerations of credit.

ARCHITECTURE (ARCH)
1301 2300 2303 2304

ART HISTORY (ART)

1301 1309 1310

DANCE (DNCE)
1300

HONORS (HONR)
2300

MUSIC (MUSI)
1300 1301 1302 2300 2301

THEATER ARTS (THEA)

1342 1343

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 BS in Computer Science (BSCS), 2013-2014 catalog
CSE 1104 CSE 1310 corequisite
CSE 1105 MATH 1426 PHYS 1443
Intro to Intro to Programming ENGL 1301
Intro to CSE prerequisite Calculus I Technical Physics I
Engineering (corequisite: MATH 1302)
CSE 1320
Intermediate Programming CSE 2315 MATH 2425 PHYS 1444
ENGL 1302
(corequisite: MATH 1323) Discrete Structures Calculus II Technical Physics II
CSE 1325 CSE 2312 CSE 2320
Object-Oriented Computer Algorithms & Data
Programming Organization Structures
UPPER CLASSMAN LINE
Pre-professional
program: all courses
above this line must IE 3301 IE 3312
CSE 3330 CSE 3315 CSE 3380
be completed with a C Engineering Engineering
Databases Theoretical CS Linear Algebra
or better to enter Probability and Stats Economics
professional program.
CSE 3310
CSE 3320
Intro to Software
Operating Systems
Eng.
CSE 3302
Programming
Languages
COMS 2302
Professional and Tech.
Communication
4000 BOUNDARY
CSE courses below this
line can only be taken All CS Majors CSE 4314
after entering CSE 4305 CSE 4308 must have one if CSE 4303
Professional
professional program. Compilers Artificial Intelligence I 4303, 4305 or Computer Graphics
Practices
THIS INCLUDES YOUR 4308
CSE TECHNICAL
ELECTIVES.
CSE 4316
Senior Design I
General Education
Literature (ENGL 2309, 2319, or 2329)
HIST 1311
HIST 1312 3 hours of Math electives
POLS 2311 4 hours of Science electives Foreign language (if required,
POLS 2312 15 hours of Technical electives two semesters of the same CSE 4317
3 hours Fine Arts elective language) Senior Design II
3 hours Social/Cultural elective See list of approved courses.