This major prepares students who plan to design, create, and administer large information bases used by organizations.

Enterprises have an ever-growing investment in the exploding quantity of information, especially in web-related data, that requires increasingly sophisticated approaches for efficient access and productive use. Students gain the talents and skills to be successful in today’s organizations following current industry practices: planning, designing, implementing, and administering data information and knowledge bases that can be effectively mined; assessing the information and data requirements of an organization and implementing these requirements as an information system; functioning as an effective member of an information services division in an organization.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates a 16.7% growth rate in jobs (much higher than average) for computer and information systems managers for the period 2021 to 2031, and shows it with the highest median annual wage among the top 5 fastest growing occupations in each of the BLS occupation groups.

Related Programs

Curriculum

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See the details of registering for these courses in the Computer Science Department website resources. Students are encouraged to complete these credits during junior and senior years to draw on prior experience. Note:

• COMP 312 and COMP 344 each are a 3-credit course
• COMP 390 is limited to 3 total credits
• COMP 391 and COMP 398 will usually be limited to 6 total credits each, but permission may sometimes be granted for more.

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Note that some COMP 300-level electives have a prereq of COMP 271 Data Structures I or higher, and MGMT and ENTR courses also have prereqs.

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You must take COMP 264 or COMP 271 as part of the Major requirements. The second one can be used as an elective if taken.

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MGMT 201 Managing People and Organizations plus ACCT 201 Introductory Accounting I may count in place of 3 credits of major Electives, only if ISSCM 349 Project Management is completed to also count toward this major.

Suggested Sequence of Courses

The below sequence of courses is meant to be used as a suggested path for completing coursework.  An individual student’s completion of requirements depends on course offerings in a given term as well as the start term for a major or graduate study.  Students should consult their advisor for assistance with course selection.

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COMP 170 Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming is designed to serve as a first introductory programming course. Students seeking a more gentle introduction may start with COMP 125 Visual Information Processing or COMP 150 Introduction to Computing; if one of those courses is taken, it can be counted into the "COMP Free Elective" category of the requirements of the major. Additionally, A score of 4 or 5 on the AP CS Principles Exam or AP CS A exam will earn actual credit for COMP 150 or COMP 170, respectively.

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May substitute STAT 203 Introduction to Probability & Statistics, ISSCM 241 Business Statistics, or PSYC 304 Statistics.

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Language must be completed through the 102 course level or through an exam.

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May substitute ISSCM 349 Project Management

 General Notes

• Credits never can be double-counted for different categories of the requirements for the major. But a course may satisfy a major requirement and also satisfy a University and/or College requirement (e.g., Core, residency, Engaged Learning, Writing Intensive).
• It is usually not meaningful to combine a computing major or minor with another, the principal exception being CCFR-MINR; see more detail in the double-dipping rules.

College of Arts and Sciences Graduation Requirements

All Undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences are required to take two Writing Intensive courses (6 credit hours) as well as complete a foreign language requirement at 102-level or higher (3 credit hours) or a language competency test.  More information can be found here.

Additional Undergraduate Graduation Requirements

All Undergraduate students are required to complete the University Core, at least one Engaged Learning course, and UNIV 101.  SCPS students are not required to take UNIV 101.  Nursing students in the Accelerated BSN program are not required to take core or UNIV 101.  You can find more information in the University Requirements area.

Learning Outcomes

• Understanding of IT Fundamentals: This includes a broad understanding of areas such as networking, databases, website development, information systems, and IT project management.
• Proficiency in Technical Skills: Graduates shall be proficient in a variety of programming languages, operating systems, and hardware configurations.
• Knowledge of Information Systems: This includes understanding how information systems are used to support business processes, strategic goals, and decision making.
• Problem-Solving Skills: Students shall be able to analyze a problem and identify and define the computing requirements appropriate to its solution.             
• Project Management Skills: Students shall understand the principles of project management as they relate to IT projects, including planning, coordination, execution, and evaluation.
• Understanding of IT Infrastructure: This includes knowledge of IT architecture and infrastructure, such as networks, operating systems, software applications, and data centers.
• Understanding of IT Security: Students shall have a basic understanding of the principles and best practices of information security, including how to protect networks, systems, and data from cyber threats.