Program Overview
College of Natural and Health Sciences
Contact: Jodie Novak, Ph.D., Department Chair
Location: Ross Hall 2239
Telephone: 970.351.2820
Website: www.unco.edu/nhs/mathematical-sciences/
Advising Information
Students must consult with their assigned major advisor each semester prior to registering.
To find your advisor, log into ursa.unco.edu; go to 'Student' tab and click 'View Student Information' link. If no advisor is listed, contact the major program for advisor information.
The program consists of three parts:
- Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Credits
- Required Major Credits
- University-Wide Credits
Program Description:
All undergraduate programs require a core of common courses to provide students with a solid foundation in the mathematical sciences. Thereafter, students can choose from different concentration areas depending on their educational interests and goals.
Computer Science Concentration
Expanded computational, scientific, statistical, and mathematical knowledge, combined with growing needs in technology have created increased demands for individuals trained in mathematics and computer science. This concentration will allow the student to be prepared for careers with computer software companies, careers involving a significant use of computer technology, or for additional graduate study in computer science and other related disciplines.
Program Admission Requirements:
Academic Good Standing.
Degree Requirements — 120 Credits
1. Liberal Arts Curriculum — 31 credits
To complete the degree in 120 credits as outlined, the program recommends the below LAC courses that also count toward the required major credits.
Any additional LAC coursework completed outside of the recommended list below may extend the length of the program of study.
Written Communication — 6 credits
Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.
See Written Communication courses
Mathematics — 3 credits
MATH 131 or MATH 132 is recommended to fulfill Mathematics requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Mathematics courses
Arts & Humanities, History, Social & Behavioral Sciences, U.S. Multicultural Studies [MS], and International Studies [IS] — 15 credits
To complete the LAC in the minimum number of credits, be sure to choose at least one course with an IS designation and one course with an MS designation.
Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.
See Arts & Humanities, History, and Social & Behavioral Sciences courses
Natural & Physical Sciences — 7 credits
Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.
See Natural & Physical Sciences courses
See Liberal Arts Curriculum
2. Required Major — 54 credits
Take all of the following courses:
Choose 9 credits of CS Electives from the following:
| CS 302 | Programming Languages | 3 |
| CS 312 | Systems Programming | 3 |
| CS 325 | Introduction to Human Computer Interaction | 3 |
| CS 330 | Mobile Computing | 3 |
| CS 350 | Software Engineering I | 3 |
| CS 395 | Special Topics in Computer Science | 1- 3 |
| CS 401 | Theory of Computation | 3 |
| CS 432 | Fundamentals of Cybersecurity | 3 |
| CS 440 | Operating Systems | 3 |
| CS 442 | Networking | 3 |
| CS 454 | Data Mining and Machine Learning | 3 |
| CS 456 | Neural Networks and Deep Learning | 3 |
Take an additional 6 credits of major electives from the following:
with MATH 495 taken under a second title.
3. University-Wide Credits — 35-38 credits*
Complete additional credits to achieve the minimum credits needed for any degree at UNC; for this program that will typically be 35-38 credits.
*Note: Students who apply the recommended courses to both the liberal arts curriculum and the major requirements will have an increased number of university wide electives to apply to this degree. See your advisor for details.
Four Year Plan
This four year plan is a recommended schedule to complete this bachelor's degree in 4 years. Courses are subject to availability. Students must consult with their major advisor to receive information on any additional graduation requirements and course sequence guidance.
Year 1 – 30 credits
Fall Semester
| CS 120 | Introduction to Programming | 3 |
| ENG 122 | College CompositionLAW1 | 3 |
| MATH 102 | Success in the Mathematical Sciences | 1 |
| MATH 131 | Calculus ILAX1 | 4 |
| | LAC Arts and HumanitiesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 14 |
LAC Arts and Humanities: Choose U.S. Multicultural Studies (MS) or International Studies (IS) course.
Spring Semester
| CS 160 | Structured Programming | 3 |
| MATH 132 | Calculus IILAX1 | 4 |
| MATH 228 | Discrete Mathematics | 3 |
| | LAC Intermediate WritingLAW2 | 3 |
| | LAC Social and Behavioral SciencesLAB1LAB2LAB3 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
LAC Social and Behavioral Sciences: Choose U.S. Multicultural Studies (MS) or International Studies (IS) course.
Year 2 – 30 credits
Fall Semester
| CS 200 | Object-Oriented Analysis, Design, and Programming | 3 |
| MATH 233 | Calculus III | 4 |
| MATH 350 | Probability Theory | 3 |
| | LAC HistoryLAH1 | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring Semester
| MATH 221 | Elementary Linear Algebra | 3 |
| MATH 335 | Differential Equations I | 3 |
| | LAC Arts and HumanitiesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4 | 3 |
| | LAC Natural and Physical Sciences with LabLAS1LASL | 4 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Year 3 – 30 credits
Fall Semester
| CS 301 | Algorithms and Data Structures | 3 |
| | | |
| MATH 495 | Topics in Mathematics | 1- 3 |
| | or | |
| | Major Elective | 3 |
| | | |
| | LAC Social and Behavioral SciencesLAB1LAB2LAB3 | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring Semester
| | CS Elective | 3 |
| | Major Elective | 3 |
| | LAC Natural and Physical Sciences without LabLAS1 | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Year 4 – 30 credits
Fall Semester
| MATH 495 | Topics in Mathematics | 1- 3 |
| | or | |
| | Major Elective | 3 |
| | | |
| | CS Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring Semester
| | CS Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Advising Notes –
- MATH 495 is only offered every odd-numbered fall.
- Liberal Arts Curriculum courses can be taken any semester. It is strongly suggested that they be evenly distributed over the entire 4 years of study rather than concentrated in the first 2 years. NOTE: You need to complete 31 Liberal Arts Curriculum credits total. MATH 131 and MATH 132 are required in the program and also satisfy the 3 credit Liberal Arts Curriculum Mathematics requirement. Most students will take ENG 122 for their first composition class unless they have placed out of the introductory composition requirement.