Collaborative Online Degree

Pictured | Ahmed Awad Atta Elfadil | BS, Data Science / Minor in Philosophy | South Bend, Indiana (hometown)

IU South Bend, in conjunction with the other IU campuses, offers a collaborative online Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree. This degree, offered exclusively online, is intended for distance education students. The courses are taught by various IU campuses on a rotational basis. This is a degree for students interested in learning the principles, applications and technologies of computing and computers. The practical side of computing can be seen in virtually all disciplines. Nearly everyone is a computer user.

Receiving a BS in Computer Science enables you to go beyond being a user and to learn to develop technological solutions to problems that range from everyday tasks to complex problems such as a self-driving car. Computer Science, in its essence, can be thought of as problem solving. Computing professionals must be adept at modeling and analyzing problems and then design and develop solutions. Computer science has a wide range of specialties including artificial intelligence, computer architecture, computer graphics, computer networks, computer vision, databases, data mining, data streaming, deep learning, distributed computing, game design and development, hardware systems, human computer interaction, information security, parallel computing, quantum computing, software engineering, web design and development, and many others. This degree prepares students to enter challenging computing careers in the workplace or to embark on postgraduate programs in Computer Science.

This program is authorized, exempt, or not subject to state regulatory compliance and may enroll students from all 50 states.

Many online support services are available to assist you as you progress through the program.

Admissions

Admissions requirements vary by campus.

Academic Advising

Students should contact the department office (info@cs.iusb.edu or (574) 520-5835) before their first semester to schedule a meeting with a computer science advisor to develop a plan for their academic course of study.

Students with substantial prior computer programming experience can take the course placement exams to assess their computer programming skills.

Advising holds are placed on all Computer Science students by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences prior to advance registration and are reset following advising appointments. To determine who your assigned advisor is and how to contact them, see the advising webpage under information for current students at cs.iusb.edu or contact the department at info@cs.iusb.edu or (574) 520-5835.

Degree Requirements (120 cr.)

Students receiving the Bachelor of Science in Data Science must complete 120 total credit hours including:

• IU South Bend Campuswide General Education Curriculum (33 cr.) | 96 credits are satisfied by courses from the Major:

• MATH-M 215 Calculus I (5 cr.)
  Fulfills Fundamental Literacies: Quantitative Reasoning
• CSCI-C 101 Computer Programming I; OR
  CSCI-C 155 Problem Solving and Programming I (4 cr.)
  Fulfills Extended Literacies: Computer Literacy

• Mathematics Core (16 cr.)
• Computer Science Core (40 cr.)
• Science Core (8-10 cr.)
• Electives (6 cr.)
• Free Electives (balance of credits needed to equal 120 credit requirement)

• A minimum of 30 credit hours at the 300– or 400–level.
• Core requirements must be completed with a grade of C- or higher; cannot be used to satisfy the requirements for another major or minor
• All courses are 3 credits, unless otherwise noted.

Mathematics Core (16 cr.)

• MATH-M 215 Calculus I (5 cr.)
• MATH-M 216 Calculus II (5 cr.)
• MATH-M 301 Linear Algebra and Applications; OR
  MATH-M 303 Linear Algebra for Undergraduate
• MATH-M 300 Statistical Techniques for Health Professions; OR
  MATH-K 310 Statistical Techniques

Computer Science Core (40 cr.)

• CSCI-C 155 Programming I (4 cr.)
• CSCI-C 255 Problem Solving and Programming II (4 cr.)

Data Structures (4 cr.)

• CSCI-C 243 Introduction to Data Structures (4 cr.); OR
  CSCI-C 343 Data Structures (4 cr.)

Algorithms (3 cr.)

• CSCI-C 455 Analysis of Algorithms I 

Operating Systems (3 cr.)

• CSCI-C 435 Operating Systems 1; OR
  CSCI-C 436 Operating Systems 2

Computer Structures (4 cr.)

• CSCI-C 335 Computer Structures (4 cr.)

Programming Languages (3 cr.)

• CSCI-C 311 Programming Languages 

Discrete Structures (3 cr.)

• CSCI-C 241 Distrete Structures for Computer Science; OR
  CSCI-C 251 Foundations of Digital Computing

Software Engineering (3 cr.)

• CSCI-C 308 System Analysis and Design; OR
  CSCI-C 330 Object-Oriented Systems Analysis and Design I

Computer Networks or Computer Security (3 cr.)

Topics not selected can be used as electives

• CSCI-A 347 Computer and Network Security Essentials
• CSCI-A 437 Computer Security
• CSCI-A 447 Advanced Networking Systems Administration
• CSCI-C 437 Computer Security
• CSCI-B 438 Fundamentals of Computer Networks
• CSCI-B 451 Security in Computing; OR 
  CSCI-C 490 Seminar in Computer Science
  VT: Security for Networked Systems

Database Systems (3 cr.)

• CSCI-C 442 Database Systems

Capstone or Internship (3 cr.)

• COAS-S 399 Internship; OR 
  CSCI-Y 398 Internship in Professional Practice

Science Core (8-10 cr.)

Complete one of the following four sets of courses; must include one lecture and one lab

Chemistry (8 cr.) 10 cr.

• CHEM-C 105 Principles of Chemistry I 
• CHEM-C 106 Principles of Chemistry II
• CHEM-C 125 Experimental Chemistry I (2 cr.)
• CHEM-C 126 Experimental Chemistry II (2 cr.)

Biology (10 cr.)

• BIOL-L 101 Introduction to Biological Sciences I (5 cr.)
• BIOL-L 102 Introduction to Biological Sciences 2 (5 cr.)

Physics (8-10 cr.)

• PHYS-P 201 General Physics 1 (5 cr.)
• PHYS-P 202 General Physics 2 (3-5 cr.)

Geology (8-10 cr.)

• GEOL-G 101 Introduction to Earth Science
• GEOL-G 102 Introduction to Earth Science: Laboratory (1 cr.)
• GEOL-X XXX Two additional GEOL classes to total 8-10 creditsAdditional GEOL classes for a minimum of 4 credits

Electives (6 cr.)

Select two from the following:

• CSCI-B 401 Fundamentals of Computing Theory
• CSCI-B 424 Parallel and Distributed Programming
• CSCI-B 439 Network Security
• CSCI-C 407 Introduction to Digital Forensics
• CSCI-C 431 Assemblers and Compilres I (3-4 cr.)
• CSCI-C 458 Intelligent Robots
• CSCI-C 463 Artificial Intelligence
• CSCI-C 481 Interactive Computer Graphics
• CSCI-C 490 Data Mining; OR
  INFO-I 421 Applications of Data Mining
• CSCI-C 490 Seminar in Computer Science
  Variable Titles
• CSCI-P 422 Web Enterprise Systems

Free Electives (20-23 cr.)

• Complete one of the following:The balance of credits needed to equal 120 credit requirement