Computer Science

About the Department

Computer science is more than writing code and building apps. It is the blending of computational principles and human creativity with the application of computing technologies. Since its inception, computer science has revolutionized the way we compute, communicate, find information, and conduct business. Problem solving and logical reasoning are at the core of computer science, making it one of the most applicable areas of study.

The demand for graduates well-versed in computing is expected to grow as society becomes more technologically advanced. Increasingly, computer science graduates are able to use the skills they’ve learned to pursue careers in various disciplines such as medicine, social sciences, humanities, law, education, and physical and life sciences.

In the computer science department, you will be challenged and supported by excellent faculty who are focused on preparing you for a successful future. We pride ourselves on our small class sizes, individual attention, and our focus on undergraduate education. Interdisciplinary connections and applications are emphasized in our computer science programs keeping with the liberal arts tradition at the College of Charleston. At the same time, we provide a sound foundation for those students who major in computer science and opt to either work in industry or pursue advanced degrees.

The bachelor of science in computer science is designed to prepare students for graduate study in computer science and for professional careers in industry, organizations, and governments that rely on software or develop software for profit.

NOTE: The bachelor of science in computer science program is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET.

The bachelor of science in computer information systems is designed to prepare students for computing positions in business and industry from the IT shop to the boardroom while keeping open the option for continuing study in graduate school.

The bachelor of arts in computer science is designed to provide students with solid foundations in the fundamental areas of computer science, but permits a greater variety of elective courses to be taken outside of the discipline than do the other BS programs.

The bachelor of arts in computing in the arts (CITA) is designed to offer students an interdisciplinary experience in computer science and the arts, with concentrations in music, theatre, visual arts, and digital media. CITA combines creativity, problem solving, and computational thinking to prepare students for graduate school or for careers in the information and arts industries and in all organizations that need creative software developers to break free of silo-based problem solving.”

There are four minor programs in computer science, one intended primarily for business majors and three for all other majors.

Combined five year B.S./M.S. degree in Computer Science

The College of Charleston offers a Bachelor of Science/Master of Science in Computer and Information Sciences program. For selected students, permitting up to 12 credit hours of graduate-level course work taken as an undergraduate as early as the junior year to count towards the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree and the Master of Science in Computer and Information Sciences degree allows for the design of a plan for completing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree and a Master of Science in Computer and Information Sciences degree in five years.

An undergraduate student in the five-year plan taking a graduate level course during the junior and senior years for both undergraduate and graduate credit would in every respect be treated as a graduate student in the course. The reason for including this option is to allow outstanding and motivated computer science majors to earn graduate credit during their junior and senior years and earn a Master’s degree in Computer and Information Sciences in a shorter time. Students enrolled in this program typically complete their M.S. degree within one calendar year after receiving the B.S. The combined degree is designed to integrate undergraduate-and graduate-level research and to give the selected students an outstanding preparation for entering a Ph.D. program in computer and information sciences or related fields.

Majors

• Computer Science, B.A.  
• Computing in the Arts, Art Concentration, B.A.  
• Computing in the Arts, Digital Media Concentration, B.A.  
• Computing in the Arts, Music Concentration, B.A.  
• Computing in the Arts, Theatre Concentration, B.A.  
• Computer Information Systems, B.S.  
• Computer Science, B.S.  
• Data Science, B.S.  

Minors

• Computational Thinking Minor  
• Computer Information Systems, B.S.  
• Computer Science Minor  
• Data Science Minor