BS CIS Program Information
The Bachelor of Science with a major in Computer and Information Science (BS CIS) offers students a broad, liberal education in the physical sciences, mathematics, and humanities, along with intensive study in computer science.
If you have not applied to the major yet, please see the College of Engineering's Admission to Major page for details on how to apply and eligibility. Note that while the BS CIS major is under the College of Arts and Sciences, the application process for CSE and CIS is the same.
CIS Course Requirements
All BS CIS students must take the set of eight courses outlined below:
| Course | Title | Credits | Prerequisites and Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
CSE 2221 |
Software I: Software Components | 4 | Must have credit for CSE 1222, CSE 1223, CSE 1224, or ENGR 1281, or have passed the 2221 placement test |
| CSE 2231 | Software II: Software Development and Design | 4 | Must have credit for CSE 2221 and Math 1151 |
| CSE 2321 | Foundations I: Discrete Structures | 3 | Must have credit for CSE 2221 and Math 1151 |
| CSE 2331 | Foundations II: Data Structures and Algorithms | 3 | Must have credit for CSE 2231 and CSE 2321, and STAT 3470 |
| CSE 2421 | Systems I: Introduction to Low-Level Programming | 4 | Must have credit for CSE 2231 and CSE 2321 |
| CSE 2431 | Systems II: Introduction to Operating Systems | 3 | Must have credit for CSE 2421 |
| CSE 3341 | Principles of Programming Languages | 3 | Must have credit for CSE 2331, CSE 2421, and CSE 3901, CSE 3902 or CSE 3903 |
| CSE 2501 or Philos 2338* | Social, Ethical, and Professional Issues in Computing or Ethics in the Professions: Introduction to Computing Ethics and Effective Presentation | 1 |
For CSE 2501, must have credit for CSE 2231, CSE 2321, and GE foundation writing and info literacy course |
*For students who entered the program in or after AU22. Students who entered the program before AU22 or have permission to complete the Legacy Gen Ed may take Philos 1338.
In addition to the core CSE courses, which are designed to provide a breadth of knowledge, BS CIS students choose five additional courses. Students have the option to choose these courses independently or use these electives to fulfill some of their specialization requirements. The decisions BS CIS students must make are as follows:
| Course | Title | Credits | Prerequisites and Notes | Specialization Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSE 3231 | Software Engineering Techniques | 3 | Must have credit for CSE 3901, CSE 3902, or CSE 3903. Not open to students with credit for 5231 | Software Engineering |
| CSE 3241 | Introduction to Database Systems | 3 | Must have credit for CSE 2123, CSE 2231, CSE 2321, or CSE 2111 and Math 2366. Not open to students with credit for 5241 | Database Systems and Data Analytics |
| Course | Title | Credits | Prerequisites and Notes | Specialization Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSE 3421 | Introduction to Computer Architecture | 3 | Must have credit for CSE 2231 and CSE 2421 or ECE 2560 and ECE 2060. Not open to students with credit for 5421 | Computer Systems |
| CSE 3461 | Computer Networking and Internet Technologies | 3 | Must have credit for CSE 2421, CSE 3430 or CSE 2451. Also must have completed ECE 2560. Not open to students with credit for 5461 | Information and Computation Assurance, Computer Networking, Computer Systems (elective) |
| Course | Title | Credits | Prerequisites and Notes | Specialization Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSE 3521 | Survey of Artificial Intelligence I: Basic Techniques | 3 | Must have credit for CSE 2331 or CSE 5331, Math 2174 or 2568 or 4568 or 5520H, and Stat 3201 or 3450 or 3460 or 3470 or 4201 or Math 4530 or 5530H. Not open to students with credit for 5521. | Artificial Intelligence |
| CSE 3541 | Computer Game and Animation Technique | 3 | Must have credit for CSE 3901, 3902 or 3903. Not open to students with credit for 5541. | Computer Graphics and Game Design |
| Course | Title | Credits | Prerequisites and Notes | Specialization Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSE 3901 | Project: Design, Development, and Documentation of Web Applications | 4 | Much have credit for CSE 2231; and 2321; and 2421 or 3430, or 2451 and ECE 2560 | |
| CSE 3902 | Project: Design, Development, and Documentation of Interactive Systems | 4 | Must have credit for CSE 2231; and 2321; and 2421 or 3430, or 2451 and ECE 2560 | Computer Graphics and Game Design |
| CSE 3903 | Project: Design, Development, and Documentation of System Software | 4 | Must have credit for CSE 2231; and 2321; and 2421 or 3430, or 2451 and ECE 2560 |
| Course | Title | Credits | Prerequisites and Notes | Specialization Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSE 5911 | Capstone Design: Software Applications | 4 | Must have credit for CSE 3231, or 5231; and 2501, or Philos 1338, or 2338; and CSE 3901, 3902, or 3903; and GE writing and comm course: level 2, or GE foundation writing and info literacy course | |
| CSE 5912 | Capstone Design: Game Design and Development | 4 | Must have credit for CSE 3541, or 5541; and 2501, or Philos 1338, or 2338; and CSE 3901, or 3902, or 3903; and GE writing and comm course: level 2, or GE foundation writing and info literacy course | Computer Graphics and Game Design (elective) |
| CSE 5913 | Capstone Design: Computer Animation | 4 | Must have credit for CSE 3541, or 5541; and 2501, or Philos 1338, or 2338; and CSE 3901, or 3902, or 3903; and GE writing and comm course: level 2; or GE foundation writing and info literacy course | Computer Graphics and Game Design (elective |
| CSE 5914 | Capstone Design: Knowledge-Based Systems | 4 | Must have credit for CSE 3521, or 5521; and 2501, or Philos 1338, or 2338; and CSE 3901, or 3902, or 3903; and GE writing and comm course: level 2, or GE foundation writing and info literacy course | Artificial Intelligence (elective) |
| CSE 5915 | Capstone Design: Information Systems | 4 | Must have credit for CSE 3241, or 5241; and 2501, or Philos 1338, or 2338; and CSE 3901, or 3902, or 3903; and GE writing and comm course: level 2, or GE foundation writing and info literacy course |
|
Technical electives
All BS CIS students must choose a specialization option, which will determine a portion of a student's technical electives. Overall, each student must have 16 credit hours of technical elective coursework, of which 9 hours must be in CSE. Some of these 9 hours will be determined by the selected specialization. The remaining 7 hours of technical electives may be additional CSE course at the 3000-level or higher not already counting toward a degree requirement or select non-CSE courses at the 2000-level or higher.
Limitations for certain CSE courses
Students are limited in the number of hours they may take of CSE courses that are graded S/U or that focus on research.
| Course | Title | Credit | Prerequisites and Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| CSE 4251 | The UNIX Programming Environment | 1 | Must have credit for CSE 2122, 2123, or 2231; and 2321; and enrollment in CSE, CIS, ECE, Engr Physics, or Data Analytics major, or CS minor. This course is graded S/U. No more than 2 of CSE 4251, 4252, 4253, and 4256 may be counted toward technical electives. |
| CSE 4252 | Programming in C++ | 1 | Must have credit for CSE 2123 or 2231; and 2321; and enrollment in CSE, CIS, ECE, Engr Physics, or Data Analytics major, or CS minor. Not open to students with credit for 2122. This course is graded S/U. No more than 2 of CSE 4251, 4252, 4253, and 4256 may be counted toward technical electives. No more than 2 of CSE 4251, 4252, 4253, and 4256 may be counted toward technical electives. |
| CSE 4253 | Programming in C# | 1 | Must have credit for CSE 2122, 2123, or 2231; and 2321; and enrollment in CSE, CIS, ECE, Engr Physics, or Data Analytics major, or CS minor. This course is graded S/U. No more than 2 of CSE 4251, 4252, 4253, and 4256 may be counted toward technical electives. |
| CSE 4256 | Programming in Python | 1 | Must have credit for CSE 2122, 2123, or 2231; and 2321; and enrollment in CSE, CIS, ECE, Engr Physics, or Data Analytics major, or CS minor. This course is grades S/U. No more than 2 of CSE 4251, 4252, 4253, and 4256 may be counted toward technical electives. |
| CSE 4193 | Individual Studies in Computer Science and Engineering | up to 2 | Must have permission of instructor. This course is graded S/U. No more than 6 hours total of CSE 4193, 4998, and 4999 combined may be counted toward technical electives. |
| CSE 4998 | Undergraduate Research in Computer Science and Engineering | up to 3 | Permission of instructor. This course is graded S/U. No more than 6 hours total of CSE 4193, 4998, and 4999 combined may be counted toward technical electives. |
| CSE 4999 | Computer Science and Engineering Research for Thesis | up to 6 | Permission of instructor. This course is graded S/U. No more than 6 hours total of CSE 4193, 4998, and 4999 combined may be counted toward technical electives. |
Non-CSE technical electives
If you are looking to use an outside department course as one of your technical electives, you are allowed to do so if you met one of the following qualifications:
- The course is a part of any completed minor.
- The course is listed on the pre-approved list.
- You have successfully petitioned for an exception.
In addition to the core CSE courses, BS CIS majors are expected to take the supplemental courses listed below. Unlike the BS CSE program, students are not required to take ECE 2020 (Introduction to Analog Systems and Circuits) nor MATH 2568 (Linear Algebra). These two courses are replaced with Math 1152 (Calculus II) and five credits worth of science electives. Note that Linear Algebra is still required for the AI specialization as it is a prerequisite for CSE 3521.
| Course | Title | Credits | Prerequisites and Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECE 2060 | Introduction to Digital Logic | 3 | Not open to students with credit for ECE 2000, 2000.02, 2000.07, 2001, 2010, or 2017 |
| Math 1152 | Calculus II | ||
| Math 3345 | Foundations of Higher Mathematics | 3 | Must have credit for CSE 2321 with a C- or higher; and have credit for 1152, 1161.xx, 1172, 1181H, 1534, 1544, or 4181H with a C- or higher. |
| Stat 3470 | Introduction to Probability and Statistics for Engineers | 3 | Must have credit for Math 1152, 1161.xx, 1172, 1181H, or equiv, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 3440, 3450, 3450.01, 3450.02, or 3460. |
| Phys 1250 | Mechanics, Work and Energy, Thermal Physic | 5 | Must have credit for or be enrolled in Math 1141, 1151, 1154, 1156, 1161, 1181H, or 4181H. |
| ASC 1100 | Arts and Sciences Survey: General | 1 | Permission of department or instructor. This course is graded S/U. |
Science Electives
BS CIS majors are given a large amount of freedom in choosing their five hours of science electives. Note that these electives are in addition to your Gen Ed science requirements, but many students choose classes from the same General Education list. To view the list of qualifying general education science courses:
- Go to the General Education Requirements page
- Select the new or legacy requirements
- Select the attached Bachelor of Science document
Students can also browse courses in specific science departments by heading over to Class Search.
All students need 24 credits in General Education. For details of how these hours are broken down, please refer to the General Education page for engineers. OSU's class search engine also features Gen Ed filters. For instructions on how to use these filters, refer to this instructional video.
Additional Resources
| Autumn | Spring |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | |
| ArtsSci 1100 - 1 credit | CSE 2221 (need C- or better) - 4 credits |
| Math 1151 - 5 credits | Math 1152 - 5 credits |
| Physics 1250 - 5 credits | GE-Writing - 3 credits |
| CSE 1223 - 3 credits | Science - 5 credits |
| GE Launch Seminar - 1 credit | |
| Total of 15 credits | Total of 17 credits |
| Year 2 | |
| CSE 2231 - 4 credits | CSE 2331 - 3 credits |
| CSE 2321 - 3 credits | CSE 2421 - 4 credits |
| Stat 3470 - 3 credits | Math 3345 - 3 credits |
| Foreign Language 1 - 4 credits | Foreign Language 2 - 4 credits |
| GE-LVPA - 3 credits | |
| Total of 14 credits | Total of 17 credits |
| Year 3 | |
| CSE 2431 - 3 credits | CSE 32X1 - 3 credits |
| CSE 390X - 4 credits | CSE 34X1 - 3 credits |
| ECE 2060 - 3 credits | CSE 35X1 - 3 credits |
| Foreign Language 3 - 4 credits | GE-Social Science - 3 credits |
| GE-History - 3 credits | CSE 2501 or Philos 2338 - 1 or 4 credits |
| [GE-Theme if not Philos 2338 - 4 credits] | |
| Total of 17 credits | Total of 16-17 credits |
| Year 4 | |
| CSE 3341 - 3 credits | CSE 591X - 4 credits |
| Technical Elective - 3 credits | Technical Elective - 3 credits |
| Technical Elective - 3 credits | Technical Elective - 3 credits |
| Technical Elective - 3 credits | Technical Elective - 1 credit |
| GE -Diversity - 3 credits | GE-Theme - 4 credits |
| Total of 15 credits | Total of 15 credits |
Additionally, there is a text-base description of this flowchart designed with screen readers in mind.
Graduation Application
An application to graduate must be submitted at the appropriate time prior to the graduation term. Filing the application in time will enable you to receive graduating-senior scheduling priority for your graduation term, while failure to apply will prohibit you from graduating. To begin the graduation-application process, please contact your academic advisor one semester prior to your graduation term.
POCAT (Program Outcomes Achievement Test)
The Department of Computer Science and Engineering uses a comprehensive set of processes and tools to assess its programs to evaluate various aspects of the programs for the purposes of identifying and implementing improvements. To assist with this, during the graduation term, BS CSE, BS CIS, and BA CIS majors are required to complete the exit test, POCAT. Students will receive emails during their final semester about accessing and submitting the POCAT.
Department and Program Accreditations
Department and Program Accreditations
The Ohio State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The BS CIS program is not accredited by any commission of ABET and has not sought such accreditation.
Objectives:
- Graduates of the program will be employed in the computing profession, and will be engaged in learning, understanding, and applying new ideas and technologies as the field evolves.
- Graduates with an interest in, and aptitude for, advanced studies in computing will have completed, or be actively pursuing, graduate studies in computing.
- Graduates will be informed and involved members of their communities, and responsible engineering and computing professionals who take appropriate account, in their professional work, of such issues as privacy, security, copyright etc. in ways that are consistent with the ACM/IEEE Code of Conduct.
Outcomes: Students in the BS CIS program will attain:
- an ability to apply knowledge of computing, mathematics including discrete mathematics as well as probability and statistics;
- an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data;
- an ability to design, implement, and evaluate a software system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as memory, runtime efficiency, as well as appropriate constraints related to economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, and sustainability considerations;
- an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams;
- an ability to identify, formulate, and solve computing problems;
- an understanding of professional, ethical, legal, security and social issues and responsibilities;
- an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences;
- an ability to analyze the local and global impact of computing on individuals, organizations, and society;
- a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning and continuing professional development;
- a knowledge of contemporary issues;
- an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern tools necessary for practice as a computing professional;
- an ability to analyze a problem, and identify and define the computing requirements appropriate to its solution;
- an ability to apply mathematical foundations, algorithmic principles, and computer science theory in the modeling and design of computer-based systems in a way that demonstrates comprehension of the trade-offs involved in design choices;
- an ability to apply design and development principles in the construction of software systems of varying complexity.