The Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems

Total Course Requirements for the Bachelor's Degree: 120 units

See Bachelor's Degree Requirements in the University Catalog for complete details on general degree requirements. A minimum of 39 units, including those required for the major, must be upper division.

A suggested Major Academic Plan (MAP) has been prepared to help students meet all graduation requirements within four years. You can view MAPs on the Degree MAPs page in the University Catalog or you can request a plan from your major advisor.

General Education Pathway Requirements: 48 units

See General Education in the University Catalog and the Class Schedule for the most current information on General Education Pathway Requirements and course offerings.

This major has approved GE modification(s). See below for information on how to apply these modification(s).

• CSCI 217 is an approved major course substitution for Critical Thinking (A3).
• MATH 217 is an approved major course substitution for Critical Thinking (A3).
• CSCI 301W is an approved major course substitution for Upper Division Social Science.

Diversity Course Requirements: 6 units

See Diversity Requirements in the University Catalog. Most courses taken to satisfy these requirements may also apply to General Education .

Upper-Division Writing Requirement:

Writing Across the Curriculum (Executive Memorandum 17-009) is a graduation requirement and may be demonstrated through satisfactory completion of four Writing (W) courses, two of which are designated by the major department. See Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning and Writing Requirements in the University Catalog for more details on the four courses.  The first of the major designated Writing (W) courses is listed below.

• Any upper-division Writing (W) course.

The second major-designated Writing course is the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GW) (Executive Order 665). Students must earn a C- or higher to receive GW credit. The GE Written Communication (A2) requirement must be completed before a student is permitted to register for a GW course.

Grading Requirement:

All courses taken to fulfill major course requirements must be taken for a letter grade except those courses specified by the department as Credit/No Credit grading only.

A grade of C or higher is required in all Computer Science (CSCI), Computer Information Systems (CINS), Electrical/Electronic Engineering (EECE), Business Information Systems (BSIS), or Management Information Systems (MINS) courses used for the major.

Course Requirements for the Major: 84 units

Completion of the following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, is required of all candidates for this degree.

Completion of these requirements also satisfies requirements for a minor in Business Administration.

Requirements for enrollment in Upper Division CSCI or CINS courses:

Complete CSCI 111, CSCI 211, MATH 105, and CSCI/MATH 217 all with a grade of C or higher.

Enrollment in any upper division course that is required for the BS in Computer Information Systems is restricted to students who have a declared major or minor that names the course as a requirement or elective.

Lower-Division Requirements: 24 units

6 courses required:

1 course selected from:

Upper-Division Requirements: 36 units

7 courses required:

Database/ERP:

Note that prerequisites for the BSIS/MINS courses are waived for CINS students, but course content is unchanged.

1 course selected from:

Networking/Security:

1 course selected from:

Systems:

1 course selected from:

Elective:

3-5 units selected from:

Select from upper-divison Computer Science (CSCI) or Computer Information Systems (CINS) courses. Select sufficient upper-division units to ensure at least 84 units in the major. A maximum of 3 units may be taken for credit/no credit grading.

Formal Business Minor Requirements: 24 units

The following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, also fulfill requirements for a Minor in Business Administration. Students are responsible for formally declaring the Minor in Business Administration.

8 courses required:

Additional Computer Information Systems Graduation Requirement:

Graduating seniors must complete an exit exam as a requirement for graduation. Passing the exam is not required for the degree; the scores will be used for program assessment. Consult the department office for examination details.

Advising Requirement:

Advising is mandatory for all majors in this degree program. Consult your undergraduate advisor for specific information.

Honors in the Major:

Honors in the Major is a program of independent work in your major. It requires 6 units of honors course work completed over two semesters.

The Honors in the Major program allows you to work closely with a faculty mentor in your area of interest on an original performance or research project. This year-long collaboration allows you to work in your field at a professional level and culminates in a public presentation of your work. Students sometimes take their projects beyond the University for submission in professional journals, presentation at conferences, or academic competition. Such experience is valuable for graduate school and professional life. Your honors work will be recognized at your graduation, on your permanent transcripts, and on your diploma. It is often accompanied by letters of commendation from your mentor in the department or the department chair.

Some common features of Honors in the Major program are:

1. You must take 6 units of Honors in the Major course work. All 6 units are honors classes (marked by a suffix of H), and at least 3 of these units are independent study (399H, 499H, 599H) as specified by your department. You must complete each class with a minimum grade of B.
2. You must have completed 9 units of upper-division course work or 21 overall units in your major before you can be admitted to Honors in the Major. Check the requirements for your major carefully, as there may be specific courses that must be included in these units.
3. Your cumulative GPA should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of majors in your department.
4. Your GPA in your major should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of majors in your department.
5. Most students apply for or are invited to participate in Honors in the Major during the second semester of their junior year. Then they complete the 6 units of course work over the two semesters of their senior year.
6. Your honors work culminates with a public presentation of your honors project.

While Honors in the Major is part of the Honors Program, each department administers its own program. Please contact your major department or major advisor to apply.

Honors in Computer Information Systems

In addition to the common requirements for the Honors in the Major program given above, the Honors in Computer Information Systems program includes the following:

1. You must be recommended by a faculty member.
2. Students who are admitted to the department's Honors in the Major program must complete 3 units of CINS 465H, CINS 548H, CINS 570H, CSCI 511H, or CSCI 515H with a minimum grade of B. Unless other arrangements are made, the professor instructing the course you take becomes your faculty mentor. It is during this time that you must define a research problem or performance area and develop an Honors Research Project/Thesis proposal in preparation for work in CSCI 499H. You must also maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 in your senior year.
3. Each Honors in the Major class requires completion of the course plus an additional Honors project and culminates with a public presentation of your Honors project.