Computer Science

  • CSE

    What is Computer Science?

    The Bachelor of Science with a major in Computer Science program (BSCS) provides a blend of the foundations of computer science (CS) and applications in the information technology (IT) industry. The BSCS program emphasizes the study of computer systems architecture, software development, and data communications. Core technology areas include programming, computer architecture, operating systems, data communication, database systems, and software engineering. These areas are supported by a strong foundation in computing principles such as the design of programming languages, data structures, and operating system principles. The program includes a mathematics component and mathematics concepts are incorporated into many of the major courses.

    Graduates of the CS program are prepared for a variety of careers in CS and IT, especially in the development of software for distributed systems. Example job titles from KSU graduates of the CS program include information technology specialist, programmer analyst, software engineer, network administrator, and software consultant. This program also prepares students for graduate studies in  computing-related fields.

    College of Computing and Software Engineering

    Learn more about computer science

    Admission Requirements

    None. 

    Any student admitted to KSU as a degree-seeking undergraduate may declare this major directly in Owl Express.

    Special General Education Requirements

    Area A2: Students must take MATH 1113 or higher.

    Area D1: Students must take MATH 1190 or higher.

    Area D2:  Students must take two four-hour laboratory sciences in Area D2. Students must choose from CHEM 1211/L, CHEM 1212/L, PHYS 1111/L*, PHYS 1112/L, PHYS 2211/L*, PHYS 2212/L, BIOL 1107/L, or BIOL 1108/L. *Students cannot take both PHYS 1111/L and PHYS 2211/L nor PHYS 1112/L and PHYS 2212/L. 

    Degree Progression Requirements

    Progression through the program requires students to successfully complete or transfer the equivalent of CSE 1321, CSE 1321L, CSE 1322, and CSE 1322L with a grade of ‘B’ or better in all four courses. 

    Concentrations Available

    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Data Science
    • Cyber and Network Security 

    Double Owl Pathways

    Related Minors or Certificates Available

    Sample Courses

    • The course covers the basic concepts, design and implementation of operating systems. Topics include an overview of basic computing hardware components, operating system structures, process management, memory management, file systems, input/output systems, protection and security. The Windows and/or UNIX/Linux operating systems will be reviewed as example systems.

    • The course covers both mathematical and practical foundations of cryptography. Topics include basic number theory for cryptography, conversion of text, and implementation using a programming language. The course includes historical cryptography, symmetric cryptography, asymmetric cryptography, hash functions, and well-known attack strategies with countermeasures. Exercises cover programming of simple cryptography in a programming language.

    • The primary objective of this course is to provide a introduction to the basic principles and applications of Artificial Intelligence. It covers the basic areas of artificial intelligence including problem solving, knowledge representation, reasoning, decision making, planning, perception and action, and learning – and their applications. Students will design and implement key components of intelligent agents of modern complexity and evaluate their performance. Students are expected to develop familiarity with current research problems, research methods, and the research literature in AI.

    • This course covers algorithms and tools that are needed to build MapReduce applications with Hadoop or Spark for processing gigabyte, terabyte, or petabyte-sized datasets on clusters of commodity hardware. A wide range of data algorithms will be discussed in this course.

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