CS and CE Undergrad Curriculum Creates Solid Foundation, More Customization

Computer Science and Computer Engineering undergraduates follow an exciting curriculum designed to give students a solid foundation of fundamental concepts and more flexibility in upper level courses. Our freshman classes prepare students for early co-op and internship opportunities; our upper level courses allow students to tailor their CS degree to meet their own interests. For example, students might choose to focus their studies toward game design, systems design, robotics, science and engineering computation, human/computer interface, or artificial intelligence.

The undergraduate curriculum, coupled with a required supporting area of courses from outside of the department, instills quality problem solving skills that are highly sought after in industry and academia.

Some of the features of the curriculum include:

• Seminar classes taken by freshmen and by upper-level juniors give students an introduction to an overview of the wide range of subjects, research topics, and applications that make up the disciplines of Computer Science and Computer Engineering.



• Most fundamental material has been merged into a smaller set of six introductory classes. Students following the suggested timeline will complete these essential classes by the end of their sophomore year. This gives students a strong preparation for internships and co-ops by their second summer.



• Students have far more flexibility in upper level courses, which follow a track system. Students take a course from each track, ensuring breadth, and take at least three courses in one track, ensuring depth. Tracks include Software, Systems, Algorithms and Theory, and Information and Intelligent Systems.



• A required supporting area of courses from outside of the CS department helps give students the interdisciplinary background needed to apply their skills to 21st century problems.



• The flexibility of the track system coupled with the supporting area allows students to tailor their CS degree to meet their own interests. For example, students might choose to focus their studies toward business applications, game design, computer system design, robotics, science and engineering computation, or user interaction.



• A programming studio class gives students experience in team problem solving, while a senior capstone course gives graduating students experience working on a large team design project, preparing them for a professional career.

Students interested in finding out more about the exciting options open to them as Computer Science or Computer Engineering majors can visit http://www.cs.tamu.edu/academics/undergraduate/cpsc or contact the undergraduate advisors or counselors listed at http://www.cs.tamu.edu/department/groups/advising.