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Computer Science - B.A.

The Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science program provides a solid foundation in computer science principles and hands-on experience with industry-standard tools. With access to cutting-edge facilities and expert faculty, you'll gain the skills needed to thrive in the tech industry.

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Please Note:

Many computer science electives require a background in mathematics. As a result, there are fewer electives available to Bachelor of Arts (BA) students. It is recommended that BA students consult with undergraduate advisors before registering for computer science electives. You can reach out to Dr. Augustine Samba at asamba@kent.edu or the undergraduate advisors at ugradinfo@cs.kent.edu for further guidance.

Program Information

Program Description

Full Description

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Science is designed for students who seek a liberal arts education combined with a solid foundation in computer science. Students may choose electives from any complementary liberal arts program beyond computer science.

Students have the option to have a double major to attain depth of knowledge across two related areas.

Admissions

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.

First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the admissions website for first-year students.

First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency unless they meet specific exceptions. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.

Transfer Students: Students who have attended any other educational institution after graduating from high school must apply as undergraduate transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.

Former Students: Former Kent State students or graduates who have not attended another college or university since Kent State may complete the reenrollment or reinstatement form on the University Registrar’s website.

Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog.

Some programs may require that students meet certain requirements before progressing through the program. For programs with progression requirements, the information is shown on the Coursework tab.

Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

  1. Understand the essential facts, concepts, principles and theories relating to computer science.
  2. Apply computer science concepts to solve computer-related problems.
  3. Analyze algorithms, computer science methods and techniques.
  4. Analyze and plan the development of a typical professional computer science problem.
  5. Make succinct oral presentations and written expositions about technical problems and their solutions.
  6. Work effectively as a member of a software development team.
Coursework

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

Major Requirements (courses count in major GPA)
CS 13001COMPUTER SCIENCE I: PROGRAMMING AND PROBLEM SOLVING (min C grade in all)4
or CS 13011
CS 13012
COMPUTER SCIENCE IA: PROCEDURAL PROGRAMMING
and COMPUTER SCIENCE IB: OBJECT ORIENTED PROGRAMMING
CS 23001COMPUTER SCIENCE II: DATA STRUCTURES AND ABSTRACTION (min C grade)4
CS 23022DISCRETE STRUCTURES FOR COMPUTER SCIENCE 3
CS 33101STRUCTURE OF PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES 3
CS 33211OPERATING SYSTEMS 3
CS 35101COMPUTER ORGANIZATION 3
CS 44901SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT (ELR) (WIC) 14
Computer Science (CS) Upper-Division Electives (30000 or 40000 level) 29
Computer Science (CS) Upper-Division Electives (40000 level) 9
Additional Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA)
UC 10001FLASHES 101 1
Foreign Language (see Foreign Language College Requirement below)14-16
Kent Core Composition6
Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning3
Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts (minimum one course from each)9
Kent Core Social Sciences (must be from two disciplines)6
Kent Core Basic Sciences (must include one laboratory)6-7
Kent Core Additional6
General Electives (total credit hours depends on earning 120 credits hour, including 39 upper-division credit hours)27
Minimum Total Credit Hours:120
1

A minimum C grade must be earned to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement.

2

Students may apply a maximum of 3 credit hours of CS 33192 to the Computer Science Upper-Division Electives.

Graduation Requirements

Minimum Major GPA Minimum Overall GPA
2.000 2.000
  • A minimum C grade may be required in some courses

Foreign Language College Requirement, B.A.

Students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Arts and Sciences must complete 14-16 credit hours of foreign language.1
To complete the requirement, students need the equivalent of Elementary I and II in any language, plus one of the following options2:

  1. Intermediate I and II of the same language
  2. Elementary I and II of a second language
  3. Any combination of two courses from the following list:
  • Intermediate I of the same language
  • ARAB 21401
  • ASL 19401
  • CHIN 25421
  • MCLS 10001
  • MCLS 20001
  • MCLS 20091
  • MCLS 21417
  • MCLS 21420
  • MCLS 22217
  • MCLS 28403
  • MCLS 28404
1

All students with prior foreign language experience should take the foreign language placement test to determine the appropriate level at which to start. Some students may start beyond the Elementary I level and will complete the requirement with fewer credit hours and fewer courses. This may be accomplished by (1) passing a course beyond Elementary I through Intermediate II level; (2) receiving credit through one of the alternative credit programs offered by Kent State University; or (3) demonstrating language proficiency comparable to Elementary II of a foreign language. When students complete the requirement with fewer than 14 credit hours and four courses, they will complete remaining credit hours with general electives.

2

Certain majors, concentrations and minors may require specific languages, limit the languages from which a student may choose or require coursework through Intermediate II. Students who plan to pursue graduate study may need particular language coursework.

Roadmap

Roadmap

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

Plan of Study Grid
Semester OneCredits
!CS 13001
or CS 13011 and CS 13012
COMPUTER SCIENCE I: PROGRAMMING AND PROBLEM SOLVING
or COMPUTER SCIENCE IA: PROCEDURAL PROGRAMMING and COMPUTER SCIENCE IB: OBJECT ORIENTED PROGRAMMING
4
UC 10001 FLASHES 101 1
Kent Core Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
 Credit Hours14
Semester Two
!CS 23022 DISCRETE STRUCTURES FOR COMPUTER SCIENCE 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
 Credit Hours15
Semester Three
!CS 23001 COMPUTER SCIENCE II: DATA STRUCTURES AND ABSTRACTION 4
!CS 35101 COMPUTER ORGANIZATION 3
Foreign Language 4
Kent Core Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
 Credit Hours17
Semester Four
!CS 33101 STRUCTURE OF PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES 3
!CS 33211 OPERATING SYSTEMS 3
Computer Science (CS) Upper-Division Elective (30000 or 40000 level) 3
Foreign Language 4
Kent Core Requirement 3
 Credit Hours16
Semester Five
Computer Science (CS) Upper-Division Electives (30000 or 40000 level) 6
Foreign Language 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
 Credit Hours15
Semester Six
Computer Science (CS) Upper-Division Elective (40000 level) 3
Foreign Language 3
General Electives 9
 Credit Hours15
Semester Seven
Computer Science (CS) Upper-Division Elective (40000 level) 3
General Electives 12
 Credit Hours15
Semester Eight
!CS 44901 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT (ELR) (WIC) 4
Computer Science (CS) Upper-Division Elective (40000 level) 3
General Electives 6
 Credit Hours13
 Minimum Total Credit Hours:120
Program Delivery
  • Delivery:
    • In person
  • Location:
    • Kent Campus
    • Stark Campus