Proposal for a BA in Applied Computing

Transcription

1 Proposal for a BA in Applied Computing Introduction One of the challenges in designing Computer Science curricula is the fast pace of growth of the field of Computer Science. While the curriculum should reflect the current state of the discipline, it cannot provide a comprehensive coverage of all Computer Science areas. Our BS in Computer Science program is guided by the curriculum recommendations of the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) and the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and is regularly revised to keep it up to date. The ACM/IEEE curriculum task force is the world-wide recognized CS curriculum committee. It publishes the ACM/IEEE Computer Science Curriculum recommendations every 10 years. The latest recommendations were released in December 2013, and our most recent program review aligned our curriculum with these recommendations. This review resulted in some course revisions including redistribution of topics between courses, replacement of obsolete material with new material, and updating content to reflect the December 2013 ACM/IEEE recommendations. While the BS in Computer Science is designed to meet both the needs of the students who plan to continue with graduate study and the needs of those students who plan to enter the work force directly from college, the strict compliance with the ACM/IEEE recommendations makes it necessary to include as required a comparatively large body of topics in Theoretical Computer Science, needed mainly as a preparation for graduate study. The students who plan to enter the work force directly would benefit from exposure to a larger number of elective topics that reflect their interests and plans for the future. This proposal suggests a degree with fewer theoretical and mathematical requirements, while still addressing the liberal arts, professional education, and workforce needs. It is specifically focused to satisfy the industry requirements for qualified graduates who will be capable to enter the workforce well prepared for entry-level positions. It will also allow seamless transition for students transferring from community colleges. The proposed program does not exceed 120 credit hours, in accordance with the current BOR recommendations. Two other CSU institutions, CCSU and SCSU have already adopted a similar model of offering one computing degree which is more theoretically oriented and another which is more practically oriented. Title: BA in Applied Computing Goals: Provide students with an understanding of the fundamental and specialist areas of computing, develop proficiency in the practice of computing, and prepare them for continued professional development Prepare students for a wide range of positions as innovative and creative computing specialists in business, industry and government

2 Provide exemplary faculty who are actively engaged in the discipline of computing Provide a learning environment, including exemplary software, equipment, and facilities, in which students will apply appropriate learning and skills to create high quality software prototypes and products Learning Outcomes: The program will enable students to attain, by the time of graduation: (a) An ability to apply knowledge of computing and mathematics appropriate to solve a variety of software development problems of moderate difficulty (b) An ability to analyze a problem, and identify and define the computing requirements appropriate to its solution (c) An ability to design, implement, and evaluate a computer-based system, process, component, or program to meet desired needs (d) An ability to function effectively on teams to accomplish a common goal (e) An understanding of professional, ethical, legal, security and social issues and responsibilities as they apply to computing (f) An ability to communicate effectively ideas and computier-based solutions with a range of audiences (g) An ability to analyze the local and global impact of computing on individuals, organizations, and society (h) Recognition of the need for and an ability to engage in continuing professional development (i) An ability to appropriately use current techniques, skills, and tools necessary for computing practice. Requirements: Students must complete all general education requirements (see program sheet for details), the courses and credits listed below and additional free electives to total a minimum of 120 semester hours, including a foreign language. A GPA of 2.5 or better is required in the CS and MAT courses for graduation. Required Major Courses: CS 140 Introduction to Programming or CS 143 Visual Basic

3 CS 170 Language C++ CS 205 Data Modeling and Database Design CS 215 Computer Architecture CS 220 Object Oriented Programming and Data Structures CS 240 Computer Organization and Software CS 350 Object Oriented Software Engineering or CS 305 Database Applications Engineering or CS 360 Distributed Applications Engineering CS 450 Operating Systems MAT 120 Elementary Statistics CS/MAT 165 Introductory Discrete Mathematics Either MAT 170 Calculus of Polynomials and MAT 171 Calculus with Review, or MAT 181 Calculus I (prerequisite Mat 133 or equivalent or appropriate placement) PHI 227 Ethics in Computing 22 semester hours of approved computer science electives NOTE: currently CS 140 and CS 143 cannot be used for Computer Science major credit, but they can be used for Applied Computing major credit. These courses may become applicable to the Computer Science major after a revision of the BS in Computer Science degree in the future. Course Restrictions: A complete list of prerequisites, co-requisites, and other restrictions for all courses, is available in the Undergraduate Catalog Recommended Program Sequence: First Year Fall Semester (15-16 cr.) CS 140 Intro to Programming (4 cr.) or 143 Visual Basic (3 cr.) Mat 170 Calculus of Polynomials (3 cr.) or Mat 133 Precalculus (if needed) or elective General Education (9 cr.) Second Year Fall Semester (16 cr.) CS 205 Data Modeling and Database Design (4 cr.) Spring Semester (14 cr.) CS 170 Language C++ (4 cr.) Mat 165 Introductory Discrete Mathematics (4 cr.) General Education (6 cr.) Spring Semester (14 cr.) CS 240 Computer Organization and Software (4 cr.) CS 215 Computer Architecture (4 cr.) Mat 120 Elementary Statistics (3 cr.) CS 220 OO Programming and Data

4 Structures (4 cr.) Mat 171 Calculus with Review (4 cr.) or Mat 181 Calculus I General Education (3 cr.) Third Year Fall Semester (16 cr.) CS 450 Operating Systems (4 cr.) General Education or Free Electives (8 cr.) Spring Semester (14 cr.) CS 305 Database Applications Engineering (4 cr.) or CS 350 OO Software Engineering (4 cr.) or CS 360 Distributed Appl. Engineering (4 cr.) General Education or Free Electives (6cr.) Fourth Year Fall Semester (15 cr.) Spring Semester (16 cr.) CS elective (2 cr.) General Education or Free Electives (12 cr.) General Education or Free Electives (9 cr.) Concentrations: Depending on the choice of computer science electives and free electives, students may graduate with one or more concentrations: Computer Security The Computer Security concentration requirements consist of the BA in Applied Computing degree requirements where the student has taken the following courses as his/her CS and/or free electives: Mat 127 Introduction to Cryptology MIS 341 Information Systems Security CS 265 Computer Security Implementation with Java Digital Media The Digital Media concentration requirements consist of the BA in Applied Computing degree requirements where the student has taken the following courses as his/her CS and/or free electives:

5 Mat 272 Linear Algebra (prerequisite MAT 182) CS 235 Digital Media CS 340 Computer Animation Software Engineering The Software Engineering concentration requirements consist of the BA in Applied Computing degree requirements where the student has taken the following courses as his/her CS and/or free electives: CS 166 Introduction to Unix Two of the following: Resources: A second Software Engineering course, one of CS 305 or CS 350 or CS 360, in addition to the one used to satisfy the general requirements for the degree CS 250 Advanced Topics in Programming Using Java CS 245 Web Applications Development Equipment: The department already possesses the computers and software necessary to support this course. Additional equipment is not necessary at this time. Facilities: This degree does not introduce any new courses. The current schedules of the classrooms used by the Computer Science Department (WS 103, WS 116, and WS 117A) do allow adding more sections. Additional facilities will be unnecessary at this time Library: The library holdings are adequate for this degree. Staffing: While this degree does not add new courses, and therefore it does not add staffing requirements, the CS department is severely understaffed. With the current staffing we will not be able to increase the number of sections we offer. Due to shortage of instructors in the last 3-4 years the CS department has regularly delayed the offering of some required and elective CS courses by a semester or more. We strongly recommend the hiring of an additional CS faculty member as soon as possible to support the regular offerings of the BS in Computer Science, and possibly another faculty line to support the expected increase of students and course sections resulting from the offering of the new degrees BA in Applied Computing, and BA in Digital and Interactive Media Arts. Sample Workforce Applications: According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment in the computing industry is expected to increase by nearly 28 percent, much faster than the average for all occupations, through This growth is expected because an increasing number of businesses are reliant on computers and the Internet to run their businesses. More businesses are recognizing the benefits of having high quality computing specialists.

6 The following is a sample of the possible employment opportunities for the proposed degree: Software Development Software Testing Software Maintenance Cybersecurity Database Design Web Development Interactive Multimedia Development Game Development In the monthly job trends reports of the Connecticut Technology Council ( Report-January-2015.pdf) the following skills are consistently at the top of the list of of the 15 most wanted skills for job openings: SQL Oracle Java Unix All four are studied in detail in the proposed degree.