Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Overview

An Information Technology Bachelors Degree is outstanding preparation for many of the world's most exciting and profitable careers. Information Technology (IT) is the basis for the world's economies to create, manage and support information in a variety of forms. IT is understating the technology underlying the data revolution and learning the programming skills necessary for the administration of that technology in today's ever more technically-focused workplace. Careers in IT and computer/information systems are expected to grow 16 percent during the 2006-2016 decade according to the U.S. Department of Labor. With a BS degree in IT, you can learn to work with data, networking, still images, videos, multimedia and other forms not yet invented.

This section outlines the undergraduate Information Technology program for the Bachelor of Science degree offered by the Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (EECS).

Information Technology students in the Department of EECS have many unique advantages at UCF:

• The UCF Programming Team is one of the best in the world! CS teams compete annually in the ACM's International Programming Contest, and our EECS team has an unmatched record - finishing in the Southeast regions top three every year since 1982! EECS teams have earned five Top-10 finishes out of 6,000 teams world-wide.
• EECS has prestigious research programs for undergraduates (REUs). EECS has been an NSF REU site in Computer Vision since NSF started the program in 1987.
• The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) student chapter, additional Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs), IEEE Computer Society and UPE Computer Science Honor Society provide real-life benefits including networking, face-to-face meetings with experts and career experience.
• The School's new home is the Harris Corp. Engineering Center - an ultra high-tech building with revolutionary equipment, computers and labs for students.
• EECS has been a site for an REU program in computer vision since the inception of REU by NSF in 1987. During the last two decades, almost 200 undergraduate students from different schools all over the country have participated in this program. NSF has extended its funding for the EECS Computer Vision Lab REU program through 2008. PIs on this project are Mubarak Shah, and Niels da Vitoria Lobo.

Academic Program

The following information is gathered from the UCF catalog, the Undergraduate Policies and Procedures Manual, and other documents that describe the IT undergraduate program. This web content should not be considered a legally-binding document. It is not necessarily exhaustive and is subject to change.

All UCF students must fulfill a 36-hour General Education Program (GEP) requirement. Students who received an A.A. degree from a community college in Florida should be able to complete the B.S.I.T. requirements in 60 additional hours at UCF - provided that the A.A. elective choices have been made appropriately. Students coming with an A.S. degree must take additional courses to complete the B.S.I.T. requirements. Please consult the UCF catalog for specific details.

Students must complete 120 semester hours of course work with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.0, and must satisfy all University and Information Technology Program requirements to earn the B.S.I.T. degree.

Any student wishing to receive a second Bachelor's degree should consult the University catalog. A student must be a declared Information Technology major to earn the B.S.I.T. degree. The State of Florida requires at least nine (9) hours of course work be completed during summer terms unless the student has already met this requirement while earning an A.A. degree.

SUS Foreign Language Admission Requirement

To be admitted to UCF, The Florida State University System (SUS) requires two (2) years of high school foreign language (or equivalent). This is the Foreign Language Admission Requirement. In some cases, students who have not satisfied this requirement (two units in the same language) at the time of admission must satisfy the requirement prior to graduation. Students may have the option of fulfilling this requirement through examination; for more information contact SARC's University Testing Center at (407) 823-5109.

Note: This admission requirement applies to all undergraduates and is separate from the UCF Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement.

Course Requirements

The Information Technology Curriculum is divided into four categories: IT Prerequisites, IT Core courses, Support Courses (Upper Division), IT Restricted Electives.

Current IT Catalog Course List

1) IT Prerequisites (20 hours)

MAC 1105 College Algebra
OR
MAC 1140 Pre-Calculus Algebra
MAC 1114 College Trigonometry
*STA 2023 Statistical Methods I
*ECO 2013 Principles of Macroeconomics
*PSY 2012 General Psychology
*PHY 2053 College Physics I
COP 3223 C Programming language
COP 3330 Object Oriented Programming
CGS 2545C Database Concepts
MAD 2104 Foundations of Discrete Mathematics
OR
COT 3100 Discrete Structures
* Should be taken for GEP (see section 2)

2) IT Core (42 hours; 36 at upper division)

COP 3502 Computer Science I
CIS 3360 Security in Computing
CAP 4104 Human & Technology Interaction
EEL 3041 Circuit Analysis
CGS 3763 OS Concepts
CGS 3269 Computer Architecture Concepts
CNT 4603 System Admin and Maint
CNT 3004 Computer Network Concepts
CIS 3003 Fundamentals of Information Technology
CIS 4313 Managing IT Integration
CNT 4714 Enterprise Computing
CIS 4004 Web-Based Information Technology
CNT 4703 Network Laboratory
COP 4910 Frontiers in Information Tech. (Capstone course)
PHI 3626 Ethics in Science and Technology

3) IT Support Courses (Total six (6) hours, all at upper division)

ENC 3241 Writing for the Technical Professional
Select one: *
ENC 4293 Documentation and Collaborative Process
ENC 4265 Writing for the Computer Industry
ENC 4414 Writing and Hypertext
ENC 4415 Digital Rhetoric and the Modern Dialectic

* There are a limited number of technical writing choices available for non-English majors.

4) IT Restricted Electives

6 hours at 3000-level or above CS/IT courses

Special IT Program Requirements

Grade Requirements: Each required course (listed in sections 2.2.1, 2.2.2, 2.2.3 or 2.2.4) must be passed with a "C" grade (GPA 2.0) or better.

Departmental Residency Requirements: At least 24 hours of coursework from the Information Technology Program at UCF (at least nine (9) hours of which must be regularly scheduled 4000- or 5000-level courses).

Transfer of Credit: Courses with a common course number taken at any Florida State University System (SUS) institution or Florida community college are automatically transferable. Students with a Bachelor of Science from an accredited institution or an Associate of Arts degree from a Florida SUS institution or Florida community college automatically satisfy the GEP. Substitutions for GEP must be approved through Academic Services, Millican Hall (MH) 210.

Substitutions for department requirements are on a course-by-course basis and MUST be approved by the CS Undergraduate Coordinator. Instructions for this process are in the  EECS Undergraduate office: Harris Corporation Engineering Center (HEC 345). The decision is typically based on the degree of similarity of the two courses both in content and in the level of presentation. Regardless of transfer credit, the University and School residency requirements must be satisfied.

Additional Information: As part of the Department of EECS, the majority of core courses required of IT majors are existing courses taken from the accredited Department of EECS programs in Computer Science, Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering. Designed by EECS faculty members, the IT curriculum provides a solid science and analytical base for students to build a life-long career. Although many IT programs are now appearing across the United States, no degree standards have yet been formalized, which will occur over the next few years. Although the BS in Information Technology program, as a new degree, has not yet undergone an accreditation review, the courses and materials are derived from the three other accredited EECS programs.

Sample Program of Study for Incoming Freshmen

The following is an eight-semester sample program of study leading to a B.S. degree in Information Technology. These are only guidelines and the student should consult the catalog for the official requirements for graduation. In particular, students must take nine hours during summer sessions.

Semester 1: COP 3223, PSY 2012, ENC 1101, SPC 1608, MAC 1105 (15 hours)
Semester 2: COP 3502C, STA 2023, MAC 1114, ENC 1102, ECO 2013  (15 hours)
Semester 3: COP 3330, LIT 2110, MAD 2104, EUH 2000, CIS 3360 (15 hours)
Semester 4: CGS 3269, PSY 2053C, CGS 2545, EUH 2001, BSC 1005 (16 hours)
Semester 5: CAP 4104, EEL 3041, ENC 3241, CNT 3004, CIS 3003 (15 hours)
Semester 6: CIS 4313, CGS 3763, PHI 3626, Free Elective, select one from ENC 4293, ENC 4265, ENC 4414 or ENC 4415 (15 hours)
Semester 7: CNT 4603, CNT 4703, Restricted Upper division elective, CIS 4004, free elective (15 hours)
Semester 8: COP 4910, CNT 4714, Upper division elective, free elective, free elective (15 hours)

Select the Flow Chart below to view larger version

Sample Program of Study for A.A. Transfer Students

Below is a four-semester sample program leading to a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology. This example assumes that the student has an A.A. from a Florida community college and has completed all prerequisites plus the following courses: Advanced C-Language Programming COP 3223 (Note: A course entitled "Introduction to C" is generally not sufficient.), CGS 2545.

Fall Semester I: COP 3502, COP 3330, MAD 2104, ENC 3241, CIS 3360 (15 hours)
Spring Semester I: CGS 3269, CNT 3004, CAP 4104, CIS 3003, EEL 3041 (15 hours)
Fall Semester II: CGS 3763, PHI 3626, CIS 4313, CNT 4714, 1st upper division elective (15 hours)
Spring Semester II: CNT 4603, COP 4910, ENC 4XXX, CIS 4004, CNT 4703, 2nd Upper Division Elective (18 hours)

Admissions & Deadlines

For application information to UCF and EECS, visit: Whether you need information on deadlines, requirements or have questions, feel free to contact Undergraduate Admissions for help. We want to help you become a Knight. So, let us help you get started.

For UCF Application forms and other forms, visit:
Application Forms

or write to:
UCF Office of Undergraduate Admissions
PO Box 160111
Orlando, FL 32816-0111
admission@mail.ucf.edu
Phone: (407) 823-3000
Fax: (407) 823-5625

UCF Admissions Office Hours:
Mon & Thurs: 9 - 6
Tues, Wed, & Fri: 9 - 5
Closed Weekends & Holidays