Computer Science Undergrad Resource Menu |
1. General Information
The University of Central Florida was established in 1963 and offered its first classes in September 1968. Since then, the school has grown rapidly and has a current enrollment of approximately 42,000 students. With this expansion has come the development of state-of-the-art programs in the field of computer science.The purpose of this page is to describe briefly the undergraduate computer science program for the Bachelor of Science degree. Many unique advantages accrue to students who major in CS at UCF. Among them are: the UCF Programming Team, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) student chapter, the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), the Foundation Exam, IEEE Computer Society and UPE Computer Science Honor Society.
The UCF Programming Team is one of the top teams in the world. UCF competes against 80 other teams in the Southeast region and its record is unmatched - finishing in the region's top three each year since 1982! Our team has earned five Top-10 finishes out of more than 2000 teams world-wide in ACM's International Contest Finals. The UCF's ACM student chapter chapter is a professional organization with great benefits including networking with experts as well as career experience. REU is a prestigious research program for undergraduates funded by the National Science Foundation. UCF has been an REU site since 1987 with more than 150 students participating since the program started.
The Computer Science Foundation Exam is a qualifying test all CS majors must pass to advance to upper-level CS courses. Nationally, only UCF's CS Program uses a test this way to qualify its students. The exam covers problem solving techniques, algorithms, abstraction, proofs and language skills. Tests are held each semester, and the exam helps ensure the success of our students.
For a detailed description of our computer facilities, faculty expertise and course descriptions, please consult www.eecs.ucf.edu/undergrad/CS/ and click on "B.S. in Computer Science" and the other links beneath the "Undergraduate Programs" heading.
1.1 Accreditation
The Computer Science program is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), a specialized accrediting board recognized by the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation (COPA) and the U.S. Department of Education.
2. The Academic Program
The following information is gathered from the UCF catalog, the Undergraduate Policies and Procedures Manual and the undergraduate program procedures in Computer Science. As such, this brochure should not be considered a legal document. It is not necessarily exhaustive and is subject to change without notice.All UCF students must fulfill a 36-hour General Education Program (GEP) requirement. The GEP is automatically satisfied by students with a prior B.S. from an accredited institution or an A.A. degree from a Florida community co llege. 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 2.00 and satisfy all University and Computer Science program requirements to earn a B.S. in Computer Science.
Any student wishing to receive a double-major or to seek a second Bachelor's degree should consult the UCF catalog. A student must be an official Computer Science major to earn the computer science degree.
2.1 Foreign Language or Multicultural Requirements
There are two separate issues with regard to foreign languages. In order to be admitted to the University, the State of Florida requires two years of high school foreign language (or equivalent). This is called "Foreign Language Admission Requirement." In some cases, students who did not have two years of foreign language in high school are provisionally admitted but they must satisfy the requirement before graduation.
Foreign Language Graduation Requirement:
All undergraduates must demonstrate proficiency in a testable foreign language (see UCF catalog for the definition of "testable") equivalent to successful completion of one year at the college level. Alternatively, students may satisfy this requirement by the successful completion of the equivalent course work. In the case of non-testable languages, the requirement may be satisfied by documentation through the Office of Undergraduate Studies.
Computer science students who satisfied the Foreign Language Admission Requirement may satisfy the Foreign Languages Graduation Requirement by taking two courses from a list of multicultural or college-level foreign language courses. Those who have not yet satisfied the Foreign Language Admission Requirement should complete two (2) semesters of a single foreign language at college level. This simultaneously satisfies both admission and graduation requirements.
Please see the Computer Science Academics Web page (www.eecs.ucf.edu/undergrad/CS/) and click on "Foreign Language Requirement or Multicultural Courses" for a current list of courses that satisfy this multicultural requirement. Note: PHI 3626 can also apply towards the multicultural requirement.
2.2 Course Requirements
2.2.1 Computer Science Core (56 hours)
Basic Core (Total 23 hours)| COP 3223 | Intro to Programming with C |
| COP 3330 | Intro to OO Programming with Java |
| COP 3502 | Computer Science I |
| COP 3503 | Computer Science II (4 cr) |
| CDA 3103 | Computer Organization (4 cr) |
| COP 3402 | Systems Software |
| COT 3100 | Intro to Discrete Structures |
| COT 3960 | CS Foundation Exam |
| Support Courses (Total 33 hours) | |
| MAC 2311 | Calculus w/ Analytic Geometry I |
| MAC 2312 | Calculus w/ Analytic Geometry II |
| STA 2023 | Statistical Methods I |
| PHY 2048 | Physics for Engr. & Sci. I |
| PHY 2048L | Physics for Engr. & Sci. Lab I |
| PHY 2049 | Physics for Engr. & Sci. II |
| PHY 2049L | Physics for Engr. & Sci. Lab II |
| Two (2) Science Courses1 | |
| ENC 3241 | Technical Report Writing |
| PHI 3626 | Advanced Ethics in Science and Technology |
| 1These must be courses required by the respective science majors, such as BSC 2010, BSC 2011, CHM 2045 or CHM 2046. (8 cr) | |
2.2.2 Upper Division Required Courses (19 hours)2 | |
| COP 4331 | Procs for OO Development (4 cr) |
| CDA 4150 | Intro to Computer Architecture |
| COP 4020 | Programming Languages |
| COP 4600 | Introduction to Operating Systems |
| COT 4210 | Discrete Computational Structures |
| 2Students must earn a 2.5 GPA in above courses. | |
| COT 4810 | Topics in Computer Science |
2.2.3 Restricted Electives (15 hours)Nine (9) additional hours of 4000- and 5000-level computer science courses. A partial list of such elective courses includes: CAP 4020, CAP 4453, CAP 4630, CGS 5131, COP 4520, COP 4521, COP 4710, COT 4110, COT 4500, (CIS 3360 & CIS 3362)3, CIS 43613, and CIS 43633. No more than three (3) hours of independent study in computer science may be used.3See SCAN Minor. Six (6) hours of math or statistics, exclusive of independent study. Course work must be selected from STA, MAP, MAA, MAD, MAS prefixes at the 4000 or 5000 level and MAC 2313, MAP 2302, MAS 3105 and MAS 3106.
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2.3 Special Departmental Requirements
Foundation Exam: Prior to taking COP 3402 and COP 3530 (and beyond), students MUST pass the Foundation Exam, which covers problem solving techniques, algorithms, abstractions, proofs, programming skills, etc. Typically, students are expected to take the Foundation Exam in the same semester they complete COP 3502 and COT 3100.Grade Requirements: All department-required courses (listed in sections 2.2.1, 2.2.2 and 2.2.3) must be passed with a "C" grade or better. A minimum GPA of 2.5 is required in the courses listed in section 2.2.2.
Departmental Residency Requirement: At least 24 hours of computer science coursework must be completed in the CS department at UCF (18 hours of these in regularly scheduled 4000- and 5000-level courses and six (6) of these in 3000- to 5000-level).
2.4 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-for-course basis and must be approved by the Undergraduate Coordinator and by the Director of the Computer Science Program. Instructions for this process are in the Computer Science office, ENG3-246. The decision will be based upon the degree of similarity of the two courses both in content and level of presentation. Regardless of transfer credit, the University and departmental residency requirements must be satisfied.
Exception: Substitution requests for MAC 2311, MAC 2312, PHY 2048, PHY 2049, CHM 2045, CHM 2046, BSC 2010 and BSC 2011 must be filed in the Academic Affairs Office (ENG1 107).
Four Year Plan
Two Year Plan
Computer Science Flowchart
3. How to Apply
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
University of Central Florida
PO Box 160111
Orlando, FL 32816-0111
or visit: www.admissions.sdes.ucf.edu
For more information contact:
Computer Science Undergraduate Program
School of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
University of Central Florida
PO Box 162362
Orlando, FL 32816-2362
www.eecs.ucf.edu or www.eecs.ucf.edu/undergrad/CS/
4. Additional Information
| Computer Science Main Office (ENG3-246) | (407) 823-2341 |
| Computer Science Advising (ENG3-246A) | (407) 823-1049 |
| CECS Academic Affairs Office (ENG1 107) | (407) 823-2455 |
| Admissions | (407) 823-3000 |
| Bookstore | (407) 823-2665 |
| Campus Tours | (407) 823-3000 |
| Directions Hotline | (407) 882-0909 |
| Employment Opportunity | (407) 823-2778 |
| Financial Aid | (407) 823-2827 |
| Housing | (407) 823-4663 |
| Multicultural Academic & Support Services | (407) 823-2716 |
| UCF Saturday Open House (select dates) | (407) 823-5359 |
| Veteran's Affairs | (407) 823-2707 |
| University Honors Program | (407) 823-2076 |
| UCF Web site | www.ucf.edu |
