Apr 16, 2024  
2021-2022 UMaine Undergraduate Catalog 
    
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2021-2022 UMaine Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Computer Science

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OVERVIEW OF DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Minimum number of credits required to graduate: 120

Minimum Cumulative GPA required to graduate: 2.0

Minimum number of credits required to complete the major: BS: 88; BA: 71

Minimum Grade requirements for courses to count toward major: C or better in COS 125, COS 140, COS 225, MAT 126, and ENG 101.

Other GPA requirements to graduate: Cumulative GPA of 2.0 in all COS courses credited toward the major.

Required Course(s) for fulfilling Capstone Experience: COS 397 and COS 497

Courses satisfying the writing intensive requirement within the major: COS 397 and COS 497 or COS 490

Residency requirement:  Majors in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences require a minimum of 15 institutional credits in the major.

Contact Information: School of Computing and Information Science, Undergraduate Coordinators Christopher Dufour, 238 Boardman Hall, christopher.dufour@maine.edu and Roy Turner, 240 Boardman Hall, rturner@maine.edu

The requirements listed on this page are specific to this particular major. Students are also responsible for meeting any graduation requirements set out by their college. Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) should make sure to review those requirements as stated on the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences  page of the catalog.

For more information about our undergraduate and graduate programs, program learning outcomes, internships, special resources and programs, and research and career opportunities, see our web site at https://umaine.edu/cs/.

Information about the Computer Science major

Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science

Computer Science Courses - 53 credit hours

Mathematics Courses - 15-16 credit hours

Capstone Experience:

To meet the capstone requirement for the B.S., students must use their accumulated knowledge of the field in addressing a particular problem.  Students may meet the capstone requirement through completing COS 397 and COS 497.

English - 6 credit hours

Science - 14 credit hours

This must include a two-semester laboratory science sequence from either BIO 100/200 or BIO 100/208 or CHY 121/123, CHY 122/124 or ERS 101/102 or PHY 121/122 for a total of 8 hours, and an additional 6 hours of science courses.  Courses fulfilling this requirement may be from any of the following areas:

  • Astronomy (AST; except AST 114)
  • Biological Sciences (BIO)
  • Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology (BMB; BMB 207 and above)
  • Chemistry (CHY; CHY 121 and above)
  • Earth Sciences (ERS; ERS 100 and above)
  • Marine Science (SMS; SMS 100 and above)
  • Physics (PHY; PHY 111 and above)
  • Wildlife Ecology (WLE; WLE 200 and above)

*A student must complete these courses with a grade of C or higher in each.  

Suggested four-year plan for the B.S. in Computer Science (Model A, for students taking Calculus I or higher in their first semester)

First Year - First Semester (15 Credits)

First Year - Second Semester (16 Credits)

Second Year - First Semester (16 Credits)

Second Year - Second Semester (15 Credits)

Three Year - First Semester (16 Credits)

Third Year - Second Semester (16 Credits)

Fourth Year - First Semester (15 Credits)

Fourth Year - Second Semester (12 Credits)

Suggested four-year plan for the B.S. in Computer Science (Model B, for students taking Pre-Calculus in their first semester)

First Year - First Semester (14 Credits)

First Year - Second Semester (14 Credits)

Second Year - First Semester (15 Credits)

Second Year - Second Semester (16 Credits)

Third Year- First Semester (16 Credits)

Third Year - Second Semester (16 Credits)

Fourth Year - First Semester (15 Credits)

Fourth Year - Second Semester (15 Credits)

Bachelor of Arts Degree in Computer Science

Computer Science Courses - 50 credit hours

Mathematics Courses - 15-16 hours

Capstone Experience:

To meet the capstone requirement for the B.A., students must use their accumulated knowledge of the field in addressing a particular problem.  Students may meet the capstone requirement through completing COS 397 and COS 497.

English - 6 credit hours

Minor

Students must complete an approved minor in some department outside of Computer Science.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

The School of Computing and Information Science has several research laboratories focusing on such areas as artificial intelligence and software agents, database systems, high-performance computing, cybersecurity, and computer modeling of physical processes. Most of these laboratories routinely include undergraduates who assist the professors and the graduate students in their research. Students are mentored by the professors and graduate students, and they get a good idea of what research and graduate school is like. In addition to the interesting and valuable experience gained, the students are often paid and/or co-author research papers.

Career Opportunities

Computer Science graduates are well-positioned to secure rewarding, high-paying jobs in the computer industry that are relatively immune to outsourcing. In addition, graduates can also apply their knowledge wherever computers are used, including businesses, research institutions, educational institutions, and government laboratories and agencies. The B.S. and B.A. degrees both provide a rigorous emphasis on computer science along with a strong liberal arts education. Consequently, students are well prepared to enter any career that requires a liberal arts degree. Graduates of the School of Computing and Information Science are also well prepared to enter graduate school for further study in computer science or other related fields or, with some additional preparation, to enter a professional school.

Graduate Work

The School offers the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Computer Science), the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Spatial Information Science and Engineering, the Master of Science in Spatial Informatics, and the Master of Science (M.S.) in Information Systems and a Four Plus One (M.S.) in Computer Science, Spatial Information Science and Engineering, Spatial Informatics, and Information Systems. Please see the graduate catalog School’s Web page for more information.

4+1 BS/MS Degree Program in Computer Science

The School of Computing and Information Science, in conjunction with the University of Maine Graduate School, offers the opportunity for Computer Science majors to begin taking graduate courses during their senior year, double-counting up to 9 credits toward the BS and the MS. Enterprising students will then be able to get a non-thesis MS by staying one extra year during which they will complete the remaining 21 credits required by the MS.

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