How do I satisfy the ethics requirements?

You must satisfy both the CS Department's ethics requirement and the University's General Education requirement. Please keep the following points in mind:

  • ALL students must take two separate courses to satisfy the General Education IT Ethics and Synthesis requirements.
  • The easiest way to meet both requirements is to take CS 105 and subsequently CS 306. Since Fall 2004, both CS 105 and CS 306 are specifically required for CS majors.
  • If you will be graduating under a catalog prior to Fall 2004, there are other ways to satisfy the requirements, but the easiest way to meet all requirements is still to take CS 105 and CS 306.
  • If you have already taken 305 or 306 without having taken 105, you may no longer take 105, so you will have to take another course, outside of CS, to satisfy the Gen Ed requirements.

What section of English 302 should I take?

All computer science majors take the "natural sciences" section of ENGL 302.

Which natural science should I take?

12 credits are required in the natural sciences. These credits should be chosen from the natural science courses intended for scientists and engineers. Two of these courses must have laboratory components and must constitute a sequence. The CS Department office has a list of recommended natural science sequences, which may also be found in the BS CS online brochure.

What courses can I take for the literature requirement?

Any course in literature at the 200 level in English, the 300 level or above in foreign languages and literatures, or PHIL 253.

What courses can I take for the humanities requirement?

You must complete at least 3 credit hours in the humanities in addition to the general education core requirements. This can be any course that satisfies the general education core requirements in literature, fine arts, social and behavioral sciences, or global understanding.

What courses can I take to meet the IT Ethics general education requirement?

As mentioned above, if you take CS 105 and/or CS 305 to fulfill the CS major ethics requirement, then you have already met the IT Ethics requirements as well. If you take CS 105 and CS 306, CS 105 will no longer count towards the CS major ethics requirement, but it will still serve to meet the IT ethics requirement. If you take only CS 306, you must meet the IT ethics requirement by taking another course that has been approved to meet this requirement. (You may have taken another qualifying course already, such as IT 103. If not, you may need to take an additional course to meet this requirement.)

What courses can I take for the synthesis requirement?

You may take any course on the approved general education synthesis list to meet this requirement. The course does not have to be a computer science course. CS 306, however, does satisfy the synthesis requirement. (Please note the discussion above regarding the interrelationships between CS 105, CS 305 and CS 306.)

How do I satisfy the "general elective" requirement?

A general elective is a course that does not fulfill any major requirement. It can be a course from any school within the university and should be a subject you are interested in learning about. It does not have to be a CS course. In fact, most courses will satisfy the general elective requirement. Exceptions include courses specifically excluded from CS major credit (primarily remedial courses, such as MATH 105) and the following general categories: PHED 101-299, 380-389; PRLS 101-209, 211-299, which cannot be counted toward any degree in the School of Information Technology and Engineering.