College of Natural and Social Sciences

Department of
COMPUTER SCIENCE AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS

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COMPUTER SCIENCE AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS MAJOR

• Applied Computer Science Option - Bachelor of Science Degree
• Computer Information Systems Option - Bachelor of Science Degree
• Computer Science Comprehensive Option - Bachelor of Science Degree
• Computer Information Systems Comprehensive Option - Bachelor of Science Degree
• Minor in Computer Science, 
• Minor in Computer Information Systems
• CSIS courses

Shahram Alavi, Chair

Associate Professors: Harms

Assistant Professors: A. Alavi, Hastings

Senior Lecturer: E. Alavi

Department Objectives

• To provide the necessary preparation for students planning careers in Computer Science and related areas;
• To provide the necessary preparation for students planning careers in Computer Information Systems and related areas;
• To provide the courses to meet the requirements of General Studies;
• To provide the courses to meet the service functions for departments requiring knowledge of Computer Science and Computer Information Systems;
• To provide courses that meet the service functions demanded by the community and state in Computer Science and Computer Information Systems;
• To prepare students for graduate work and research in Computer Science and Computer Information Systems.

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS MAJOR

Four options are available in this major:

1. Applied Computer Science Option - Bachelor of Science Degree
2. Computer Information Systems Option - Bachelor of Science Degree
3. Computer Science Comprehensive Option - Bachelor of Science Degree
4. Computer Information Systems Comprehensive Option - Bachelor of Science Degree

Minors in Computer Science and Computer Information Systems are available for students pursuing majors in other disciplines.

Courses with the prefix CSIS are offered by the department.

Computer Science and Information Systems courses are also used in the Multimedia Major and as "Areas of Emphasis" within the Business Administration Comprehensive Major, the Organization Communication Comprehensive Major, and the Telecommunications Management Comprehensive Major.

The department participates in the Masters of Science in Education Degree with a specialization in Instructional Technology which is offered by the College of Education and in the Master of Business Administration degree. (See Graduate Catalog for programs and courses.)

COMPUTER SCIENCE VERSUS COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEMS: A LOGICAL CHOICE

Computer-related disciplines have developed to include two broad areas of knowledge: Computer science and computer information systems. The programs and courses offered by this department reflect this situation. Concisely stated, computer science deals within a framework of mathematics, algorithms, and technology, whereas computer information systems is more organizational and applications oriented.

The computer science graduate will be more involved with algorithm formulation, software development and hardware design, while the computer information systems graduate will interact with organizational functions in designing and implementing computer applications.

Both computer science and computer information systems graduates typically obtain similar entry-level positions as computer programmers, systems analysts, or related jobs. The difference between computer science and computer information systems become more distinct as graduates progress on the job or as they prepare for graduate study.

Common Core Courses
All of the options in the Computer Science/Information Systems Major contain the following core courses:

CSIS 130, Introduction to Computer Science
CSIS 150, Object Oriented Programming

The common core allows students to defer the decision as to which option to select.