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 - Bachelor of Science Degree
  • Computer Science Comprehensive - Bachelor of Science Degree
  • Information Technology - Bachelor of Science Degree
    • Web Development Emphasis
    • System Administration Emphasis
    • General Information Technology Emphasis
• Minor in Computer Science
• Minor in Information Technology
• CSIS courses

• Sherri Harms, Chair
• Professors: Harms, Hastings
• Assistant Professors: A. Alavi, Liu

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 Information Technology 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 Information Technology;
• To provide courses that meet the service functions demanded by the community and state in Computer Science and Information Technology;
• To prepare students for graduate work and research in Computer Science and Information Technology.

Students who plan to major in Computer Science or Information Technology should have a strong high school background in mathematics. Those who have a minimum score of 22 on the math portion of the ACT may enroll in CSIS 130GS, Introduction to Computer Science.

All courses in any CSIS major program require a minimum grade of "C".

Computer Science Versus Information Technology

Computer Science (CS) and Information Technology (IT) are enormously vibrant fields that are constantly in motion. Just look around and see how much we rely on technology. CS & IT professionals are making a difference in our world today. The United States continues to suffer from a shortage of qualified CS & IT workers with flexible and portable skills who can readily adapt and respond to ever-changing IT demands and processes.

The CS graduate will be more involved with algorithm formulation, software development and implementation, while the IT graduate will likely find a career in web development, system administration, computer security, user support, etc. Graduates in both programs interact with people from all organizational functions in designing and implementing computer applications. The IT program is a one of a kind program in Nebraska.

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

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

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

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS MAJOR

Three options are available in this major:

1. Applied Computer Science - Bachelor of Science Degree
2. Computer Science Comprehensive - Bachelor of Science Degree
3. Information Technology - Bachelor of Science Degree
   • Web Development Emphasis
   • System Administration Emphasis
   • General Information Technology Emphasis

There are electives within each major option that allow the student to individualize their own program.

Minors in Computer Science and Information Technology 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, the Mathematics Comprehensive Major, the Mathematics 7-12 Teaching Field Endorsement, the Physics Comprehensive, the Pre-Engineering Pre-Professional Program, the Biology Comprehensive and in the Management Information Systems Emphasis within the Business Administration 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.)