¶¡ÏãÔ°AV

Computing Science Major Second Degree Program

School of Computing Science | Faculty of Applied Sciences
¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Calendar 2012 Fall

The school offers a second degree program leading to a bachelor of science (BSc) or bachelor of arts (BA) degree.

Well-prepared students can complete this second degree program in one year (three terms) of full-time study. The ideal preparation is a mathematics background with programming experience comparable to the first two years of the computing science major program and a prior degree in which English was the language of instruction. Students without this may need additional time to complete lower division prerequisites prior to starting upper division courses.

¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Requirements

This is a direct admission program and holders of a recognized bachelor's degree in another discipline may follow this program to earn a second degree.

Applicants should indicate their program interest by selecting computing science, Faculty of Applied Sciences BSc major as their first choice. Applicants are selected primarily on upper division (third and fourth year) performance in the prior bachelor's degree and subsequent professional experience in which English was the language of instruction.

Consult an Applied Sciences Advisor for provisions governing high school direct entry or direct transfer from another post-secondary institution.

Continuation Requirements

Students who do not maintain at least a 2.40 CGPA, will be placed on the school's probation. Courses available to probationary students may be limited. Each term, these students must consult an advisor prior to enrolment and must achieve either a term 2.40 term GPA or an improved CGPA. Reinstatement from probationary standing occurs when the CGPA improves to 2.40 or better and is maintained.

Graduation Requirements

A GPA of 2.00 must be obtained for upper division courses used to fulfill the program requirements.

Prerequisite Grade Requirement

Computing science course entry requires a grade of C- or better in each prerequisite course.

A minimum 2.40 cumulative grade point average is required for 200, 300 and 400 level courses. For complete information, contact an Applied Sciences Advisor.

Program Requirements

Students complete at least 45 upper division units, as specified below and 42 of these units must be Computing Science courses. The remaining three units can be taken in another discipline.

Students must consult an Applied Sciences Advisor before commencing the program.

Lower Division Requirements

Students will need to apply for course waivers for the lower division prerequisites prior to starting the program. If lower division prerequisites have not been met, required courses may be taken at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV.

Upper Division Requirements

In accord with University regulations, this second degree program consists of the upper division requirements of the program as described below.

Elective Courses

In addition to the courses listed above, students should consult an Applied Sciences Advisor to plan the remaining required elective courses.

Breadth Requirement

Five courses from five of the six Table I areas of concentration must be completed including both of

  • CMPT 300 Operating Systems I (3)
  • CMPT 307 Data Structures and Algorithms (3)
  • CMPT 354 is also recommended.

Depth Requirement

Twelve units of additional CMPT courses numbered CMPT 400 or above must be completed (excluding CMPT 415, 416 and 498, which may be included by special permission).

BSc Credential

For a BSc computing science degree, the following additional requirements must be met.

  • two additional courses chosen from Table I, Table II or Table III
  • MACM 316 Numerical Analysis I (3)

and one of

  • CMPT 320 Social Implications - Computerized Society (3)
  • CMNS 353 Social Contexts of Information Technology (4)

BA Credential

For a BA computing science degree within the Faculty of Applied Sciences, the following additional requirements must be met.

  • one additional CMPT upper division course chosen from Table I or Table II must be completed bringing the total upper division units in CMPT courses to a minimum of 30 units.
  • a concentration of 15 units in a Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences discipline (department) including at least six units of upper division credit.

Areas of Concentration

The primary upper division requirements are structured according to breadth, depth and credential requirements as listed above.

As part of a major program, students may complete one or more areas of concentration from the six areas listed in Table I. To complete a concentration, students complete the major requirements, including four courses in the corresponding area as listed in Table I, two of which must be at the 400 division. Courses used to meet the requirements of a concentration may also be used to meet other program requirements.

Table I -

Artificial Intelligence

  • CMPT 310 Artificial Intelligence Survey (3)
  • CMPT 340 Biomedical Computing (3)
  • CMPT 411 Knowledge Representation (3)
  • CMPT 412 Computational Vision (3)
  • CMPT 413 Computational Linguistics (3)
  • CMPT 414 Model-Based Computer Vision (3)
  • CMPT 417 Intelligent Systems (3)
  • CMPT 418 Computational Cognitive Architecture (3)
  • CMPT 419 Special Topics in Artificial Intelligence (3)

Computer Graphics and Multimedia

  • CMPT 361 Introduction to Computer Graphics (3)
  • CMPT 363 User Interface Design (3)
  • CMPT 365 Multimedia Systems (3)
  • CMPT 461 Image Synthesis (3)
  • CMPT 464 Geometric Modeling in Computer Graphics (3)
  • CMPT 466 Animation (3)
  • CMPT 467 Visualization (3)
  • CMPT 468 Introduction to Computer Music and Sound Synthesis (3)
  • CMPT 469 Special Topics in Computer Graphics (3)

Computing Systems

  • CMPT 300 Operating Systems I (3)
  • CMPT 305 Computer Simulation and Modeling (3)
  • CMPT 371 Data Communications and Networking (3)
  • CMPT 379 Principles of Compiler Design (3)
  • CMPT 401 Operating Systems II (3)
  • CMPT 431 Distributed Systems (3)
  • CMPT 432 Real-time Systems (3)
  • CMPT 433 Embedded Systems (3)
  • CMPT 471 Networking II (3)
  • CMPT 479 Special Topics in Computing Systems (3)
  • CMPT 499 Special Topics in Computer Hardware (3)

Information Systems

  • CMPT 301 Information Systems Management (3)
  • CMPT 354 Database Systems I (3)
  • CMPT 370 Information System Design (3)
  • CMPT 441 Computational Biology (3)
  • CMPT 454 Database Systems II (3)
  • CMPT 456 Information Retrieval and Web Search (3)
  • CMPT 459 Special Topics in Database Systems (3)
  • CMPT 470 Web-based Information Systems (3)
  • CMPT 474 Web Systems Architecture (3)

Programming Languages and Software

  • CMPT 373 Software Development Methods (3)
  • CMPT 375 Mathematical Foundations of Software Technology (3)
  • CMPT 383 Comparative Programming Languages (3)
  • CMPT 384 Symbolic Computing (3)
  • CMPT 473 Software Quality Assurance (3)
  • CMPT 475 Software Engineering II (3)
  • CMPT 477 Introduction to Formal Verification (3)
  • CMPT 480 Foundations of Programming Languages (3)
  • CMPT 481 Functional Programming (3)
  • CMPT 489 Special Topics in Programming Language (3)

Theoretical Computing Science

  • CMPT 307 Data Structures and Algorithms (3)
  • CMPT 308 Computability and Complexity (3)
  • CMPT 404 Cryptography and Cryptographic Protocols (3)
  • CMPT 405 Design and Analysis of Computing Algorithms (3)
  • CMPT 406 Computational Geometry (3)
  • CMPT 407 Computational Complexity (3)
  • CMPT 408 Theory of Computing Networks/Communications (3)
  • CMPT 409 Special Topics in Theoretical Computing Science (3)
  • MACM 300 Introduction to Formal Languages and Automata with Applications (3)

Table II - Application Courses

Currently no courses.

Table III – Computing Mathematics Courses

  • MACM 316 Numerical Analysis I (3)
  • MACM 401 Introduction to Computer Algebra (3)
  • MACM 442 Cryptography (3)
  • MATH 308 Linear Optimization (3)
  • MATH 340 Algebra II: Rings and Fields (3)
  • MATH 343 Applied Discrete Mathematics (3)

The following courses may be counted in one of the above tables with permission of the school.

  • CMPT 318 Special Topics in Computing Science (3)
  • CMPT 415 Special Research Projects (3)
  • CMPT 416 Special Research Projects (3)
  • CMPT 496 Directed Studies (3)
  • CMPT 497 Dual Degree Program Capstone Project (6)
  • CMPT 498 honours Research Project (6)

Writing, Quantitative and Breadth Requirements

Students admitted to ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV beginning in the fall 2006 term must meet writing, quantitative and breadth requirements as part of any degree program they may undertake. See Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements for university-wide information.

WQB Graduation Requirements
A grade of C- or better is required to earn W, Q or B credit.
Requirement

Units

Notes
W - Writing

6

Must include at least one upper division course, taken at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV within the student’s major subject
Q - Quantitative

6

Q courses may be lower or upper division
B - Breadth

18

Designated Breadth Must be outside the student’s major subject, and may be lower or upper division
6 units Social Sciences: B-Soc
6 units Humanities: B-Hum
6 units Sciences: B-Sci

6

Additional Breadth

6 units outside the student’s major subject (may or may not be B-designated courses, and will likely help fulfil individual degree program requirements)
Additional breadth units must be from outside the student's major and may be B-designated (B-Hum, B-Soc, B-Sci courses). Students choosing to complete a joint major, joint honours, double major, two extended minors, an extended minor and a minor, or two minors may satisfy the breadth requirements (designated or not designated) with courses completed in either one or both program areas.

Residency Requirements and Transfer Credit

The University’s residency requirement stipulates that, in most cases, total transfer and course challenge credit may not exceed 60 units, and may not include more than 15 units as upper division work.

  • At least half of the program's total units must be earned through SimonFraser University study
  • At least two thirds of program's total upper division units must be earned through ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV study
  • At least two thirds of the upper division units in the courses of a school offering (or joint offering) must be earned through that school at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV

For information regarding transfer, consult an Applied Sciences Advisor.

Co-operative Education and Work Experience

All computing science students are strongly encouraged to explore the opportunities that Work Integrated Learning (WIL) can offer them. Please contact a computing science co-op advisor during your first year of studies to ensure that you have all of the necessary courses and information to help plan for a successful co-op experience.

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