Program Overview

Associate in Computer Science, Direct Transfer Agreement/Major Related Program (DTA/MRP)

The Associate in Computer Science DTA/MRP degree prepares students to transfer to a four-year university and complete a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. This agreement meets all the requirements of Washington’s Direct Transfer Agreement. This agreement is between the baccalaureate institutions offering a bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science and the community and technical college system.

Program Description

Computer Science DTA/MRP students should contact their potential transfer institution(s) early in their program regarding:

• The specific course choices in each area of the agreement where options are listed (humanities, social sciences, electives)
• Admission requirements, including overall minimum college-level GPA, a higher GPA in a selected subset of courses, or a specific minimum grade in one or more courses; computer science is a competitive degree program and may require a higher GPA overall or a higher GPA in specific courses

Computer Science DTA/MRP graduates will:

• Apply Java language to computer programming
• Apply scientific and mathematic concepts to problem solving
• Communicate verbally, in writing, and interpersonally to succeed in complex environments
• Demonstrate communication, critical thinking, cultural humility, information literacy, and teamwork skills
• Meet Humanities, Natural Science, Quantitative Reasoning, Social Science, and Written Communication general education distribution area outcomes

Program Requirements

Recommended Course Sequence

The courses listed below are a suggested sequence; as long as prerequisites are met, courses may be taken in a different order. Courses listed with a university name in parentheses outline which courses students must take for transfer to those institutions. All students enrolled in the Computer Science DTA/MRP should meet with their LWTech advisor and an advisor from the university to which they will transfer in order to plan their degree pathway.

• Quarter One
  • ENGL& 101 English Composition I 5 credits
  • MATH& 151 Calculus I 5 credits
  • CSD 110 Computer Programming Fundamentals with Python 5 credits
• Quarter Two
  • CS& 141 Computer Science I Java 5 credits
  • MATH& 152 Calculus II 5 credits
  • Humanities course 5 credits
• Quarter Three
  • CS 143 Computer Science II Java 5 credits
  • SOC& 101 Introduction to Sociology 5 credits
  • MATH& 163 Calculus III 5 credits
  • OR
  • MATH& 146 Introduction to Statistics 5 credits (UW Tacoma requirement)
• Quarter Four
  • PHYS& 221 Engineering Physics I with Lab 5 credits
  • PSYC& 100 General Psychology 5 credits
  • Humanities course 5 credits
  • MATH& 264 Calculus IV 5 credits (WSU requirement)
• Quarter Five
  • PHYS& 222 Engineering Physics II with Lab 5 credits
  • ECON& 201 Micro Economics 5 credits
  • Humanities course 5 credits
  • PHIL& 120 Symbolic Logic 5 credits (WSU requirement)
• Quarter Six
  • ENGL& 235 Technical Writing 5 credits
  • OR
  • ENGL& 102 English Composition II 5 credits (EWU requirement)
  • OR
  • CMST& 220 Introduction to Public Speaking 5 credits (Whitworth requirement)
• Elective course 5 credits (CSD 233 C++ Programming recommended; MATH& 141 Pre-Calculus I may be used for Elective credit if taken previously)
• OR
  • PHYS& 223 Engineering Physics III with Lab 5 credits (WSU, WWU, Gonzaga, Heritage, and Whitworth requirement)
  • OR
  • BIOL& 160 General Biology with Lab 5 credits (PLU, SPU, and Seattle U requirement)
  • OR
  • MATH 220 Linear Algebra 5 credits (EWU requirement)
• Elective course 5 credits (MATH& 142 Pre-Calculus II may be used for Elective credit if taken previously)
• OR
  • BIOL& 160 General Biology with Lab 5 credits (WSU and WWU requirement)

Diversity and Social Justice Requirement

Within the degree requirements, students must complete a 3-5 credit course that meets the college’s Diversity and Social Justice (DSJ) requirement. DSJ courses are designated in the college schedule and are designed to meet other general education or technical requirements simultaneous to meeting the DSJ requirement (e.g., ENGL& 101 with the DSJ attribute meets both the ENGL& 101 requirement and the DSJ requirement). Note: Not all sections of a course meet the DSJ requirement. Students should review the class information to ensure the class section includes “course attributes: meets diversity requirement.”

Total Program Credits: 90-100

The requirements of the Computer Science DTA/MRP are met by the degree plan as listed above. The following information lists the requirements by subject area and includes advising notes and institution-specific requirements. Students should review this information carefully in order to plan their degree pathway in alignment with their transfer institution(s).

Communication Skills: 10 credits

• 5 credits English Composition (ENGL& 101)
• 5 credits Technical Writing (ENGL& 235), with the following institution-specific exceptions:
  • Easter Washington University (EWU): English Composition II (ENGL& 102) - 5 credits
  • Whitworth University: Oral Communication - 5 credits

Quantitative/Symbolic Reasoning Skills: 5 credits in Calculus I (MATH & 151)

Humanities: 15 credits

• Selected from at least two disciplines
• No more than 10 credits allowed from any one discipline
• No more than 5 credits in world language or ASL at the 100 level
• No more than 5 credits in performance/skills courses
• Institution-specific Humanities requirements:
  • EWU: Introductory Ethics (PHIL 212) - 5 credits
  • Gonzaga University: Philosophy (PHIL& 101) - 5 credits, Communication (CMST& 101) - 5 credits, Ethics - 5 credits

Social Sciences: 15 credits

• Selected from at least two disciplines
• No more that 10 credits allowed from any one discipline
• Institution-specific Social Sciences requirements:
  • Washington State University Vancouver (WSU Vancouver): Macroeconomics or Microeconomics (ECON& 201 or ECON& 202) - 5 credits

Natural Sciences: 15 credits

• 5 credits Engineering Physics I with Lab (PHYS& 221)
• 5 credits Engineering Physics II with Lab (PHYS& 222), with the following institution-specific exception:
  • University of Washington Tacoma (UW Tacoma): Any lab-based science - 5 or 6 credits
• 5 credits Calculus II (MATH&152), with the following institution-specific exception:
  • UW Tacoma: Statistics (MATH& 146) - 5 credits

Major Requirements: 10-20 credits

• 5 credits Computer Programming I
• 5 credits Computer Programming II
  • The following institution-specific requirements apply to the Computer Programming sequence:
    • Central Washington University (CWU), UW Seattle, and Heritage University: Two Java courses
    • UW Bothell: Two courses in one language - C#, C++, or Java
    • UW Tacoma: Intro programming and object-oriented programming (Java)
    • WSU Tri-Cities: Two C++ courses
    • Other institutions: Two courses in either C++ or Java
• 5-10 credits Calculus III (MATH& 153 and MATH& 254 or MATH& 163), with the following institution-specific requirements:
  • UW Tacoma: Does not require Calculus III
  • WSU (all campuses): Calculus III (MATH& 153 and MATH& 254)

University Requirements: 0-10 credits

• EWU
  • Linear Algebra (MATH 231) - 5 credits
  • Digital Circuits (EENG 160) - 5 credits
• Gonzaga
  • Engineering Physics III with Lab (PHYS& 223) - 5 credits
  • Discrete Math - 5 credits
• Heritage and Whitworth
  • Engineering Physics III with Lab (PHYS& 223) - 5 credits
• Pacific Lutheran, Seattle Pacific, Seattle U
  • Physical, biological, and/or earth sciences with lab - 5 credits
• WSU (all campuses) and Western Washington University (WWU)
  • Physical, biological, and/or earth sciences with lab - 5 credits
  • Engineering Physics III with Lab (PHYS& 223) - 5 credits

Electives: 0-20 credits

• 0-20 credits should be planned with the help of an advisor based on the student’s interests, the intended major, and the preferences of the most likely baccalaureate institution.
• Students intending to transfer to WSU Pullman or WSU Tri-Cities should take Symbolic Logic (PHIL& 120) - 5 credits.

Advising Notes by Transfer Institution

• Gonzaga: Recommends Calculus 4, Critical Thinking (Symbolic Logic), Differential Equations, and Intro to Literature to fulfill graduation requirements
• Heritage: Discrete Math and Statistics will be evaluated for comparability to Heritage’s SPSC 231 and Math 221 courses
• PLU: Intro to CS, Digital Systems, Data Structures, Statistics, and Discrete Structures will be evaluated for comparability to PLU’s CSCE 144, 231 270, and Math 242, 245 courses
• SPU: Prefers C++ but accepts Java with SPU bridge course. Math& 153 will be evaluated for comparability to SPU’s Math 1236
• Seattle U: Programming and Problem Solving 1 and 2 will be evaluated for comparability to CPSC 1420 and 1430 courses
• WSU Pullman and WSU Tri-Cities: Recommends macro or micro economics to meet five credits of the social science requirement
• WSU (all campuses): Recommends discrete structures. Discrete Structures is a certification course for computer science and as such is required for admittance to the computer science program.
• Whitworth: Recommends electives include one Fine Art and one course fulfilling “American Diversity”