Program Overview

Introduction to the B.S. Computer Science Program

The B.S. Computer Science program at the University of California, San Diego is designed to prepare students for the profound societal changes being brought about by innovations in computing. The program provides a strong foundation in mathematics, programming methodology, and computer organization, with upper-division core courses focusing on the theory and design of algorithms and software systems.

Program Requirements

• All major requirements must be taken for a letter grade and passed with a C- or better, with exceptions for CSE 91, CSE 95, CSE 197, CSE 198, and CSE 199.
• A maximum of 12 units of P/NP courses may count, chosen from a maximum of 8 units of CSE 198 or CSE 199 or 199H, and a maximum of 4 units of CSE 197.
• Students may use 8 units of CSE 198 or CSE 199 or CSE 199H towards CSE elective requirements.
• Students may use up to 8 units of ENG 100D/ENG 100L courses towards upper division CSE Elective credits.

CSE Electives

• CS majors must complete 24 units of CSE Electives.
• Any upper-division CSE course between CSE 100-190, 193, 194 that is not being used for another major requirement may be used towards an upper-division "CSE Elective" for the CS26 major.
• Each CSE Elective course is tagged as Systems, Theory, Applications of Computing, and/or Open CSE Electives.

Sample Four-Year Plan

The following is a sample four-year plan for students in the B.S. Computer Science program:

First Year

• Fall: CSE 8A or CSE 11, MATH 20A, LDE
• Winter: CSE 11, MATH 20B, GE
• Spring: CSE 12, CSE 20, MATH 20C

Second Year

• Fall: CSE 21, CSE 29, CSE General Science
• Winter: CSE 30, CSE 100, Math 18
• Spring: CSE 101, CSE 110, Statistics

Third Year

• Fall: Systems Elective, Theory/Abstraction Elective, Applications Elective
• Winter: Systems Electives, Theory/Abstraction Elective, Applications Elective
• Spring: Systems Elective, Theory/Abstraction Elective, Applications Elective

Fourth Year

• Fall: Open CSE Elective, Open CSE Elective
• Winter: Open CSE Elective, Open CSE Elective
• Spring: Open CSE Elective, Open CSE Elective

Transfer Students

Transfer students are in a special situation where the credits they come in with vary vastly from one student to another. To assist transfer students with their long-term plans for completing major requirements, different long-term plans have been created with different entry points depending on the CSE credits students typically come in with.

Major Restrictions

The following majors may NOT double major or minor in CSE:

• Any majors that fall under the Jacob's School of Engineering
• Data Science majors (DS25)
• Math-Computer Science majors (MA30)