Program Overview

Computer Science and Engineering, B.S.

The undergraduate program in Computer Science and Engineering is administered by faculty from two academic units: the Department of Computer Science (CS) in the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) in The Henry Samueli School of Engineering. Successful completion of the program leads to a B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering.

Program Educational Objectives

Graduates of the program will:

• establish a productive Computer Science and Engineering career in industry, government, or academia
• engage in professional practice of computer systems engineering and software systems engineering
• promote the development of innovative systems and solutions using hardware and software integration
• promote design, research, and implementation of products and services in the field of Computer Science and Engineering through strong communication, leadership, and entrepreneurial skills

Program Description

This program is designed to provide students with the fundamentals of computer science, both hardware and software, and the application of engineering concepts, techniques, and methods to both computer systems engineering and software system design. The program gives students access to multidisciplinary problems in engineering with a focus on total systems engineering. Students learn the computer science principles that are critical to development of software, hardware, and networking of computer systems.

Career Paths

Most likely careers will involve building the computer-based infrastructurecomputers, networks, embedded devices, as well as operating systems, compilers, and networking software. The focus is on cooperation between hardware and software to yield the highest performance. Examples of such problem areas would be in traffic management, flight control, earthquake monitoring, automotive control, and smart homes.

Change of Major

Students interested in changing their major to Computer Science and Engineering should contact the Student Affairs Office in the Bren School of ICS or The Henry Samueli School of Engineering for information about change-of-major requirements.

Courses

• CSE 90: Systems Engineering and Technical Communications (2 Units)
  • Introduces systems engineering concepts, including specifications and requirements, hardware and software design, integration, testing, and documentation.
• CSE 112: Electronic Devices and Circuits (4 Units)
  • A first course in the design of Very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI) systems.
• CSE 199: Individual Study (1-4 Units)
  • Supervised independent reading, research, or design for undergraduate Engineering majors.

Admission Requirements

• High School Students: Students must have completed four years of mathematics through pre-calculus or math analysis and are advised to have completed one year each of chemistry and physics. One semester of programming coursework is also advised.
• Transfer Students: Students are encouraged to complete as many of the lower-division degree requirements as possible prior to transfer, including one year of approved calculus; one year of calculus-based physics with laboratories; one year of transferable computer science courses involving concepts such as those found in Java, Python, C++, or other object-oriented, high-level programming language, and one additional approved transferable course for the major.

Major Requirements

• Mathematics and Basic Science Courses:
  • Mathematics Courses: Students must complete a minimum of 32 units of mathematics.
  • Basic Science Courses: Students must complete a minimum of 18 units of basic science courses.
• Engineering and Computing Topics Courses:
  • Students must complete a minimum of 72 units of engineering topics, 24 units of engineering design, and 63 units of computing topics.
• Technical Elective Courses: Students must complete a minimum of two courses (with 3 or more units each) of technical electives.

Sample Program

The sample program is outlined as follows:

• Freshman:
  • Fall: MATH 2A, I&C SCI 31, General Education, PHYSICS 7C, PHYSICS 7LC
  • Winter: MATH 2B, I&C SCI 32, General Education, PHYSICS 7D, PHYSICS 7LD
  • Spring: MATH 2D, I&C SCI 33, EECS 31, EECS 31L
• Sophomore:
  • Fall: MATH 3A, I&C SCI 45C, I&C SCI 6B, EECS 50
  • Winter: MATH 3D, I&C SCI 46, EECS 70A, Science Elective
  • Spring: CSE 90, General Education
• Junior:
  • Fall: IN4MATX 43, EECS 112L, COMPSCI 143A
  • Winter: CSE 112, COMPSCI 141, COMPSCI 142A
  • Spring: EECS 112, COMPSCI 145, STATS 67
• Senior:
  • Fall: EECS 159A, EECS 148, Technical Elective
  • Winter: EECS 159B, Technical Elective
  • Spring: ENGR 190W, Science Elective, General Education

Note

The nominal Computer Science and Engineering program will require 183 units of courses to satisfy all university and major requirements. Because each student comes to UCI with a different level of preparation, the actual number of units will vary. Students majoring in Computer Science and Engineering may not complete the major in Computer Engineering, the major in Computer Science, the major or minor in Information and Computer Science, or the minor in Informatics.