Honors in Computer Science

How to Enter the Program

The Department of Computer Science awards honors designation to graduating students who have satisfied the requirements listed in the Program Requirements section below.

Students enter the CS Honors Program in two ways:

1. By invitation after the first semester.
2. By request prior to the 7th semester (student must have at least 2 academic semesters remaining to accommodate both CS 39700 and 49700).

Program Requirements

Honors students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.25 plus at least a 3.6 in Computer Science and required CSHO courses.

Honors students are encouraged, but not required, to take CS 19700, Freshman Honors Seminar, in the spring of the freshman year. The seminar covers the history, context, and future of computer science.

Program requirements:

1. Take an approved CS 500-level course and CS 49700. One or both of these courses may be used to fulfill the student's CS track requirements, subject to approval of the track chair.

2. MA 35100, Elementary Linear Algebra (in lieu of MA 26500).

3. An *approved mathematics course beyond MA 35100 or an *approved statistics course beyond STAT 51100.

4. Take 3 out of the 4 following courses: CS 35200, CS 35400, CS 38100,  or ECE 27000.

5. CS 39700, Honors Seminar. Honors students must take CS 39700 before taking CS 49700. CS 39700 is offered only in the fall semester. CS 39700 meetings focus on research in computer science, including what is involved in research, how to select a research project, and research presentations by CS 49700 students.

6. CS 49700, Honors Research Project must be taken by each student in the honors program. This class is a group research project directed by Computer Science faculty members. Each group must submit a technical report describing its work and results and must also give a short presentation in CS 39700.

7. Honors students may use CS 49000 courses only as free electives. Only one semester of research oriented courses will count as a CS elective.

An "approved" course, as used on this page, means the course is acceptable to the Computer Science Undergraduate Committee for the purpose of achieving honors.

Updated (SN): February 5, 2016