Dec 05, 2024  
Undergraduate Catalog | 2024-2025 
    
Undergraduate Catalog | 2024-2025

Computer Science, Systems and Networks Concentration, B.S.


The B.S. in Computer Science program requires a common set of a computer science courses, courses specific to a concentration, as well as elective courses outside the computing discipline, satisfied by a second major, a minor, or a set of non-computing courses across the university.  

All program-level Admissions and Progression Requirements are in addition to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Admission Requirements 

The Computer Systems and Networks concentration enables students to effectively use the computing and communication capabilities of computers and related devices, emphasizing productivity, correctness, performance, and reliability. Computer Systems encompasses the study of computer organization and architectures, covering processors, memory, storage, external devices (e.g., graphic cards, solid-state drives), and their interconnections. It also encompasses system software, including programming languages, compilers, operating systems, database systems, and parallel or distributed processing.

Computer Networks topics span a wide range of concepts and applications, addressing the design, implementation, management, and security of computer networks. Topics include OSI model layers, protocol intricacies, routing algorithms, network security, and emerging technologies like Software-Defined Networking (SDN), Internet of Things (IoT), and Wireless and Edge-Computing Networks.

The Systems and Networks concentration equips students to leverage existing systems to build high-performing, maintainable, and reliable applications. It also enables them to design, manage, secure, and optimize complex computer networks in the modern digital landscape. Students will gain an understanding of a computer system’s functional components, characteristics, performance, and interactions, with a focus on addressing challenges like harnessing parallelism, managing memory and storage, and achieving high-bandwidth and low-latency communications for sustained performance improvements now and in the future.

This concentration additionally prepares students to design novel computing and network systems, allowing application engineers to achieve the same level of quality with a fraction of the development effort.

Admission Requirements


Freshmen

  • See University Admission Requirements  
  • Minimum GPA:  2.5
  • Admission is competitive for computer science programs and, if admissible, freshmen must present a minimum SAT-Math score of 530 or ACT-Math subscore of 22. 

Transfers

  • See University Admission Requirements  
  • Minimum GPA:  2.5
  • Pre-Major/Prerequisite Courses:  A grade of C or above is required in any previously attempted Computer Science course(s).  Students must be able to transfer credits for the equivalent of College Algebra.
  • Transferable Credit Hours:  24

Currently Enrolled Students

  • Minimum GPA:  2.5
  • Must have earned 12 or more hours at UNC Charlotte
  • Must have earned a grade of C or higher in MATH 1241 , or MATH 1120  (Note: Students coming in with MATH 1120  will still be required to take MATH 1241  for the Bachelor of Science program)
  • Must have earned a grade of C or higher in ITSC 1212 , or ITSC 1110 , or DTSC 1302   
  • Participation in a Change of Major Workshop offered by the CCI Advising Center is required before becoming eligible to declare the Computer Science major. Details are on the CCI Advising website.

Degree Requirements


General Education Courses (31-32 credit hours)


For details on required courses, refer to the General Education Program . Total hours to satisfy General Education Requirements may vary as some general education requirements may be double-counted in the major with departmental approval. Please see your advisor for information. Students majoring in Computer Science should plan on taking the following courses that meet both general education and major requirements:

Major Courses (53 credit hours)


Elective Courses in Other Disciplines (15 credit hours)


Select 15 elective credit hours.  Courses that count towards this requirement must have a discipline prefix other than ITSC, ITCS, or ITIS. This requirement can be fulfilled by pursuing a/an:

  • ​Minor
  • Second major
  • Honors program
  • Undergraduate certificate
  • Set of courses selected by the student that do not satisfy any other degree requirement

Concentration Courses (21 credit hours)


Unrestricted Elective Courses


As needed to complete the credit hours required for graduation.

Degree Total = 120 Credit Hours


Cooperative Education Program


By participating in the Cooperative Education program, students in a Computer Science degree program may pursue their education along with alternating semesters of full-time work experiences so that they may be better prepared to enter their chosen professional career. Interested students should contact the University Career Center for more information.

Experiential Learning and Service Opportunities


Students are encouraged to participate in professional work experiences in support of their academic and career development through the cooperative education, 49ership, internship, and service programs offered to them. The College of Computing and Informatics works with the University Career Center to expand experiential learning offerings to enable more students to graduate with career-related experience.  For more information about experiential learning opportunities, please see the University Career Center section within the Office of Undergraduate Education  in this Catalog.

Progression Requirements


The GPA requirement for all Computer Science undergraduate degree programs is 2.0 or above in all courses applied to the degree and all courses in the major.

Students have a limit of 3 attempts per course in the major. This applies to all courses listed under the Major Courses and Concentration Courses categories of B.S. and B.A. in Computer Science degree programs. The third attempt at a course can only be approved by petition. In addition, a Withdrawal does not count as an attempt, as that effort is already restricted via the Withdrawal limit.

Students are required to achieve a grade of C or above in all Core Courses within the major, as listed above.

Honors Program


For details about the College of Computing and Informatics Honors Program, visit the program page .