Degree Requirements (Bachelor of Science)

Department of Mathematics and Computational Science
- See also degree Checklist and four-year course plan

Dr. Bud Sanders, Department Chair
Dr. Yiming Ji, Degree Program Coordinator

Associate Professors

Akira Iwasa, Ph.D., University of South Carolina
Yiming Ji, Ph.D., Auburn University
Bud Sanders, Ph.D., University of Tennessee

Assistant Professors

Brian Canada, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University
Xuwei Liang, Ph.D., University of Kentucky
Kasia Pawelek, Ph.D., Oakland University

Instructors

Cynthia Flowers, M.S., College of Charleston
Karen Guinn, M.M., University of Tennessee
Tim Hogenboom, M.A., Binghamton University
Paul Murrin, M.S., Indiana State University

Adjuncts

Karen Achico, M.S., University of North Carolina Wilmington
Robert Michatek, M.Eng., Rochester Institute of Technology
Lauren Rotella, M.A., University of Bridgeport

Purpose Statement

The purpose of the Bachelor of Science in Computational Science is to provide students with a comprehensive exposure to various science and engineering fields that interface with Computer Science and provide an intensive immersion into a particular field of interface. The program will endeavor to produce graduates who not only have a broad foundation in the basic concepts and methods underlying Mathematics and Computer Science but who will possess the skills that will allow them to participate in the extension of scientific thought and knowledge.

Program Goals

Provide students with diverse knowledge in the Computational Sciences and significant exposure to other science and engineering fields.
Prepare students for careers in broad areas that require extensive proficiency in programming, modeling, computing, and software system management.
Foster a fundamental understanding for the process of science and an appreciation for how the Mathematics, Computer Science and other areas of science and engineering would integrate meaningfully and would impact our everyday lives and the future of the natural world.
Provide promising undergraduate students with significant research experiences
Provide much needed opportunities for interaction with the local citizenry concerning advancing computer and/or computing technologies through formal classroom instruction, internships, seminars and informal educational opportunities at local events

USCB aims to ensure that all students who complete the Bachelor of Science in Computational Science are able to…

Develop scientific programs in a high-level language such as FORTRAN, C/C++, or Java
Use scientific computational/modeling tools such as Matlab
Demonstrate substantive knowledge and skills in a chosen concentration
Identify and apply methods to efficiently manage data across disciplines
Apply critical thinking skills to develop computer simulations and models
Work fluently with concepts such as numerical methods and computing techniques/theories to solve problems in an application area

Admissions Standards for the Computational Science Program

Students who fulfill the admission requirements of USCB may enroll as Computational Science majors. Transfer students are required to have a 2.0 GPA.

Curriculum

USCB offers the Bachelor of Science with a major in Computational Science. To qualify for graduation, a student must meet general education requirements and Computational Science core requirements as stated below.

I. General Education Requirements (37-47 hours)

English (6-7 hours)

BENG 101, 101L and 102 (each with a grade of “C” or higher)

Students may place out of BENG 101L with an appropriate score on the Freshman English Placement Exam. Students who transfer into USCB with credit for first-semester freshman composition are exempt from the BENG 101L requirement.

Numerical and Analytical Reasoning (6 hours)

BMTH 101 or a higher level mathematics course, plus an additional course in mathematics, logic, statistics, or computer science.
Majors: requirements in this category will be fulfilled by Program Requirements in (II) below. No additional courses are required.

Speech (3 hours)

BSPC 140 or 201 or 230

Liberal Arts

Liberal Arts Electives¹ (6 hours) (Majors: BENG 462 is a Program Requirement in (II) below and satisfies 3 hrs. of the Liberal Arts Electives requirements. Choose 3 additional hrs.)
BHIS 101, 102, 111, 112, 115, or 116 (3 hours)
Fine Arts² (3 hours)
Social/Behavioral Sciences³ (3 hours)

¹Courses from the following disciplines: BFRO, BANT, BARH, BATS, BECO, BENG, BFRE, BGEO, BHIS, BMUS, BPHI, BPOL, BPSY, BRLG, BSOC, BSPA, BSPC, BTHE. One-hour credits in BMUS and BTHE may not be used to fulfill this requirement.
²Courses from: BARH, BATS, BMUS, or BTHE. One-hour credits in BMUS and BTHE may not be used to fulfill this requirement.
³Courses from: BANT, BECO, BGEO, BGST, BLIN, BPOL, BPSY, BSOC and BSST.

Natural Sciences

Two courses, one of which must include a laboratory (7-8 hours)
Courses from: BAST, BBIO, BCHM, BMAR, and BPHY. One of the natural science courses may be a 3-credit course that is designed without a separate laboratory or field component, but which incorporates these components in the main curriculum. The other natural science course must be a 4-credit course with embedded or separately listed laboratory.

Foreign Languages (0-6 hours)

Students shall demonstrate in one foreign language the ability to comprehend the topic and main ideas in written and, with the exception of Latin and Ancient Greek, spoken texts on familiar subjects. For foreign languages taught at USCB, this requirement may be satisfied and credit earned by proficiency. For all other foreign languages, the requirement is waived but no credit is earned by demonstrating an equivalent proficiency.
Waiver of Foreign Language Requirement for Bilingual Speakers: Students whose native language is other than English and who have scored either 550 on the paper-based, 213 on the computer-based, or 77 on the internet based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), are exempt, without credit, from USCB’s language requirement. English-speaking students who document or certify native or near-native proficiency in a language other than English are also exempt, without credit, from this requirement.

Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding (0-3 hours)

A distribution requirement that may be satisfied by one of the above mentioned courses or by additional coursework.

The following courses have been approved for this requirement: BANT 102, BANT 312, BANT 317, BANT 351, BANT 352, BANT 452, BENG 291, BGEO 121, BGST 301, BGST 398, BHIS 109, BHIS 115, BHIS 116, BRLG 203, BSOC 315 and BSPA 380B. Non-equivalent transfer credits may be evaluated for approval on a
case by case basis by the Director of General Education.

II. Program Requirements (each with a grade of "C" or higher) (26-28 hours)

BCSE 104 Computing in MATLAB (3 hours)
BCSE 150 Introduction to Computational Science (3 hours)
BCSE 145 and BCSE 146 Algorithmic Design I, II (6 hours)
BMTH 240 Calculus III (4 hours)
BCSE/BMTH 280 Computational Mathematics (4 hours) (-or- BMTH 230 and BMTH242)
BENG 462 Technical Writing
BSTA 340 Introduction to Probability and Statistics (3 hours)

Majors: nine hours of General Education requirements are accounted for in Program Requirements.

III. Major Requirements (each with a grade of "C" or higher) (27 hours)

BCSE 320 Database Systems and Management (3 hours)
BCSE 350 Techniques of Computation (3 hours)
BCSE 365 Computer Graphics (3 hours)
BCSE 416 Introduction to Computer Networks (3 hours)
BCSE 422 Introduction to Data Mining (3 hours)
BCSE 450 Modeling and Simulation (3 hours)
BCSE 466 Data Visualization (3 hours)
BCSE 469 High Performance Computing (3 hours)
BCSE 470 Software Testing and Verification (3 hours)

IV. Cognate Course Electives^† (12 hours)

Through advisement, students may choose courses from:

Biology [link]
Business Administration program [link]
Computer Science [see courses]
Computational Engineering [see courses]
Hospitality Management [link]
Chemistry, Psychology, Sociology, or Studio Art (Please check Dr. Ji at yimingji@uscb.edu for more information)

^† A cognate is a minimum of 12 hours in advanced-level (i.e., above the prerequisite level) courses related
to, but outside, the major. It is intended to support the course work in the major. Cognate courses may be
drawn from one or more departments, depending on the individual interests and program requirement of
the student as determined by the student’s major advisor. A cognate differs from a minor in that the
courses must be above prerequisite level and may be distributed over more than one subject area.
Completion of a cognate is not recorded on the academic transcript. Requirements for individual cognates
are available from the student’s academic advisor.

V. Electives (15-27 hours)

Total hours: 120