Location: 201 Maes Building, Phone: (409) 880-8775
Chair: Lawrence J. Osborne
Chair E-mail: lawrence.osborne@lamar.edu
The Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) of the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET), 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012, telephone: (410)347-7700.
The department will offer an education that is highly regarded by students, colleagues, industry, and other universities for its quality in teaching and in pure and applied research. We recognize that computer science requires a solid foundation in fundamental principles in order to prepare our graduates for continued learning and adaptation to the increasingly rapid changes likely to occur in information technology. Our department prepares its students for professional employment and graduate education through study and implementation of the fundamental principles of theory, abstraction, and software design, while at the same time presenting the ethical and social issues associated with computer science. We believe that the work environment should enable everyone involved to feel a sense of confidence, power, and self worth that will lead to the joyful pursuit of learning and effective teaching. We believe this environment is best fostered when there is a climate of collegiality and collaboration among the participants. We believe that integrity, honesty and trust are the foundation for success in any enterprise.
The Computer Science Department has six switched Ethernet laboratories attached to the gigabit-bandwidth campus network infrastructure through which Â鶹ӳ»Ó°Òô is connected to the Internet and World Wide Web. The equipment in the labs is abundant and available to all students. It is comprised of a diverse assortment of hardware and software running on dual processor AMD 64-bit workstations, Sun workstations, and servers and Intel-based PCs. The department offers image and video processing equipment for multimedia-related classes. Software for advanced courses and research in database, network simulation, symbolic computation, neural networks, continuous and discrete simulation, artificial intelligence and computer graphics can be readily accessed from servers. Wireless access to the Internet is in place within the Maes Building where computer science offices are housed.
The Department has had long-standing cooperative (COOP) programs with many companies and industries, both in southeast Texas and around the state. This has proved to be an excellent program for both the students and the companies involved. The minimum requirements to be considered for a COOP position are a GPA of at least 2.75, 30 hours college credit, and 9 hours credit in Computer Science.
Some cooperative employers are DuPont, NASA, Texas Instruments, IBM, Texaco Research, and National Instruments. Students should apply during their sophomore year.
Undergraduate
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science – 120 hours
Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Science – 121 hours
Minor in Computer Information Science
Teacher's Certificate
Computer Information Sciences/M.B.A. Track
The computer science program at Lamar is a broad-based program emphasizing the areas of programming languages, data structures, information systems, theory of programming languages, software engineering, networking, database, multimedia, applications of computer science, and computer architecture. The program requires 48 hours in computer science, 20 hours in mathematics, 12 hours in laboratory science, 3 hours in free electives, and 3 hours in electrical engineering as well as the general university requirements for a bachelor’s degree. Students are required to take the ETS Computer Science Field Exam during the semester in which they are graduating. This program is also offered online.
The student who completes this four-year academic program is awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and is well prepared to pursue a professional career as a computer scientist, or to pursue graduate work in computer science or in an area of related specialization.
Advisor: Myers Foreman
The degree of Bachelor of Science in Computer Science will be awarded upon completion of the following requirements:
Note: Students are required to take the ETS Computer Science Field Exam during the semester in which they are graduating.
Academic Policies of the Computer Science Department
In addition to the general university and college standards and policies stated in the Â鶹ӳ»Ó°Òô Catalog, the Computer Science Department enforces the following academic standards and policies:
Required courses for the minor in computer science with no grade less than “C” are COSC 1336 Principles of Computer Science I, COSC 1337 Principles of Computer Science II, COSC 2336 Data Structures, CPSC 3320 Data Communications/Computer Networks, CPSC 4340 Database Design, COSC 4302 Operating Systems and COSC 4360 Software Engineering for a total of 21 semester hours.
The Bachelor of Science in Computer Science program can prepare a student to complete the first year of the two years required to achieve an M.B.A. in the College of Business. Thus, a student can receive a B.S. in Computer Science and an M.B.A. within five years after the beginning of his/her study at Lamar. Utilizing the four electives for the B.S. in Computer Science and taking five additional courses, a student can complete the equivalent of the classes taken in the first year of the M.B.A.
The following courses required in business are necessary in addition to the computer science degree:
Students who pursue this program can begin their second year of the M.B.A. program immediately after graduation with a B.S. in Computer Science and admission to the M.B.A. program. Admission to the M.B.A. program requires the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT).
Bachelor of Science – Computer Science
Suggested Program of Study – Total Min. Hours: 120
Comments:
Advisor: Myers Foreman
The Computer Information Sciences program has an overall emphasis on information networking and technology. An interplay of knowledge from areas such as distributed computing, software engineering, expert systems, information retrieval and database management systems define the information technology concept. Information networks are becoming an integral and strategic component of such industries as petrochemicals, transportation, space technology, education, banking and finance, medical applications, manufacturing and retailing. Graduates of this program will possess an integrated set of skills from the fields of engineering, computer science and business.
The program requires 45 hours in computer science and computer and information sciences, 13 hours in mathematics, 24 hours in business and communications, 8 hours in laboratory science, and 6 hours of electives, as well as the general bachelor’s degree requirements. Students are required to take the ETS Computer Science Field Exam during the semester in which they are graduating.
Graduates of this program will be prepared to respond to the varied and changing needs of an information society. Such positions as Database Administrator, Network Manager, and Chief Information Officer are among the careers that are open to graduates in this field.
The degree of Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Sciences will be awarded upon completion of the following requirements:
Note: Students are required to take the ETS Computer Science Field Exam during the semester in which they are graduating.
B.S. Computer Information Science
Suggested Program of Study – Total Min. Hours: 121 Comments:
Required courses for the minor in computer information science are COSC 1336 Principles of Computer Science I, COSC 1337 Principles of Computer Science II, COSC 2336 Data Structures, CPSC 3320 Data Communications/Computer Networks, COSC 3304 Object Oriented Design or CPSC 4330 Multimedia Processing, CPSC 4340 Database Design and COSC 4302 Operating Systems for a total of 24 semester hours.
Requirements for a Teacher’s Certificate in Computer Information Science:
For details concerning requirements for teacher certification and information on professional education courses, consult the College of Education and Human Development section in this catalog.
The Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Sciences program can prepare a student to complete the first year of the two years required to achieve an M.B.A. in the College of Business. Thus, a student can receive a B.S. in Computer Information Sciences and an M.B.A. within five years after beginning of his/her study at Lamar. Seven courses from the College of Business are required for the B.S. in computer information sciences. By utilizing four electives for the B.S. in computer information sciences, the equivalent of the classes taken in the first year of the M.B.A. can be completed during the bachelor’s degree. The following seven courses are required for the Computer Information Sciences bachelor’s degree:
If, in addition, the student uses the COSC/CPSC elective to take COSC 3325 (Computer Ethics and Law) and uses her/his other electives to take Business Analysis II 3320 (BUAL 3320), Marketing 3310 (MKTG 3310) and Management Information Systems 3350 (BCOM 3350), then the equivalent of the first year of M.B.A. courses will have been completed. Students with a B.S. in computer information sciences who pursue this program can begin their second year of the M.B.A. program immediately after graduation and admission to the M.B.A. program. Admission to the M.B.A. program requires the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT).
The Department of Computer Science offers a program of study leading to the Master of Science degree in Computer Science. Both thesis and non-thesis options are available.
The objective of the master’s degree is to produce professional computer scientists capable of contributing technically to the basic core areas of computer science as well as to application areas. A mixture of courses, laboratory, and research work in the program is designed to place graduates at the forefront of technical excellence.
Research
The department engages in a broad-based research program. Current faculty research interests include computer-aided geometric design, intrusion detection and computer security, artificial intelligence, wireless and sensor networks, theoretical computer science, and computer architecture.
Computing Facilities
The Computer Science Department has six switched Ethernet laboratories attached to the gigabit-bandwidth campus network infrastructure through which Â鶹ӳ»Ó°Òô is connected to the Internet and World Wide Web. The equipment in the labs is abundant and available to all students. It is comprised of a diverse assortment of hardware and software including Intel-based PCs, Sun workstations and servers, dual AMD Opteron servers, and robots. The department offers image and video processing equipment for multimedia-related classes. Software for advanced courses and research in database, network simulation, symbolic computation, neural networks, continuous and discrete simulation, artificial intelligence and computer graphics can be readily accessed from our servers. Wireless access to the Internet is in place within the Maes Building where Computer Science is housed. Research grants fund much of the research equipment.
The department enjoys a friendly working relationship with local and national companies. The department’s Industrial Advisory Council is composed of representatives from regional/state industries and high-tech firms.
Admission to the Graduate Program
Students seeking admission to this program must meet all general requirements of the College of Graduate Studies as listed in the Bulletin of the College. Additional requirements are as follows:
Students not satisfying both conditions 1 and 2 will not be admitted to the computer science program. Those students who satisfy both conditions 1 and 2 but who are deficient in other areas may be provisionally admitted to the program and may enroll in graduate-level courses.
Admission to Candidacy
After removal of all deficiencies and upon completion of an additional 12 hours of graduate credit, the student is required to submit a formal degree plan to the Computer Science Graduate Adviser and the Dean of the Graduate School. Every student must submit a G3 form to the Graduate Studies office before she/he completes the final nine hours of graduate credit in the degree plan.
Admission to candidacy is granted by the Dean of the Graduate School after the degree plan has been approved.
Background Requirements
Students must be able to demonstrate sufficient undergraduate computer science background before beginning courses towards the M.S. program. The following undergraduate background courses or their equivalents are required: C++ and Unix (COSC 3306), Data Structures (COSC 2336), Operating Systems (COSC 4302), Compiler Design (COSC 4307), and Computer Architecture (COSC 43 10). These prerequisites can be taken at the same time as required graduate courses, but they do not count toward the graduate degree. Beginning in the spring, 2006 semester, students must make at least a “B” grade in all prerequisite courses in order to satisfy the undergraduate background requirements.
Students may be excused from a prerequisite course if they are able to pass a competency exam given on the content of the associated course. Before each semester a competency test is given for each prerequisite course by the Computer Science Department for a fee of $75 per examination. Each examination may be taken only once, but examinations do not have to be taken before the first semester of enrollment. The tests can be taken later in the student’s program, but courses requiring one or more of the five prerequisite courses, mentioned above in paragraph one, cannot be taken unless either the prerequisite course has been completed successfully or the corresponding competency test has been passed. In some cases, students may also be excused from a prerequisite course if they have courses on their transcripts that the Computer Science Department considers equivalent in content to the prerequisite. The content of courses taken in other institutions is not necessarily the same as courses taken with the same title in Â鶹ӳ»Ó°Òô. We are not interested in having students take extra courses, but we do have to ensure the soundness of our graduate level courses.
Very few incoming students who have not studied in the U.S. know C++ well, and almost none can program multithreaded applications in a UNIX environment. With respect to Computer Architecture, this course is waived if “Advanced Computer Architecture” appears in your transcript. The reason for this is that many students have had a class entitled “Computer Organization,” “Microprocessor,” or even “Computer Architecture” that is not equivalent to what we offer.
In addition to the prerequisites, our M.S. program requires either 9 graduate courses and a thesis or 11 courses and a one‑semester project. In both cases, an oral defense is required in addition to a written report. If you are a full time student taking nine credit hours (i.e. three courses) during the fall and spring semesters and one course during each of the two five‑week summer sessions, you will finish all of your work within two years.
Degree Requirements
Computer Science Specialization Areas:
Alternate Work/Study
An enrolled student may alternate between study and employment as a formal part of her/his training. While working, the student might perform research and collect data for his/her thesis at a facility that offers technology not available at Â鶹ӳ»Ó°Òô. A letter from the student’s academic advisor explaining why he or she is unable to conduct research on campus and must go to another research facility is required. Only students doing a thesis are eligible for alternate work/study.