Minor in Computer Science
Overview
A computer science minor is offered with the completion of 21 credits — including six credits of core requirement courses, which are CSCI 105 (Intro to Computer Science) and CSCI 106 (Data Structures), and 15 elective credits that can be fulfilled according to interest in consultation with the department advisor. At least two of your CSCI electives must be 300 or 400 level, and a minimum of 6 credits must also be unique to the minor (not counted toward any other requirements, including minoring in the same department as the major).
Students earning a minor in computer science may also be interested in degree programs such as the B.S. in Robotics Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Engineering or B.S. in Computer Science.
Courses
Below are some of the courses you'll have an opportunity to take as a student in this program. Take a look at the list below to get an idea of the types of available courses. Also, be sure to review the official program requirements in the Biola University catalog.
Core Courses
Our upcoming class schedules can be found on Computer Science Course Offerings Schedule.
| CSCI 105 | Introduction to Computer Science |
| Introduction to computer hardware and software. Problem solving methods. Elementary concepts of algorithm development. C++ programming. Lecture/Lab Hours: Three hours lecture, one hour lab. Grade Mode: A. | |
| CSCI 106 | Data Structures |
| Linear lists, strings, arrays and orthogonal lists; graphs, trees, binary trees, multi-linked structures, searching and sorting techniques, dynamic storage allocation; applications. Grade Mode: A. | |
Possible Electives
The complete course descriptions can be found in the catalog.
| CSCI 104 | The Nature of Computing |
Fundamental concepts of computers and programming, focusing on the algorithmic aspect of quantitative reasoning in computer programming. Basic programming skills for writing small programs to accomplish useful tasks for modeling, information processing, and problem solving. No prior programming experiences are assumed. Notes: Approved for Core Curriculum Math credit. May not be counted toward the major. Grade Mode: A. | |
| CSCI 220 | Computer Organization and Assembly Language Programming |
| Fundamentals of digital logic and the architecture of modern computer systems, machine level representation of data, memory system organization, structure of machine languages, assembly language programming. Grade Mode: A. | |
| CSCI 230 | Programming Languages |
| Organization and structure of programming languages. Runtime behavior and requirements of programs. Introduction to programming language specifications and analysis. Study of various alternative languages such as Java, C++ and Python. Grade Mode: A. | |
| CSCI 305 | Programming for Data Science I |
Fundamental programming skills for data science applications using a major programming language such as Python or R in the field. Data analysis and information retrieval through data selection, iterative processing, function composition, abstraction, and visualization. Notes: Course may be taken twice for credit if different programming languages are used. Grade Mode: A. | |
| CSCI 306 | Programming for Data Science II |
Advanced programming skills for data science applications using a major programming language such as Python or R in the field. Machine learning and advanced data-science applications. Notes: Course may be taken twice for credit if different programming languages are used. Grade Mode: A. | |
| CSCI 311 | Operating Systems |
| Computer operating systems; topics include time sharing, process communication, memory management, storage allocation, interrelationships between the operating system and the architecture of computer systems. When Offered: Fall. Grade Mode: A. | |
| CSCI 335 | User Interface Design and Programming |
| User interface design, implementation, and evaluation; event-driven programming in GUI applications and web applications; user-centered design methodologies. When Offered: Alternate years. Grade Mode: A. | |
| CSCI 400 | Theory of Algorithms |
| Various types of algorithms, analytic techniques for the determination of algorithmic efficiency, NP-complete problems, complexity hierarchies, and intractable problems. When Offered: Alternate years. Grade Mode: A. | |
| CSCI 402 | Database Management |
| Integrated database systems, logical organization, data description language (DDL), data manipulation language (DML), of hierarchical networks and relational databases, overview of selected database management systems (DBMS). When Offered: Alternate years. Grade Mode: A. | |
| CSCI 430 | Computer Communications |
| Concepts of computer communications, local area networks, seven layers of communication protocols, global networks. When Offered: Spring. Grade Mode: A. | |
| CSCI 440 | Topics in Computer Science |
Topics are selected from the following:
Notes: Course may be taken multiple times for credit with different content. Grade Mode: A. | |
| CSCI 450 | Software Engineering |
| Concepts, principles, techniques, and documents of software engineering. Emphasis on systematic approaches to software engineering and the software life cycle. Team project required. Grade Mode: A. | |