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Chair: J. Smith
Associate Professors: M. Entwistle, S. Shum, D. Swets
Instructor: S. Gray
The underlying goal of the Department of Computer Science is to offer up-to-date, quality instruction in its undergraduate programs to support careers in business, science, government, and industry, and to provide a strong foundation for graduate study in computer science. In support of these goals, a curriculum has been developed which: 1) provides coherent, broad-based coverage of the computing discipline; 2) prepares students to apply their knowledge to solving constrained problems, which includes the ability to define a problem clearly, to specify, design, implement, test, modify, document solutions, and to work within a team environment throughout the problem solving process; 3) offers sufficient exposure to the rich body of theory that underlies the field of computing; and 4) makes available an environment in which students are exposed to the ethical and social issues associated with the computing field.
The computer science department offers majors and minors in both Computer Science and in Computer Information Systems (CIS). The Computer Science major provides the strongest mathematical and scientific background. It is recommended for students who intend to pursue graduate studies or to seek employment involving the technical or scientific application of computing. The CIS major deals more with the business and human aspects of computing. It has fewer science and mathematics requirements, but has additional requirements for courses in Business Administration. A minor in Computer Science and a minor in CIS are available to students who choose to concentrate their studies in an affiliated area.
Courses are included in the curriculum to support the general department goals and the detailed program goals. In addition, several courses are offered to provide the necessary basic knowledge of computer technology and computer programming for those students wishing to use the computer as a tool for study and research in other disciplines.
COMPUTER SCIENCE MAJOR: 44-45 credit hours
Required Courses: 34 credit hours
COSC 210 - Computer Science I (4 cr)
COSC 211 - Computer Science II (4 cr)
COSC 235 - Computer Organization (4 cr)
COSC 236 - Computer Architecture and Assembly Language (3 cr)
COSC 250 - Social, Legal and Ethical Issues (W) (3 cr)
COSC 260 - Computer Science III (3 cr)
COSC 330 - Theory of Computation (3 cr)
COSC 350 - Software Engineering (3 cr)
COSC - Elective courses (200 or higher) (5 cr)
One course from the following:
COSC 310 - Operating Systems (3 cr)
COSC 320 - Computer Graphics (3 cr)
COSC 360 - Computer Networks (3 cr)
COSC 370 - Parallel Processing (3 cr)
COSC 380 - Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (3 cr)
COSC 397 - Topics in Computer Science (4 cr)
Required Supportive Courses: 10-11 credit hours
MATH 151 - Calculus I (4 cr)
MATH 320 - Discrete Structures (3 cr)MATH 315 - Probability and Statistics (3 cr)
– OR –
ECON 270 - Statistics (4 cr)
COMPUTER SCIENCE MINOR: 18 credit hours
COSC 210 - Computer Science I (4 cr)
COSC 211 - Computer Science II (4 cr)
COSC 235 - Computer Organization (4 cr)
COSC - Elective courses (200 or higher*) (5 cr)
*No more than 3 cr may be taken from COSC 221, COSC 341 and COSC 342.
Coordinator: M. Entwistle
The Computer Information Systems (CIS) major is designed to incorporate the tools and techniques of management with advanced computer technology. The goal of this program is to enable students to analyze, design, implement, evaluate, control, and manage computer-based information systems for businesses, government, and other organizations. The major is designed to prepare students for positions as CIS consultants, management services advisors, systems analysts and designers, programming managers, managers of information services and data processing departments, and other similar positions.
Augustana’s CIS major has been designed to follow the underlying philosophy of the model curricula that have been constructed by the professional associations Association for Computing Machinery and Data Processing Management Association.
COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEMS MAJOR: 43 credit hours
Required Courses:
COSC 210 - Computer Science I (4 cr)
COSC 211 - Computer Science II (4 cr)
COSC 215 - Fund of Database Processing (3 cr)
COSC 221 - COBOL and Business Data Processing (3 cr)
COSC 250 - Social, Legal and Ethical Issues (W) (3 cr)
COSC 341 - Information Systems Analysis and Design (3 cr)
COSC 342 - Project Management (W) (2 cr)
COSC - Elective courses (COSC 150 or higher) (4 cr)
ACCT 210 - Principles of Accounting I (4 cr)
ECON 120 - Principles of Economics I (3 cr)
ECON 270 - Statistics (4 cr)
BSAD 320 - Principles of Management (3 cr)
One of the following courses:
BSAD 310 - Principles of Marketing (4 cr)
BSAD 330 - Principles of Finance (4 cr)
Recommended Courses:
For students considering careers in software development, the following courses are strongly recommended.
COSC 235 - Computer Organization (4 cr)
COSC 260 - Computer Science III (3 cr)
COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEMS MINOR: 18 credit hours
COSC 210 - Computer Science I (4 cr)
COSC 215 - Fund of Database Processing (3 cr)
COSC 341 - Information Systems Analysis and Design (3 cr)
BSAD 320 - Principles of Management (3 cr)
COSC - Elective courses (6 cr)
COSC 100 - WORD PROCESSING (1 credit)
NOTE: OFFERED OCCASIONALLY
COSC 101 - SPREADSHEET APPLICATION SOFTWARE (1 credit)
NOTE: OFFERED MOST SEMESTERS
COSC 102 - DATABASE APPLICATION SOFTWARE (1 credit)
NOTE: OFFERED MOST SEMESTERS
COSC 103 - PRESENTATION SOFTWARE (1 credit)
NOTE: OFFERED MOST FALL SEMESTERS
COSC 120 - WEB PAGE DESIGN (1 credit)
This course teaches the necessary skills to create web pages using hypertext markup language (HTML) and
a web page editor. Topics include www browsers and display resolution anchors and links, image maps, file
size management, and accessibility. Copyright issues will also be discussed. The course will use an
exercise-oriented approach.
NOTE: OFFERED EVERY FALL SEMESTER
COSC 170 - VISUAL BASIC PROGRAMMING (2 credits)
This exploratory course is designed to give students basic knowledge of developing programs. Some of the
topics covered will include: introductory programming concepts, selection, iteration procedures, and steps
in program development. Intended for students with little or no previous programming experience.
NOTE: OFFERED OCCASIONALLY
COSC 205 - BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATION (3 credits)
This course provides a conceptual framework and specific tools for communicating in complex
environments. Using a developmental approach to business communication, this course examines methods
for organizing ideas, analyzing data, addressing diverse concerns, presenting information, and developing
a professional communications style.
NOTE: OFFERED EVERY SEMESTER
COSC 210 - COMPUTER SCIENCE I (4 credits)
An introduction to computer science, which include topics such as software engineering, computer
architecture, and programming languages. Emphasis on learning the styles, techniques, and methodologies
necessary to design and develop readable and efficient programs.
NOTE: OFFERED EVERY FALL SEMESTER
COSC 211 - COMPUTER SCIENCE II (4 credits)
A broadening of foundations for computer science with advanced concepts in software engineering and
program development. Topics include an introduction to data structures, analysis of algorithms, and objectoriented
design.
NOTES: PREREQUISITE: COSC 210
OFFERED EVERY SPRING SEMESTER
COSC 215 - FUNDAMENTALS OF DATABASE PROCESSING (3 credits)
This course will acquaint students with applications and the logical structure of database management
systems and database processing. Discussion of database systems and design of special projects utilizing
different query and other high-level programming languages reinforces the theoretical concepts.
NOTES: PREREQUISITE: COSC 210; RECOMMENDED: COSC 211
OFFERED MOST FALL SEMESTERS
COSC 221 - COBOL AND BUSINESS DATA PROCESSING (3 credits)
This course stresses application of computer software to management and commercial areas using COBOL
as the primary programming language. Applications will be to particular problems in business and
management. Topics include; sequential, indexed sequential and relative file processing techniques within
a business environment. The structured design and implementation of the programming projects utilize file
creation, editing and updating concepts.
NOTES: PREREQUISITE: COSC 210
OFFERED MOST SPRING SEMESTERS
COSC 225 - WEB PROGRAMMING (3 credits)
This course is designed to provide a guide for programmers to develop web applications using popular web
programming languages such as JavaScript and Perl. Web pages created using basic HTML are static. We
will learn how to use web programming languages to bring web pages to life by adding dynamic content
such as scrolling messages, animation, data input forums and interactive quizzes. We will discuss how to
maintain and process clients’ information using cookies and server-side processing.
NOTES: PREREQUISITE: COSC 211
OFFERED OCCASIONALLY
COSC 226 - C++ PROGRAMMING (3 credits)
This course provides an overview of the C++ programming language.
NOTES: PREREQUISITE: COSC 211
OFFERED MOST SPRING SEMESTERS
COSC 235 - COMPUTER ORGANIZATION (4 credits)
This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to the organization and architecture of
digital computer systems. Topics include number systems, binary arithmetic, Boolean algebra,
combinatorial and sequential logic circuits, and computer system components and their interrelationships.
This course consists of both a lecture and a lab portion of hands-on hardware manipulation.
NOTES: CROSSLISTED WITH PHYS 235
PREREQUISITE: COSC 211
OFFERED EVERY FALL SEMESTER
COSC 236 - COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE AND ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE (3 credits)
This course offers an introduction to machine- and assembly-language programming and how they relate
to computer architecture. Students will be provided with an understanding of what the computer is doing at
the machine language level. This understanding will enable a better understanding of the features and
limitations of all computer facilities, since all systems eventually rest on their underlying hardware.
NOTES: PREREQUISITE: COSC 235
OFFERED EVERY SPRING SEMESTER
COSC 250 - SOCIAL, LEGAL, AND ETHICAL ISSUES (W - Area 2.1B and Area 3.3) (3 credits)
The purpose of this course is to help students reflect upon the vexing ethical dilemmas and problems
emerging in the information age. Legal issues involving current computer law will be discussed. Students
are required to research a current topic in information ethics and present their findings to the class.
NOTE: OFFERED EVERY SPRING SEMESTER
COSC 260 - COMPUTER SCIENCE III (3 credits)
This course investigates various representations for several advanced data structures as well as compares and
analyzes various algorithms for manipulating such data structures. Data structures examined include stack,
queue, list, tree, and graph. Algorithms for sorting, searching, and memory management will also be examined.
NOTES: PREREQUISITE: COSC 211
OFFERED EVERY FALL SEMESTER
COSC 270 - NETWORK ADMINISTRATION (3 credits)
Network administration is one of the fastest growing fields in information technology. This course is
designed to provide you with a thorough grounding in various networking systems, including hands-on
activities in installation, configuration, and administration of local area networks.
NOTES: PREREQUISITE: COSC 236
OFFERED OCCASIONALLY
COSC 280 - HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION (3 credits)
Human-computer Interaction (HCI) is the study of people, computer technology and the ways these
influence each other. This course will discuss human cognitive and physical capabilities and how to
incorporate this knowledge into the design of technology. General areas covered in the course include
interface design, interface evaluation and the integration of HCI into design practice.
NOTES: PREREQUISITE: COSC 210
OFFERED OCCASIONALLY
COSC 310 - OPERATING SYSTEMS (3 credits)
This course provides the student with an introduction to fundamental operating systems concepts. Topics
include the process model of computation and concurrent processes, inter-process communication and
synchronization, process scheduling, deadlock, memory management, paging and segmentation, and file
systems.
NOTES: PREREQUISITES: COSC 236 AND COSC 260
OFFERED OCCASIONALLY
COSC 320 - COMPUTER GRAPHICS (3 credits)
This course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of interactive computer graphics. Topics include
graphics hardware, fundamental algorithms, two-and three-dimensional imaging geometry and
transformations, curve and surface design, rendering, shading, color, and animation.
NOTES: PREREQUISITE: COSC 236 AND COSC 260
OFFERED OCCASIONALLY
COSC 330 - THEORY OF COMPUTATION (3 credits)
This course offers an introduction to the foundations of computing. Topics include different models of
computation such as finite automata, push-down automata, Turing Machines, and regular expressions;
grammars and parsing techniques; solvable and unsolvable problems; and P and NP complexity classes.
NOTES: PREREQUISITES: COSC 236, COSC 260, AND MATH 321
OFFERED MOST YEARS
COSC 341 - INFORMATION SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN (3 credits)
This course discusses the analysis and design techniques to define information requirements and to
construct models of the information system. Procedures to define the program specifications, to develop
procedures and documentation, and to plan implementation are also examined. The course includes the
study and practice of design and analysis tools.
NOTE: OFFERED MOST FALL SEMESTERS
COSC 342 - PROJECT MANAGEMENT (W - Area 2.1B) (2 credits)
This course provides students with a hands-on experience in applying project management and
systems analysis, design and implementation. Students will work with local business professionals in
designing and implementing an information system for their business or organization.
NOTES: PREREQUISITES: COSC 215 AND COSC 341
OFFERED MOST SPRING SEMESTERS
COSC 350 - SOFTWARE ENGINEERING (3 credits)
This course is designed to teach the full-fledged software development cycle, with a team project utilizing
CASE tools. Topics include testing and validation, metrics and complexity, software reliability and fault
tolerance.
NOTES: PREREQUISITES: COSC 236 AND COSC 260
OFFERED MOST YEARS
COSC 360 - COMPUTER NETWORKS (3 credits)
The objective of this course is to teach the student the basic principles involved in the design and operation
of computer networks. Topics include computer network architectures and models, physical media and
signaling, data link protocols, medium access control, routing and IP, transport services including
TCP/UDP, network applications, local-area and wide-area networks. The course will consist of both a
lecture portion and a hands-on laboratory.
NOTES: PREREQUISITES: COSC 236 AND COSC 260
OFFERED OCCASIONALLY
COSC 370 - PARALLEL PROCESSING (3 credits)
The course introduces students to the history of parallel computing and the most recent developments and
trends. The course covers architectures, systems software, languages and user-level software, and
performance evaluation. Topics include speedup and scalability, MIMD architectures, SIMD architectures,
shared-memory multi-processors, interconnection networks, data flow architectures, workstation clusters,
synchronization and communication, memory and address space management, cache coherence, process
management and scheduling, parallel languages and compiler techniques, parallel programming
environments and tools.
NOTES: PREREQUISITES: COSC 236 AND COSC 260
OFFERED OCCASIONALLY
COSC 380 - ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ROBOTICS (4 credits)
This course introduces the student to various aspects of artificial intelligence (AI), whose goals are the
creation of more useful machines by making them more “intelligent.” Topics include symbolic
programming, representation and logic, search, learning, planning, uncertainty, image processing, natural
language processing, genetic algorithms. Techniques learned are applied in a robotics laboratory to the
control and manipulation of a mobile robot.
NOTES: PREREQUISITES: COSC 236 AND COSC 260
OFFERED OCCASIONALLY
COSC 395, 495 - INTERNSHIP (2-4 credits)
COSC 197, 297, 397 - TOPICS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE (2-4 credits)
COSC 199, 299, 399 - INDEPENDENT STUDY (2-4 credits)