Computer Science and Information Technology B.S. ~ Program Requirements

Credits Required

Credits in the major: 76

Outcomes, Courses and Assessment

Students begin the major by enrolling in the CST 300 Major ProSeminar where they work with the peer advisor and a faculty advisor to create their Individual Learning Plan (ILP). That ILP maps out how each student will achieve the Major Learning Outcomes designated below by successfully completing the listed courses or alternative assessment options. Students conclude the major by completing a Capstone project. The capstone is a substantial, year-long, publicly presented project that displays each student's cumulative learning in the major. [Learn more at CSUMB.EDU/capstone].

Core MLOs

Every student in CSIT is required to demonstrate the following outcomes before graduation. The core outcomes are intended to provide students with foundational knowledge and skills and prepare them with the background for the in-depth study of the concentrations.

Core Outcome 1: Professional Communication and Development

Pathway: CST 300 and CST 300L

Plan and assess personal career options and develop communication skills.

• Acquire, analyze and use information about the range of career possibilities, industry trends in computer science and information technology and its related fields to make career planning decisions.
• Use critical thinking skills to plan and assess personal career and further study goals and design educational experiences directed to those goals.
• Use written and oral communication to deliver persuasive viewpoint and technology content to multiple audiences.
• Acquire, analyze and use information about computer sciences and information technology to describe and speculate on the impact of digital communications technology on local and global communities.

Core Outcome 2: Knowledge of Computers and Networks

Pathway: CST 337 and CST 334. This outcome can also be fulfilled by CST 237 and CST 234∗

Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamentals of computer architecture, operating systems and networks.

• Describe the history of computers and computing.
• Explain how a computer represents and transmits information, how a computer's parts and components are organized and interfaced, basic components of an operating system and basic components of local area networks and wide area networks.
• Analyze and design simple circuits using digital electronics and logic gates.
• Describe the structure and organization of a modern microprocessor, and the sequence of operations in a typical instruction execution.
• Demonstrate a basic understanding of Assembly Language programming.

Core Outcome 3: Programming and Problem Solving

Pathway: CST 231/231L and CST 238/238L

Analyze and solve problems using a programming language.

• Demonstrate the ability to develop algorithms and computer programs to solve problems by systematically decomposing a complex programming problem into manageable, well-documented steps that results in a design for the problem solution.
• Demonstrate that the program compiles and executes correctly for a given set of data.
• Demonstrate programming competency in a variety of programming structures, include arithmetic operations, control structures and loops, input/output operations including file I/O, the use of function calls, and the use of arrays and other storage types.
• Debug a program using appropriate debugging strategies.
• Produce a complete set of documentation for the program.

Core Outcome 4: Mathematics for Computing

Pathway: MATH 150, MATH 151 and MATH 170

Use mathematical concepts and constructs to express ideas and solve problems in computer science, and to communicate quantitative information.

• Use mathematical ideas to solve problems in computer science and information technology.
• Use mathematical thinking and models, charts, graphs, tables, figures, equations and appropriate technologies to express ideas and concepts.
• Demonstrate an understanding of discrete mathematical concepts used in computing: Articulate and apply the concepts of binary numbers, combinatorics, logic, truth tables, graph theory and algorithms to problems in computer science and information technology.
• Analyze and evaluate the mathematical thinking and strategies of others.

Core Outcome 5: Interaction Design

Pathway: CST 201/201L

Demonstrate effective use of computer-based tools used in the design and creation of interactive applications and electronic media.

• Design, create and edit electronic images, sounds, videos, text and motion.
• Use multimedia authoring tools to design, manage and execute an interactive multimedia project.

Concentration MLOs

Students need to complete at least 16 units appropriate to concentration outcomes in order to fulfill their concentration requirements. Some concentrations require more units. Students must receive advisor approval for their course selections. Students can design their own individualized concentration by selecting as least four outcomes from the following list with written justification and academic advisor approval.

Software Engineering Concentration

SE Outcome 1: Advanced Programming

Pathway: CST 338

Apply appropriate data structures and tools in the design of software.

• Articulate and apply object-oriented programming concepts, recursion, lists, queues, searching and sorting algorithms and asymptotic notations to provide solutions to practical computing problems.

SE Outcome 2: Specialized Programming

Pathway: CST 352 or CST 336 or CST 436

Apply programming skills to a specialized application.

• Utilize professional level platforms and tools to produce software systems that meet specified user needs and constraints.
• Evaluate the software system produced for usability, efficiency and accuracy.
• Articulate industry trends in the particular domains.

SE Outcome 3: Theory of Computing

Pathway: CST 370

Analyze and apply appropriate algorithms to computing problems.

• Articulate algorithm development criteria.
• Analyze algorithms for their spatial and temporal efficiency.
• Develop new algorithms or improve existing ones to address specific computing problems.

SE Outcome 4: Planning, Analysis and Production of Software Application

Pathway: CST 438

Demonstrate the ability to analyze, plan and produce a complete software application.

• Articulate the software system development life cycle and its characteristics.
• Apply best practices regarding project management.
• Analyze needs and constraints of complex software system design.
• Write a project proposal, a project report and an operating manual.
• Collaborate with team members to implement a large software system.
• Understand and apply modern software production practice and tools such as component-based programming, integrated development environment, version control and testing.

Network and Security Concentration

NS Outcome 1: Network Fundamentals

Pathway: CST 311 and CST 312. This outcome can be also fulfilled by CST 281 and CST 282*

Understand and apply network fundamentals.

• Describe networking standards, concepts, topology and media including LANs, WANs, the OSI model, cabling, IP addressing, sub-netting, network hardware and various protocols.
• Explain networking theory and protocols on common network systems.
• Apply IP routing concepts and router administration, distance vector and link state-based IP routing algorithms, router interfaces, routing tables, and routing protocol configuration and network security concepts.

NS Outcome 2: Network Management

Pathway: CST 412

Apply processes and methods used to create an enterprise network plan.

• Examine inputs, business drivers and deliverables of the planning process.
• Understand practical issues such as information security, business requirements, IT architecture, cost justification, implementation, migration planning and vendor selection.
• Manage data, voice and video communications.
• Apply industry standard products to manage and control digital networks.

NS Outcome 3: Advanced Networking

Pathway: CST 484. This outcome can be also fulfilled by CST 284

Use professional level programming tools to produce network designs.

• Apply routing and raw sockets, RPC and shared memory.
• Produce software that focuses on network programming in the context of network protocol development and implementation (e.g., SNMP, ICMP, routing, multicasting, ARP, etc.), and distributed services and 'system-level' applications such as client-server and peer-to-peer applications, distributed file systems and name services.

NS Outcome 4: System Administration

Pathway: CST 412

Analyze and practice system administration processes for enterprise-level information systems.

• Demonstrate setup, configuration and maintenance of Linux/UNIX servers
• Apply system security, shell scripts and server backups.
• Describe best practice in system administration including security policies and communication strategies with users.

Information Systems Concentration - begins Fall 2010

IS Outcome 1: Database Management Systems

Pathway: CST 363. This outcome can be also fulfilled by CST 263

Articulate and apply database design concepts and models.

• Describe components of a database management system and how they work together.
• Explain networking theory and protocols on common network systems.
• Systematically design appropriate database structure using normalization and data modeling.
• Program using the database query language SQL.
• Articulate the advantages and purpose of databases, the characteristics of database systems, and how to use database systems both interactively and programmatically.
• Illustrate query processing and optimization techniques, transaction management, and storage and file structures.

IS Outcome 2: Business and Technology

Pathway: CST 365

Describe the basic structure and operation of modern high tech corporations and the information technologies utilized.

• Articulate various systems, techniques, procedures and conventions that are used to define the business and its strategies, services, products, clients and organizational form.
• Describe how information technology are used in business and the trends of the technologies.

IS Outcome 3: Advanced Information Systems

Pathway: CST 463 and CST 352

Utilize professional level platforms and tools to produce business information systems that meet the user needs and business constraints.

• Analyze the business problems and select appropriate commercial information systems.
• Evaluate the information system produced for usability, efficiency and accuracy.
• Articulate industry trends in the particular domains.
• Write an information system proposal to justify the investment in system design.

Game Development Concentration - begins Fall TBA

GD Outcome 1: Game Fundamentals

Pathway: CST 320

Understand the fundamental issues in the development of digital games.

• Describe components of modern digital games components and their relationships.
• Articulate the historical development of contemporary video and computer gaming.
• Describe team member roles and tasks within the production process.
• Relationships of conceptual, creative and technical production process to overall game development.
• Analyze the business, marketing and industry components of game development.

GD Outcome 2: Game Programming

Pathway: CST 306 or CST 331

Develop and produce a computer game.

• Describe the technologies required for game programming.
• Apply programming skills to produce components of digital games.
• Use professional level game development environment in game production.

GD Outcome 3: Game Design

Pathway: CST 321

Design a digital game.

• Articulate how and why digital games are designed.
• Use game engines and modeling tools to produce visual components of digital games.
• Generate an original game idea and produce a detailed design document for it.

GD Outcome 4: Planning, Analysis and Production of Digital Games

Pathway: CST 421

Plan and produce a computer game.

• Evaluate the games produced for usability, playability and accuracy.
• Articulate industry trends in the game industry.
• Write a game development proposal to justify the investment.
• Analyze game designs and select appropriate commercial development systems.
• Collaborate with a team to create a simple yet complete digital game.

Final MLOs

Every student in CSIT is required to demonstrate the following final outcomes before graduation.

Final Outcome 1: Service to the Community

Pathway: CST 361S

Demonstrate the ability to combine knowledge in the discipline and community experiences to finish a community-based project.

• Demonstrate an understanding of a community problem and a need for sevice and/or support.
• Make a meaningful contribution to the solution of the problem.

Final Outcome 2: Professional Communications

Pathway: CST 400, CST 401 and CST 496

Demonstrate professional communication skills in written and oral form.

• Compose a capstone proposal with background research, methods, details description of implementation steps, budget, schedule, risks and evaluation plan.
• Present the background, methods, requirements, process and conclusion of the capstone project clearly in written and oral formats.

Final Outcome 3: Capstone Project: Culminating Experience

Pathway: CST 400, CST 401 and CST 496

Create a comprehensive project according to an approved set of specifications that represents the culmination of CSUMB experiences in the major and showcases an achievement of professional level work.

• Finish the capstone project according to the proposal.
• Apply basic project management skills.
• Evaluate the solution according to a specified set of criteria.

Final Outcome 4: Breadth of Knowledge

Pathway: CSIT elective class, with advisor approval

Demonstrate breadth of knowledge outside of selected concentration of CSIT.

Final Outcome 5: Ethics and Current Issues in the Major

Pathway: CST 373

Through an ethical perspective, students examine the impact of current and future information technologies on economics and culture in society

• Demonstrate an understanding of the issues regarding the impact of current and future information technologies on social formworks such as economics, education, governance, globalization and social justice.
• Articulate code of conduct and reflect professional ethics in the technology fields.
• Analyze case studies in current issues and professional ethics.

∗ NOTE:

CST 234, 237, 263, 281, 282 and 284 offered in collaboration with community colleges.