Computer Science Gateway Graduate Certificate

This program will begin admitting students in Fall 2025.

The Computer Science Gateway Graduate Certificate is a one-year bridge program aimed at students holding a bachelor’s degree in non-computing disciplines, arming them with the necessary skills to thrive in an MS program in computer science. This program provides a comprehensive curriculum, encompassing fundamental programming languages, data structures, algorithms, and essential mathematics crucial for computer science studies. The program provides students with a robust skill set, enabling them to confidently navigate the rigorous coursework of an MS program in computer science and flourish in the dynamic tech industry upon completion.

Program Courses

Complete the following 6 courses, each 3 credit hours, for 18 total credit hours.

CSC 7301 Software & Programming I: The course includes an overview of computers and programming; problem solving and algorithm development; basic data types; arithmetic and logic operators; selection structures; repetition structures; text files; arrays; procedural abstraction; software design; object-oriented programming and data structures.
CSC 7510 Computing Theory: This course covers the basic theoretical foundations required to study various sub-disciplines in computer science. It will also provide an overview of the computer organization, including how the software and hardware interface with each other, and an introduction to programming at the level of the operating system. Topics include number systems, propositional and predicate logic with applications to logic programming, binary relations, combinatorics, and graph theory with applications to analysis of algorithms, sets, relations, and functions.
CSC 7302 Software & Programming II: This course explores the intricacies of software including software engineering methodologies, requirement analysis, database design fundamentals, testing strategies, security protocols, and techniques for ensuring reliability and maintenance. The course will cover essential skills for software development and engineering in this dynamic and hands-on learning experience.
CSC 7520 Algorithmic Theory: The course provides an overview of algorithmic problem-solving. Covering sorting algorithms, advanced tree structures, graph algorithms, greedy strategies, dynamic programming, combinatorics, series and instruction counting, automata theory, and asymptotic complexity analysis, students will gain a deep understanding of algorithm design and computational complexity.
CSC 7320 Systems & Design: This course covers the core components of operating systems, CPU performance measurement, scheduling, and multithreaded architectures. It will provide an overview of file systems, storage, and design principles while addressing network security threats and vulnerabilities and preventive measures such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems.
CSC 7220 Systems & Applications: This course provides an overview of network architecture, communication protocols, and network programming. It covers a range of distributed computing topics and modern communication technologies, including wireless communications, parallel and distributed processing, cloud computing systems, hash tables, cryptography, privacy, and data anonymization.

The courses will be offered in the full fall and spring semesters, and during a 9-week summer semester term. CSC 7301 and CSC 7510 will be in the fall, CSC 7302 and CSC 7520 will be in the spring, and CSC 7320 and CSC 7220 will be in the summer. With this schedule, the certificate can be completed in three semesters or one year. As it will be structured as a cohort program, all students will take two classes per semester as indicated above.