Major
The Miner School of Computer & Information Sciences offers a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Computer Science that allows students to pursue one of the following options:
- General Option
- Bio-Cheminformatics Option
- Cybersecurity Option
- Data Science Option
General Option
Computer Science is the study of the design and use of computer systems. The goal of the computer science curriculum is to provide students with the tools to identify those problems that are best solved by means of a computer and to design and implement effective, economical and creative solutions.
The curriculum’s required courses give students a strong foundation in both the software and hardware aspects of computing, as well as the mathematics and science that underlie the discipline. The electives in the later years allow students to study a particular area of computer science in greater depth.
Bio-Cheminformatics Option
The Bio-Cheminformatics option provides an opportunity for Computer Science majors to broaden their knowledge base to the disciplines of biology and chemistry, and to learn, design, and implement computer science tools relevant to the disciplines. The option requires Genetics course and an additional course from Biological Sciences or Chemistry department. It also requires two computer science courses related to bio-cheminformatics, such as Data Mining, Machine Learning, and Visualization.
Cybersecurity Option
The Cybersecurity degree option for Computer Science is launched in the spring of 2021.
The scale and quantity of cybercrimes have been increasing through the years. The ever-evolving cyber attacks are demanding a more highly skilled cybersecurity workforce than ever. The Computer Science - Cybersecurity Option trains advanced cybersecurity professionals and prepares them for lucrative jobs in the cybersecurity industry.
The Cybersecurity Option includes a full degree in Computer Science with four required and two elective courses in the cybersecurity field. These courses teach networking, databases, cryptography and its applications, software security, network security, and digital forensics.
The Cybersecurity Option at UMass Lowell is ideal for students who have an interest in ethical hacking and cyber defense.
Data Science Option
The continuing explosion in “Big Data” is revolutionizing industry and research. Companies are responding by looking for data scientists—information technology experts capable of analyzing and extracting useful patterns from lots of data. The Data Science option allows Computer Science majors to gain the additional knowledge necessary to become a data scientist. The option consists of 4 required and 2 elective courses. The courses cover a range of topics, including Linear Algebra, Data Mining and Machine Learning, Databases, Natural Language Processing, Visualization and Big Data systems. The Data Science option is ideal for students who have an interest in statistics and data mining. Data Science option students will also satisfy all requirements needed to receive a minor in Mathematical Sciences.
The Data Science option satisfies Mathematics minor requirements for Computer Science students. Note that the reverse is not true, i.e. a Mathematics minor is not an automatic Data Science option.
View all the complete Degree Pathways.
For more information, contact the Miner School of Computer & Information Sciences.