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Undergraduate Programs
Minors
The Department of Computer Science and Engineering offers three minors.
- Minor in Computer Science
- Minor in Bioinformatics
- Minor in Human-Computer Interaction
Minor in Computer Science
If a student's goal is a basic foundation in computer science for application to another field, but he or she is not planning a career as a practicing computer scientist, the minor in computer science is a good choice. The minor consists of five CSE courses, including two core courses and three electives. The core courses provide an introduction to computer science concepts and problem-solving techniques. The electives offer flexibility to integrate computer science studies with a major area.
Units Required: 15
Required Courses | ||
---|---|---|
CSE 131 | Introduction to Computer Science | 3 units |
CSE 247 | Data Structures and Algorithms | 3 units |
Total Units | 6 |
Elective Courses (9 units)
Any three CSE courses with a T, S, M, or A suffix.
(Students may also choose from CSE 132, CSE 240, and CSE 347.)
9 Total Units
The Minor in Computer Science requires 2 core courses (CSE 131 and CSE 247) and 3 elective courses. Approved transfer courses and proficiency credit are allowed to replace CSE 131. Students who have approved transfer credit or proficiency credit for CSE 247 will not be required to take it at WashU, however, some other WashU course must be designated in consultation with the CSE advisor to replace that course. For the 3 elective courses, at least 2 of the 3 courses must completed at WashU within the CSE department. Any elective course taken outside of the WashU CSE department must be approved by the student's CSE advisor and associate chair.
Additional Information
All courses used for the computer science minor must be taken for a grade, and the student must earn a C- or better. Should the student decide to go further in the field, all courses in the computer science minor can be used toward a second major in computer science or a degree in computer science or computer engineering.
Minor in Bioinformatics
Mindful of the emerging opportunities at the interface of biology and computer science, the Department of Biology and Department of Computer Science & Engineering have fashioned the minor in bioinformatics that serves students from both departments as well as other students from the natural sciences and engineering with an interest in this field.
Units Required: 23 to 24 units
Required Courses | ||
---|---|---|
Biol 2960 | Principles of Biology I | 4 units |
Biol 2970 | Principles of Biology II | 4 units |
CSE 131 | Introduction to Computer Science | 3 units |
CSE 247 | Data Structures and Algorithms | 3 units |
ESE 326 or Math 2200 or Math 3200 or Math 3211 or DAT 120 & DAT 121 |
Probability and Statistics for Engineering Elementary Probability and Statistics Elementary to Intermediate Statistics and Data Analysis Statistics for Data Science I Managerial Statistics I & II |
3 units |
Total Units | 17 |
Advanced Biology Electives (choose one) | ||
---|---|---|
Biol 3492 | Laboratory Experiments with Eukaryotic Microbes | 3 units |
Biol 3493 | Bacterial Bioprospecting and Biotechnology | 3 units |
Biol 4181 | Population Genetics | 3 units |
Biol 4220 | Practical Bioinformatics | 4 units |
Biol 4342 | Research Explorations in Genomics | 4 units |
Biol 437 | Laboratory on DNA Manipulation | 4 units |
Biol 4525 | Structural Bioinformatics of Proteins (Writing Intensive) | 4 units |
Total Units | 3-4 |
CSE Electives (choose one) | ||
---|---|---|
CSE 514A | Data Mining | 3 units |
CSE 584A or Biol 5504 |
Algorithms for Biosequence Comparison Algorithms for Biosequence Comparison |
3 units |
CSE 587A | Algorithms for Computational Biology | 3 units |
Total Units | 3 |
Additional Information
It is anticipated that for those students majoring in biology or CSE, some portion of the introductory sequence will overlap with courses required for the major, and these courses will be applicable to both the major and the minor. Upper-level courses in Biology and CSE used to fulfill the minor may not be used to fulfill another major or minor in Arts & Sciences. A minimum grade of C- is required for all courses to count toward the minor.
Minor in Human-Computer Interaction
The HCI minor is intended for students who are interested in the design of user-centered interactive technologies and those desiring jobs that include user interface creation, product design, UX/UI design, app development, virtual and augmented realities, and so on. This minor should appeal to students in the College of Art — particularly designers and computationally intrigued artists — who are interested in gaining a more in-depth knowledge of back-end development skills. It will also be of interest to engineering students looking for more experience with aesthetics and front-end design skills. In addition to being useful for these primary audiences, this minor allows students from other departments on campus to support their studies with a clear track in a hybrid pursuit of design and programming.
Units Required: 18 units
Students must complete two pillar courses, one integration course and three approved electives. Courses listed below are considered approved elective offerings between the Sam Fox School and the McKelvey School of Engineering.
Pillar Courses (6 units):
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
ART | Visual Principles for the Screen | 3 |
CSE 131 | Introduction to Computer Science | 3 |
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
ART 236A | Interaction Design: Understanding Health and Well-Being | 3 |
CSE 256A | Introduction to Human-Centered Design | 3 |
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
ART 241E | Digital Game Design | 3 |
ART 332J | UX Research Methods for Design | 3 |
ART 326M | Game Design Principles & Practice | 3 |
ART 336B | Advanced Interaction Design | 3 |
ART 336P | Conditional Design | 3 |
ART 338I | Communication Design: Interaction Foundations | 3 |
ART 432A | Interaction Design: User-Centered Applications | 3 |
ART 440T | Advance Visual Principles for the Screen | 3 |
CSE 204A | Web Development | 3 |
CSE 330S | Rapid Prototype Development and Creative Programming | 3 |
CSE 438S | Mobile Application Development | 3 |
CSE 450A | Video Game Programming | 3 |
CSE 457A | Introduction to Visualization | 3 |
CSE 556A | Human-Computer Interaction Methods | 3 |
CSE 557A | Advanced Visualization | 3 |
PNP 200 | Introduction to Cognitive Science | 3 |
Psych 360 | Cognitive Psychology | 3 |
Additional approved elective courses can be found by viewing the Google Docs file maintained for this program.
Related links
- Bachelor of Science in Business + Computer Science
- Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering
- Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
- Bachelor of Science in Computer Science + Math
- Bachelor of Science in Computer Science + Economics
- Bachelor of Science in Data Science
- Second Majors
- Undergraduate Research
- Transfer Course Credit
Resources for students