The Department of Computer Science and Engineering offers three minors.

  • Minor in Computer Science
  • Minor in Bioinformatics
  • Minor in Human-Computer Interaction

 

CS Minor Admissions

Before being admitted to the minor there must be evidence that students have enough experience to be sure the Minor will be a good fit for them. Examples of such experience include: completion of the majority of a CSE course, like 131 or a CSE 131 equivalent transfer course, or passing AP CS-A with a 4 or 5, or other comparable experience and passing the CSE Placement exam.

 

Minor in Computer Science (before Aug, 2024)

Note: These policies apply to anyone officially admitted to the C.S. Minor before August 2024 (WUAchieve will reflect these requirements).

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 (before Aug, 2024) 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. Complete the following form to request review of non-CSE courses: Elective Request

Note: Electives with limited enrollment often prioritizes CSE Majors over Minors. Please review waitlist priorities and consult with your Minor advisor prior to registration to ensure you will be able to make sufficient progress. The following courses are beneficial for Minors, offered regularly, and usually able to accomodate all interested students: CSE 132, CSE 240 (or Math 310, CSE 332S, CSE 330S, CSE 361S. 

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 Computer Science (after Aug. 1, 2024) 

Note: These policies apply to anyone officially admitted to the C.S Minor after August 1, 2024. 

 

Units Required: 15

Required, Core Courses 
CSE 131 Introduction to Computer Science 3 Units
CSE 132 Introduction to Computer Engineering 3 Units
CSE 247 Data Structures and Algorithms 3 Units
CSE 332S Object-Oriented Software Development Laboratory 3 Units
Total Units 12

 

And one (1) elective from:

 

CSE 240 Logic and Discrete Mathematics 3 Units
MA 310 Foundations for Higher Mathematics 3 Units
CSE 330S Rapid Prototype Development and Creative Programming  3 Units
CSE 361S Introduction to Systems Software  3 Units
Total Units 3

 

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):

Course List
Code Title Units
ART Visual Principles for the Screen 3
CSE 131 Introduction to Computer Science 3

 

Integration Courses (3 units):

Course List
Code Title Units
ART 236A Interaction Design: Understanding Health and Well-Being 3
CSE 256A Introduction to Human-Centered Design 3

 

Electives (9 units, with at least one course each from CSE and Art/Design):

Course List
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 (Note: Course has limited capacity and prioritizes

enrollment of some CSE Majors)

3
CSE 330S Rapid Prototype Development and Creative Programming 3
CSE 438S Mobile Application Development 3
CSE 450A

Video Game Programming (Note: Course has limited capacity and 

prioritizes enrollment of some CSE Majors)

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.