B.S. in Computer Science & Systems

Admission to the CSS major is competitive. Please review the following prerequisites and application process carefully.

Want to check your programming skills? Take our Java Self-Assessment Test.

Prerequisites

To qualify for admission, you must first be admitted to UWT and have completed the following prerequisites: 

• Calculus I (TMATH 124 or equivalent)
• Calculus 2 (TMATH 125 or equivalent)
• Any lab-based science course (except Astronomy)
• Introduction to Programming (TCSS 142 or equivalent)
• Object-Oriented Programming (TCSS 143 or equivalent) 

*All pre-requisite courses must be completed within the last seven years

** UW Tacoma students are encouraged to complete lab sciences from the following: TBIOL 110, TCHEM 105, TCHEM 131, TGEOS 117, TPHYS 121, and TPHYS 122. We do accept lab based science courses other than these options. 

GPA requirements

• Required cumulative prerequisite GPA of at least 2.5, with a minimum grade of 2.0 in each individual prerequisite course.
• Required minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in all college coursework. 

Before starting the application, make sure you're ready to apply:

• You've been admitted to UW Tacoma and met the requirements to apply to the major (previous tab).

• You have completed at least 45 college-level credits.

• You completed the prerequisite courses listed in the Admission Requirements tab.

• You've earned a minimum grade of 2.0 in each prerequisite course and maintain a minimum cumulative prerequisite GPA of 2.5.

• Check that you have the programming skills necessary for the major. Take our Java Self-Assessment Test.

Please note that the application does not require a personal statement at this time. Letters of recommendation are not accepted. 

Notes for transfer students:

• You may need one additional approved lab-based science course (Chemistry I -TCHEM 142 or Biology I - TBIOL 120) to meet the total number of lab science credits required (18 minimum) for graduation. 
• UW Seattle and UW Bothell students seeking to transfer to UW Tacoma also need to have a transfer application on file to be considered for admission.
• If you are not admitted to UWT, you cannot be admitted to a SET major, but you may hold off on accepting your offer of admission to UWT until you have your program admissions decision. 
• Transfer students at Washington State community colleges are encouraged to pursue the Associate in Science - Transfer Track 2 to meet the admission requirements. Use the UW Course Equivalency Guide to determine the equivalent prerequisites at your school. 

CSS is a capacity-constrained major, which means we normally have more applicants than space in the program. Competitive applicants typically have grades of 3.0 and higher in prerequisite math, science, and computer science courses, as well as a strong cumulative GPA.

Applicants are evaluated on the following criteria:

• Completion of all prerequisite courses
• Grades in prerequisite courses -- individually and cumulatively
• Overall previous academic performance, consistency in grades, repeats and grade trends are all considered
• Completion of at least 45 college-level credits

All prerequisites must be completed before advancing to the next academic level. All courses within the major must be completed with a minimum grade of 2.0 (including TCSS 142 and 143).  Courses may only be repeated once. Advanced concentration courses build upon knowledge gained in the core courses.

Follow the CSS Schedule Planning Grid to complete all required courses. 

Core courses

• TCSS 305 Programming Practicum
• TCSS 321 Discrete Structures I
• TCSS 325 Computers, Ethics, and Society
• TCSS 342 Data Structures
• TCSS 343 Design and Analysis of Algorithms
• TCSS 360 Software Development and Quality Assurance Techniques
• TCSS 371 Machine Organization
• TCSS 372 Computer Architecture
• TCSS 380 Fundamentals of Programming Language Concepts
• TCSS 422 Computer Operating Systems

Additional required courses

• TMATH 126 Calculus with Analytic Geometry III
• TMATH 208 Matrix Algebra with Applications
• TMATH 390: Probability and Statistics in Engineering and Science
• A lab-based science course*
• An additional lab-based science course* OR an additional 300 or 400-level math course, except TMATH 310

*Astronomy courses do not meet the lab-based science requirement.

The CSS Schedule Planning Grid (PDF) shows a sample pathway to complete the B.S. in Computer Science & Systems degree. Work with your advisor to make sure you are completing required courses for the program and electives for your area of interest.

Download the CSS Planning Grid

TCSS 390 Undergraduate Seminar in Computer Science & Systems is a workshop style course to help you solve problems and develop a deeper understanding of CSS material. The course, overseen by a faculty member and a student mentor includes lectures and problem sessions in mathematics, programming, problem solving, and CSS applications.

See also:

• The Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) at UW Tacoma provides academic support in math, science, statistics and writing to all UWT students. 
• The Learning and Research Commons (LARC) is the hub of support for all members of our campus community for teaching, learning, conducting research, and using technology to support all of these endeavors. 

Students must complete 25 additional graded credits of 300-level or 400-level courses chosen from the Computer Science & Systems program (excluding TCSS 390). 

For these 25 elective credits, students must complete:

1. 5 credits from the following approved design electives: TCSS 437, 445, 450, 461, 465, or 491 
2. An additional 10 credits of 300- or 400-level TCSS electives, and
3. An additional 10 credits of 400-level TCSS electives.

Notes

• No more than 10 credits of TCSS 497, TCSS 498, and TCSS 499 may be used to satisfy the elective requirement.
• You may also take up to 5 credits of a 400-level SET course (TEE, TCES, TINFO, TINST) and/or 5 credits of a 500-level TCSS course to count towards the elective requirement (categories 2 and 3 above).
• See the CSS Electives - Extended Course Descriptions page for more information on CSS electives. 

More information on TCSS 497, 498, and 499 (Internships, Directed Readings, Undergraduate Research), including required forms and documentation, can be found on our Undergraduate Resources page. 

2023-2024 TCSS Electives 

CSS Honors Graduation Requirements

To qualify for CSS honors, you must meet all of the following requirements — in addition to completing all degree requirements for the B.S. in CSS:

1. Maintain and graduate with a minimum departmental GPA of 3.6 (starting with CSS 321 and 305).
2. Complete the following as part of your CSS senior elective requirements:
   • 10 credits of graded TCSS 499 research on one project under the supervision of a CSS faculty member. 
     The faculty advisor must be a full-time CSS faculty member. If you are working on a research project in another unit or with a part-time faculty, you must have a full-time CSS faculty member approve the project and sign off on the thesis and presentation. In the rare instance that your original advisor is not able to work with you through completion of the project, another faculty member within the same research area can become your advisor.
   • TCSS 440 (Formal Models in Computer Science) or another 5 credit senior elective (400-level only) in the research area of your Honors Thesis, as determined by you and your faculty advisor. Your faculty advisor must approve the course you take to meet this requirement.
3. Give an oral presentation, arranged by you and your faculty advisor, on the honors project. Attendees must include your faculty advisor, the CSS Program Chair (or chair’s designee), and at least five additional people (e.g., other students, faculty).
4. Submit a CSS Honors thesis that meets the following criteria:
   • Well-written, clearly presented document, typically 4000 – 6000 words, that follows CSS Honors Thesis Guidelines. 
   • Demonstrates original and creative thinking, as judged by the faculty advisor and CSS Program Chair (or chair’s designee).
   • Reflects work done independently under the supervision of a faculty member.
   • Includes a cover page with approval signatures by your faculty advisor and the CSS program Chair.
   • A final approved copy, with all required signatures, must be emailed to the CSS Chairs (Tom Capaul and Wei Cheng). In order to ensure the honors designation will be marked on your diploma, thesis submission is due no later than the last day of finals during the quarter in which you plan to graduate. Earlier submissions are encouraged. 
     
     Take a look at some recent CSS Honors theses
5. Application for the honors designation occurs when you file an application for graduation. As stated above, please notify the SET undergraduate advisors as soon as you decide to pursue honors, and double check that honors is included on your graduation application. Your approved thesis must be submitted and all honors requirements must be fulfilled in order for you to graduate with CSS program honors. 

Finding a Research Project

There are many ways for SET students to learn about undergraduate research opportunities.  

• Check out SET Research for information on faculty research areas and ongoing projects. You are welcome to contact faculty directly to express your interest in a project. 
• Email or meet with an undergraduate advisor to discuss your research interests and to identify potential project matches.
• Keep an eye out for email announcements on available undergrad research positions.
• Email or talk with faculty teaching courses you particularly enjoy. Even if they don't have a project you could work on, they will be familiar with other faculty research and can point you in the right direction.
• Email or talk with the CSS program chairs, Tom Capaul and Wei Cheng. 

More about the CSS honors program