Computer Science Major
Department of Mathematics
The computer science (CS+) major is based in the Department of Mathematics, in collaboration with the Paul H. Chook Department of Information Systems and Statistics.
Students who participate in the CS+ program will be prepared to do programming in multiple widely used programming languages, and will develop the intellectual and attitudinal wherewithal to solve challenging practical and theoretical problems. That will include technical understanding of the theoretical foundations of computer science, as well as practical topics such as computer architecture and operating systems. The students will engage with the most exciting and promising modern topics, such as machine learning, penetration testing, and blockchain technologies.
Computer expertise is becoming desirable and even indispensable in a wide variety of areas. Expert programming abilities can prove extremely useful in an increasing number of professions, such as marketing, finance, and science. For that reason, the Computer Science Major is offered with the following concentrations:
- Computer Science – General
- Applied Linguistics
- Biology
- Cybersecurity – NEW
- Environmental Science
- Financial Mathematics
- Philosophy – NEW
- Physics
- Psychology
Requirements for the Major
NOTE: CIS courses completed for this major do not count toward the 90 liberal arts credit minimum for the BS degree.
*** Students must also meet the following requirement to gain admission to the program ***
- In Options 1, 2, and 4, students must satisfy:
– Calculus I and Calculus II with a combined GPA of at least 3.5; OR
– MTH 2301 and Calculus I and Calculus II with a combined GPA of least 3.5. - MTH 3300 (or CIS 2300) and MTH 3150 with a minimum grade of B in each course.
| Program Prerequisites: | ||
Students must satisfy the following:
Students need the equivalent of two semesters of calculus, which may be satisfied by one of the following four options: |
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| Option 1 | MTH 2600 Calculus I Tri Refresher or MTH 2610 Calculus I or Calculus AP Exam (AB) with a score of 4 or 5 (transfers to Baruch as MTH 2610)
And MTH 3010 Calculus II |
8 credits |
| or | ||
| Option 2 | MTH 2205 Precalculus and Elements of Calculus 1B or MTH 2206 Applied Calculus or MTH 2207 Elements of Calculus I and Matrix Algebra
And MTH 3006 Elements of Calculus II |
8 credits |
| or | ||
| Option 3 | Calculus AP Exam (BC) with a score of 4 or 5 (transfers to Baruch as MTH 3010) | 8 credits |
| or | ||
| Option 4 | MTH 2630 Analytic Geometry and Calculus I | 5 credits |
Additional Comments:
Students who fail to obtain sufficiently high grades to enter the program may be able to use MTH 3300 or MTH 3150 as part of a computer science (CS) minor. Contact the Department of Mathematics for more information.
The CS minor applies to the College Option liberal arts minor degree requirement. There is no GPA stipulation attached to College Option courses, but to graduate with the minor on the final transcript, a student must have a grade point average of at least 2.00 in the three courses that make up his or her liberal arts minor.
Students in all concentrations must complete the following courses:
| MTH 3150 | Discrete Math: An Invitation to Computer Science | 4 credits |
| MTH 3300
or CIS 2300 |
Algorithms, Computers, and Programming I
Programming and Computational Thinking |
3 credits |
| MTH 3210 | A First Course in Linear Algebra | 3 credits |
| MTH 4300* | Algorithms, Computers and Programming II* | 3 credits |
| MTH 4320 | Data Structures and Algorithms (formerly Fundamental Algorithms) | 4 credits |
| MTH 4330* | Introduction to Machine Learning | 4 credits |
| MTH 4350 | Computer Architecture | 4 credits |
| MTH 4355 | Operating Systems | 4 credits |
| MTH 4360 | Complexity and Computational Models | 4 credits |
| * Students with credit for CIS 3100 should take MTH 4299, Pointer-Based Data Structures (1 credit) instead. | ||
Students must take one to four courses from this list, depending on their concentration:
| CIS 3400 | Database management systems | 3 credits |
| CIS 3500 | Computer Networking | 3 credits |
| CIS 3630 | Principles of Web Design | 3 credits |
| CIS 4160 | Web Application Development | 3 credits |
| CIS 4560 | Ethical Hacking | 3 credits |
| MTH 4135 | Computational Methods in Probability | 3 credits |
| MTH 4140 | Graph Theory | 4 credits |
| MTH 4150 | Combinatorics | 4 credits |
| MTH 4250 | Cryptography | 4 credits |
| MTH 4322 | Technical Interviews (formerly Computer Science Internship Seminar) | 3 credits |
| MTH 4325 | Programming Languages | 4 credits |
| MTH 4333 | Advanced Topics in Machine Learning | 4 credits |
| MTH 4335 | Introduction to Natural Language Processing | 4 credits |
| MTH 4370 | Software Design | 4 credits |
| MTH 4375 | Applied Data Privacy | 4 credits |
| MTH 4380 | Computer and Network Security | 4 credits |
| MTH 4395 | Special Topics in Computer Science | 3 credits |
| MTH 4396 | Advanced Special Topics in Computer Science | 4 credits |
Students must select one of the following concentrations:
| COMPUTER SCIENCE – GENERAL
Concentration Requirements: 12-16 credits Students must complete four courses from the computer science electives list. |
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| APPLIED LINGUISTICS
This concentration focuses on Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). The faculty mentor is Professor Brooke Schreiber. Concentration Requirements: 12-14 credits · Computer Science Elective Courses: Two courses from the computer science electives list · Linguistics Elective Courses: Two courses from below |
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| ENG/COM 3700
Or ENG/COM 3750 |
Introduction to Linguistics: The Study of Language
The Structure and History of English |
3 credits | |||||||
| ENG 3960 | Topics in Language | 3 credits | |||||||
| BIOLOGY
This concentration focuses on bioinformatics. The biology faculty mentors are Dr. Zachary Calamari and Dr. Rebecca Spokony. Concentration Requirements: 13-15 credits
|
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| BIO/ENV 2100 | Biostatistics | 3 credits | |||||||
| BIO 4280 | Bioinformatics | 4 credits | |||||||
| ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
The environmental science faculty mentor is Dr. Stephen Gosnell. Concentration Requirements: 20-22 credits · Prerequisite ENV Courses: ENV 1003 and ENV 1004 (these courses apply to the Pathways science requirements) · Computer Science Elective Courses: Two courses from the computer science electives list * · Environmental Studies Elective Courses: Two courses from below * Students in this concentration are encouraged to take MTH 4330 Machine Learning |
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| ENV 3016 | Environmental Modeling | 4 credits | |||||||
| ENV 4900 | Topics in Environmental Science | 4 credits | |||||||
| FINANCIAL MATHEMATICS
This concentration is focused on computational finance. The mathematical finance faculty mentor is Dr. Douglas Howard. Concentration Requirements: 19-21 credits
|
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| MTH 4115 | Numerical Methods for Differential Equations in Finance
Note: Students may use MTH 4100 or MTH 3150 as a prerequisite for this course |
4 credits | |||||||
| MTH 4120 | Introduction to Probability | 4 credits | |||||||
| MTH 4500 | Introductory Financial Mathematics | 4 credits | |||||||
| PHYSICS
This concentration is focused on computational physics. The physics faculty mentors are Dr. Adrian Dumitru and Dr. Stefan Bathe. Concentration Requirements: 14-16 credits · Computer Science Elective Courses: Two courses from the computer science electives list · Physics Elective Courses: Two courses from below |
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| PHY 3004 | Physics on the Computer with Python | 4 credits | |||||||
| PHY 4004 | Statistical Physics with Applications to Mathematical Finance | 4 credits | |||||||
| PSYCHOLOGY
This concentration includes computational work in one of Baruch’s psychology laboratories. The psychology mentors are Dr. Tatiana Emmanouil and Dr. Jennifer Mangels. Concentration Requirements: 13-14 credits · Prerequisite Course: PSY 1001 General Psychology (This course may be applied to the Pathways Flexible Core) · Computer Science Elective Courses: One course from the computer science electives list · Psychology Elective Courses: Three courses from below |
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| PSY 3001 | Research Methods in Psychology | 4 credits | |||||||
| PSY 5030 | Research Practicum in Psychology | 3 credits | |||||||
| One of the following courses: | |||||||||
| PSY 3056 | Social Psychology | 3 credits | |||||||
| PSY 3067 | The Psychology of Motivation and Learning | 3 credits | |||||||
| PSY 3081 | Cognitive Psychology | 3 credits | |||||||
| PSY/BIO 3082 | Mind, Brain, and Behavior | 3 credits | |||||||
| CYBERSECURITY
The cybersecurity mentor is Dr. Trevor Moores. Concentration Requirements: 13 credits Cybersecurity Elective Courses: Four courses |
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| CIS 3500 | Computer Networking | 3 credits | |||||||
| CIS 3550 | Cybersecurity | 3 credits | |||||||
| CIS 4560 | Ethical Hacking | 3 credits | |||||||
| MTH 4250 | Cryptography | 4 credits | |||||||
| PHILOSOPHY
The philosophy mentors are Dr. Elizabeth Edenberg and Dr. Dan Li. Concentration Requirements: 12-13 credits
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| PHI 3270 | Technology, Ethics, & Society
Note: students who completed PHI 3270 as Computer Ethics prior to the Spring of 2025 can count this towards the concentration |
3 credits | |||||||
| PHI 3040 | Artificial Intelligence and Computer Minds | 3 credits | |||||||
| PHI 3280 | Ethics of Artificial Intelligence | 3 credits | |||||||
Students are expected to complete the major requirements in place at the time they are officially accepted into their programs. Please review the College Bulletin for the relevant academic year.
For more information, check the Department of Mathematics website.
Contact
Professor Adam Sheffer, Computer Science Program Director
646 312-4021