Degree Programs in CCIS :: Northeastern University

In some degree programs you will have a wide choice of electives in the freshman year whereas in other degree programs it will be best if you take certain specific courses. Therefore, the first step in deciding the rest of your freshman schedule will be the selection of a degree program. Of course, you may change this decision about your degree program later on.

If you decide before coming to orientation to take a combined major, it will help if you let us know this by e-mail to advising@ccs.neu.edu. It may be easier for us to register you for your courses if this information is already in the system.

The College of Computer & Information Science has a large number of degree programs that permit students to:

Study Computer Science or Information Science in depth.
Combine the study of Computer Science or Information Science with substantial study of another discipline.

Here we will give an overview of the degree programs. However, before getting into CCIS degree programs, let us describe how degree programs are structured in general at Northeastern.

Degree Programs at Northeastern

The most common degree programs are simple majors in a single discipline. A major consists of required and elective courses in the discipline, related foundation courses in other disciplines if needed, general university-wide requirements, and free electives.

It is always possible to combine two majors into a double major. For a double major, the student must meet all requirements for both majors, with courses that fulfill requirements for each major counted for both programs. The main downside of a double major is that a student may need to be in school extra semesters in order to take the courses needed to cover the totality of requirements.

In the late 1990’s, Computer & Information Science collaborated with the College of Arts & Sciences to create the concept of a combined major. In a combined major, two disciplines work together to create a combined program with the following features:

The degree requirements from each discipline are selected in such a way as to make the most sense as part of the combined major. Normally, a minimum of 9 courses in each discipline is required for a combined major. Particular combined majors may require significantly more courses in one or both disciplines.
Despite the academic intensity of the combined majors, the student will be able to graduate without any extra semesters in school.
The student is qualified to pursue graduate study in either discipline should that be desired.

Finally, Northeastern will now make available to all students the option of an independent major. Here is a brief description of the purpose of this option.

Independent majors include courses in at least two disciplines and form an integrated program focusing on some issue, theme or subject area not available within the context of existing majors, minors and combined majors. These programs should be equivalent in depth and coherence to typical departmental majors. A substantial project that integrates the curriculum pursued is required for the independent major. No student with less than a 3.0 grade point average will be approved for an independent major.

Since an independent major requires a substantial interdisciplinary project, a student must obtain at least two faculty mentors who will help define the degree requirements and will then supervise and assess the project.

The central degree programs in the College of Computer & Information Science are those that form the foundation for all other degree programs:

The BS in Computer Science focuses on the fundamentals of program design, software development, computer organization, systems and networks, theories of computation, principles of languages, and advanced algorithms and data. The program also provides a solid grounding in mathematics and science.

The BS in Information Science studies how information is acquired, organized, communicated and used by both people and computers. The program combines concepts and skills from computer science, behavioral/social science, and system design into an integrated curriculum that is people-centered. The required coursework covers information architecture; information system design and development; programming and software design; database design; systems and networks; information resource management; social informatics; quantitative and qualitative research methods; and human-computer interaction.

Although there is no sharp boundary between the concerns of Computer Science and Information Science, it may be said that CS is concerned with building the software and services infrastructure used by people and organizations worldwide whereas IS is concerned with the information and software needs of a particular business, health-care provider, government agency, or non-profit. Thus, an IS person may often need to adapt and enhance the software systems provided by the CS person. Both the CS and the IS person need an awareness of technical issues and people issues.

There are 4 degree programs that are direct offshoots of the central degree programs:

The BS in Computer Science With Concentration in Cyber Operations extends the regular BS in Computer Science by requiring a significant number of courses in security and in networks both wired and wireless. This program is one of the initial 4 programs selected in 2012 by the National Security Agency as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations Program.

The BS in Computer Science and Information Science is a combined major that was designed by student request. The degree requires that a student take all CS and IS courses that are explicitly required in the BS in CS and the BS in IS. The degree is quite intense but for those students who want to learn both the CS and IS side of things it is a great experience.

The BA in Computer Science reduces the Computer Science requirements in the BS in CS to allow students to take a foreign language and to have a wider choice of electives. This degree follows the pattern for Bachelor of Arts degree programs at Northeastern.

The BS/MS in Computer Science allows a student to receive both a BS and an MS degree with one additional year of study. This program works as follows:

3 specific undergraduate CS courses are replaced by the corresponding Masters CS courses.
1 additional undergraduate CS elective is replaced by a Masters CS elective.
4 additional Masters CS electives are taken in such a way as to fulfill all remaining Masters requirements.

The BS/MS in CS has strong academic requirements, namely, an overall GPA of 3.25 and a GPA in Computer Science of 3.25. Qualified students who wish to do the BS/MS in CS should contact Associate Dean Rasala the during Fall semester of sophomore year. This will ensure that the correct substitution of Masters for undergraduate courses will take place.

In 2012, CCIS began the process of adding new BS/MS programs. Look for these programs below.

The college has 2 combined majors with the College of Business:

These degree programs require 12 or 13 Business courses respectively plus both Macroeconomics and Microeconomics. This means that the degrees demand almost the full set of courses required for a single major in Business. A student who follows one of these degree programs is prepared to enter the world of business with a very strong technical background or to pursue graduate study.

The college has 2 combined majors with Cognitive Psychology:

These degree programs require a foundation in general psychology, psychology of language, cognition, and statistics. This foundation is supplemented by an experimental laboratory course, a seminar course, and a choice of additional psychology electives. Students may choose one of these programs if they have a general interest in human psychology or if they have specific interests in artificial intelligence or human-computer interaction.

The college has 5 combined (dual) majors with mathematics and the sciences and 1 BS/MS program:

The CS and Mathematics combined (dual) major was the first dual major to be created by the college. This major emphasizes the strong ties between computer science and mathematics that go back to the origins of machine computation in the 1930’s and 1940’s and persist to this day. The mathematics requirements focus on courses that either have computing applications or form the basis for further studies in mathematical theory.

The BS/MS program that begins with the CS and Mathematics combined (dual) major and finishes with the MS in CS continues our emphasis on the strong ties between computer science and mathematics.

The CS and Biology combined (dual) major reflects the fact that research in biology, especially genetics, has become a computational science. The major requires a strong foundation in both biology and chemistry. The CS requirements focus on software development and algorithmics which are the most important aspects of CS for biology.

The CS and Physics combined (dual) major brings together 3 disciplines: computer science, physics, and mathematics. The mathematics requirements serve as a foundation for both computer science and physics. The major is especially intense because of the amount of technical material that must be understood in 3 disciplines.

The CS and Environmental Science combined (dual) major focuses on the geological processes that have impact in both the short and long term on the earth, on water in oceans, lakes, and rivers, and on the atmosphere. To understand these processes requires the acquisition of large amounts of data and computational analysis of this data. Hence, there is a natural relationship of computer science to environmental science.

The IS and Environmental Science combined (dual) major begins with a foundation study of geological processes but then focuses on environmental planning, environmental ethics, and sustainability. This focus on the relationship of human decisions and actions to the environment fits well with the people-centered orientation of information science.

The college has 6 combined majors with the College of Art, Media, and Design:

The CS and Music Technology combined major focuses on the composition and performance of music using digital technologies. This program requires strong background in music prior to entering Northeastern. Furthermore, since the program requires 13 4-credit music courses and 6 additional 1-credit courses in musicianship and composition, its requirements are among the most demanding.

The CS and Digital Art combined major requires 4 foundation courses in digital art, 6 art electives that may range over photography, animation, and video, and a capstone digital art project course. In addition to CS requirements common to many of the combined majors, this program requires database design, computer graphics, and human-computer interaction. Therefore this degree provides a deep experience in digital art and related computer science.

The CS and Interactive Media program is a broad-based program with experiences in all aspects of digital media.

The CS and Game Design program is focused on the specific skills and thought processes needed in the highly competitive game industry. This includes a strong computer science foundation with program design, algorithms, theory, systems, and networks. This also includes studies of game design and game project experiences.

The CS and Journalism and IS and Journalism combined majors support a student who understands that journalism now takes place not just in print but also in the digital world especially on the internet. These majors permit a student to learn the principles, practices, and responsibilities of the journalism profession and to understand the systems and technologies that support digital media.

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Degree Programs in CCIS

Degree Programs at Northeastern