Program Requirements

Computing Science Program Requirements

The School of Computing Science offers a variety of undergraduate degrees that allow students to follow their interests. Types of programs offered include:

Majors - Computing Science & Software Systems
Joint Majors - Math, Business, Linguistics, and Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
Dual Degrees
Honours Options
Diploma, Minor & Certificate

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Program Requirements

COMPUTING SCIENCE MAJOR

The Computing Science Major is a 4-year degree consisting of a minimum of 120 units to graduate. Students may follow the course planners below to focus on one of Artificial Intelligence, Computing Systems, Programming Languages and Software, Information Systems, Theoretical Computing Science or Visual and Interactive Computing. In their graduating term, students who complete any one of the concentration course planners are eligible to request a letter from the School of Computing Science indicating that they have completed the respective concentration.

Lower Division Requirement

Students must complete approximately 51-51 lower division courses in CMPT, MATH, and STATS.

Students must also complete lower division WQB electives to complete the WQB requirements.

UPPER DIVISION REQUIREMENT

Students must complete 45 units of upper division coursework to complete the degree, which is broken down into:

Breadth - 15 units from Table I (which include 307) from five different concentration areas
Depth - 12 units of additional CMPT courses numbered CMPT 400 or above
BSc - MACM 316 + two additional courses chosen from Table I, Table II or Table III
Writing - CMPT 376W

Additional credits to reach an overall total of 45 upper division units. See specific requirements on the SFU Calendar page.

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SOFTWARE SYSTEMS

Software Systems (SoSy) is a program within the School of Computing Science, that offers courses at both the Surrey and Burnaby campuses. SoSy is a practical, hands-on program delivered through lectures, team projects and a capstone project. Graduates have a solid understanding of the software development lifecycle from specification through development and verification and on into maintenance. The program curriculum is divided into three areas: fundamentals, systems, and software engineering.

Lower Division Courses

Students must complete approximately 57-58 lower division courses in CMPT, MATH, and STATS.

Students must also complete lower division WQB electives to complete the WQB requirements.

Upper division requirement

Students must complete 42 units of computing science coursework at the upper division level, which is broken down into:

Fundamentals - 6 units
Systems - 12 units
Software - 12 units
Capstone - 6 units
Depth - 6 units

Students must completie additional upper division coursework to reach overall 45 units.

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SECOND DEGREE

Students in the Second Degree program must complete the upper division requirements of the computing major. Total second degree program requirements add up to 45 upper division units which include the 42 units of specified course work required by the computing science major (or, alternatively, including the 30 upper division units specified for the major with a BA).

Lower Division Courses

For most second degree students, some of the lower division course requirements will be waived due to work completed previously. Students must seek course substitution waivers from the School for any prior equivalent coursework. Note that lower division (100 and 200) courses are not graduation requirements, but students need to obtain appropriate pre-requisites for their desired upper division (300 and 400) courses.

Upper Division Requirement

Students must complete 45 units of upper division coursework to complete the degree, which is broken down into:

Breadth - 15 units from Table I (which include 307) from five different concentration areas
Depth - Twelve units of additional CMPT courses numbered CMPT 400 or above must be completed
BSc Requirement - MACM 316 + two additional courses chosen from Table I, Table II or Table III
Writing - CMPT 376W

Plus, additional credits to reach an overall total of 45 upper division units.

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Dual Degree Bachelor-Master

Earn two degrees from top-ranked universities (Bachelor of Science in Computing Science from SFU, Master of Finance in Financial Technology from Zhejiang University).

Lower Division Requirements

Students must complete lower division courses in CMPT, MATH, BUS, ECON, and HIST.

Students with no prior knowledge of Chinese languages complete:

CHIN 180
CHIN 181
CHIN 280
CHIN 281

Students with prior knowledge are assessed for placement. May need to take one or more of the following:

CHIN 190
CHIN 191
CHIN 290
CHIN 291
CHIN 390

Upper division requirement

By default, the SFU credential awarded by completion of the requirements outlined below is bachelor of science with major in computing science. However, students may choose instead to apply the ZIBS credit towards any other major, joint major, honours or joint honours program offered by the School of Computing Science, provided that the requirements of the chosen program are fully met.

Breadth - Complete five required upper division CMPT courses
Depth - Students complete 24 additional upper division CMPT units, including at least nine units at the CMPT 400 level or above.

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HONOURS OPTION

The honours program is suited for students who want to go deeper into the field of computing science. A minimum of 132 units are needed to graduate, of which 60 units must be from upper division (300-400 level) courses. Students must achieve a graduation grade point average of at least 3.00.

Lower Division Requirement

Students must complete approximately 55-56 lower division credits, which includes a blend of CMPT, MATH, STATS and WQB electives.

Upper Division Requirement

Students are required to bring the total upper division units in CMPT/MACM courses to at least 50 units within the minimum of 60 upper division units.

Breadth - One course in each of the six Table I areas of concentration
Depth - Eighteen units of additional CMPT courses - at least 12 unit of which must be numbered 400 or above.
Research - Six units of research courses
BSc - MACM 316 + two additional courses chosen from Table I, II or III
Writing - CMPT 376W

Additional credits to reach an overall total of 45 upper division units.

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