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| Background | Philosophy of the Curriculum | Intended Outcomes |
| Standard Sequence | Minor | Contract Major |
| 4 year schedule for CoSc/Math/Phys |
This site presents the Computer Science/Mathematics curriculum. If
you would like a printed copy of the curriculum, it is possible to
print the pages from your Web browser. However, if you would like a
higher quality printout you can
download one
that
contains all the information at this site in an Adobe PDF format
document. It can be read or printed with version 3.01 or later of
Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Seaver College is the undergraduate liberal arts college of Pepperdine University. This document describes the curriculum for the major in Computer Science/Mathematics. The college does not offer a major in Computer Science apart from Mathematics. Nor does it offer an advanced degree in either discipline. Historically, Seaver College has emphasized quality teaching at the undergraduate level while encouraging scholarly activity by its faculty especially when it can have a positive impact on the undergraduate experience.
The curriculum is based on three themes—abstraction, integration, and languages and paradigms.
Abstraction is based on the concept of layers in which the details of one layer of abstraction are hidden from layers at a higher level. A computer scientist uses abstraction as a thinking tool to understand a system, to model a problem, and to master complexity. The ability to abstract cannot be acquired in a single course, but must be developed over several years. Consequently, all courses in the curriculum emphasize the abstraction process, not only as a framework to understand the discipline but also as a tool to solve problems.
The curriculum focuses on how well the courses are integrated as opposed to how many courses it has to offer. There are two aspects of integration in the curriculum—integration between courses and the integration of theory and practice. Both aspects of integration are important. Without integration between courses the curriculum becomes simply a collection of unrelated facts with no unity based on fundamental principles. The integration of theory and practice not only serves to re-enforce the students’ understanding of abstract concepts but also provides them with insight and appreciation of the practical solutions at hand.
Because of the continued evolution of programming languages and paradigms we would do our students a disservice by emphasizing only one programming language or paradigm throughout the curriculum. Students should be multilingual and should experience multiple paradigms in their undergraduate careers. Our curriculum seeks to strike the proper balance between breadth and depth. Too much breadth will not equip students with the detailed skills necessary to solve realistic problems. Too much depth in one language or paradigm will give students a narrow vision that makes it difficult to consider multiple approaches to a problem.
The curriculum emphasizes in-depth proficiency the first two years and more breadth the last two years. The balance is achieved by choosing one programming language for the first three semesters and another closely related language for the second semester of the second year. Courses in the third and fourth years introduce other programming paradigms based on different languages.
The language choice for the first two years is driven by both pedagogical and practical industry concerns. Pedagogical concerns are important during the first two years, because this is when students begin to form algorithmic thinking patterns and develop problem-solving skills. The criteria are that the programming environment should be simple to learn yet powerful enough to illustrate fundamental concepts of computing. Skill in a practical language is necessary for students to be well equipped for their post graduate careers. The languages for the third and fourth years are chosen for the variety of programming paradigms on which they are based.
Upon successful completion of the program, the student should possess
The courses in computer science/mathematics are designed to:
Course Requirements
Click on the Course ID for a detailed description. Click on the Course Description for the description from the Course Catalog.
To enroll in any computer science or mathematics course that lists prerequisite courses, a student must earn a grade of “C-” or better in all of the prerequisites.
In addition to the general education requirements, the computer science/mathematics major must complete the following:
The courses are divided into a first year core, a second year core, and an upper division curriculum. Following is a list of the courses that are taken in the normal sequence.
| Course ID | Course Name | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 220 | Formal Methods | 3 |
| COSC 220 | Computer Science I | 3 |
| MATH 210 | Calculus I | 4 |
| MATH 221 | Discrete Structures | 3 |
| COSC 221 | Computer Science II | 3 |
| Course ID | Course Name | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 211 | Calculus II | 4 |
| COSC 320 | Data Structures | 4 |
| PHYS 210 | Physics I | 5 |
| MATH 212 | Calculus III | 4 |
| COSC 330 | Computer Systems | 3 |
| Course ID | Course Name | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 460 | Automata Theory | 3 |
| COSC 450 | Programming Paradigms | 4 |
| MATH 330 | Linear Algebra | 4 |
| COSC 535 | Operating Systems, elective * | 3 |
| Course ID | Course Name | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 510 | Probability and Statistics I | 4 |
| COSC 475 | Computer Networks | 4 |
| COSC 490 | Senior Capstone | 4 |
| COSC 525 | Computer Organization, elective * | 3 |
*Note: Only one elective required
The Computer Science minor is satisfied by completing a core of five courses plus one elective.
| Course ID | Course Name | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 220 | Formal Methods | 3 |
| COSC 220 | Computer Science I | 3 |
| MATH 221 | Discrete Structures | 3 |
| COSC 221 | Computer Science II | 3 |
| COSC 320 | Data Structures | 4 |
| Course ID | Course Name | Units |
|---|---|---|
| COSC 330 | Computer Systems | 3 |
| MATH 460 | Automata Theory | 3 |
| COSC 450 | Programming Paradigms | 4 |
Seaver College offers an alternative to the established majors for students with at least 30 units of college credit and a minimum grade point average of 2.5. The individualized major is established by faculty approval of a contract that specifies the courses that are to be taken for the contract major. The contract typically specifies courses from two separate disciplines, and includes study in each discipline with more depth than is usual for a minor. The most common contract with computer science as one of its components includes business as its other component, but disciplines as varied as philosophy and music have been included with computer science in the past.
The computer science part of the contract major is satisfied by completing a core of seven courses plus one elective.
| Course ID | Course Name | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 220 | Formal Methods | 3 |
| COSC 220 | Computer Science I | 3 |
| MATH 221 | Discrete Structures | 3 |
| COSC 221 | Computer Science II | 3 |
| COSC 320 | Data Structures | 4 |
| COSC 330 | Computer Systems | 3 |
| COSC 450 | Programming Paradigms | 4 |
| Course ID | Course Name | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 460 | Automata Theory | 3 |
| COSC 525 | Computer Organization | 3 |
| COSC 535 | Operating Systems | 3 |
The courses for the other component of the contract major are established by the faculty from the discipline of the other component.
The above program requirements are excerpted from the Seaver catalog. This Web page is not an official binding document. To view the actual catalog visit: http://seaver.pepperdine.edu/academics/catalog/
You may email your questions to the Seaver Natural Science Division Office Manager
.