PRESENTED BY: Beth Bilson, Chair, Planning Committee
DATE OF MEETING: Oct. 21, 2004
SUBJECT: BSc in Computing
DECISION REQUESTED: That Council approve the BSc Four-year in Computing
SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL:
Courses required for the Four-year major in Computing are
1) CMPT 111.3, 115.3, 214.3, 215.3 or EE 331.3, 250.6, 260.3, and 27 credit units in 300- or 400- level computer science courses.
2) MATH 110.3; either MATH 264.3 or 266.3; STATS 242.3 or 245.3 or EE 216.3.
3) 6 credit units from: MATH 112.3 or 116.3, 211.3, 327.3, 328.3, 363.3, 364.3, STATS 241.3, 344.3, 345.3, 347.3, 348.3, PHIL 243.3.
4) 6 credit units from: ENG 110.6, 111.3, 112.3, 113.3, 114.3.
RATIONALE:
The BSc Four-year in Computer Science is an accredited program, and as such it imposes breadth requirements on students in their third-year and fourth-year elective courses. The BSc in Computing is designed for students who do not wish to seek accreditation and who want greater depth in electives, so that students with multi-disciplinary interests can concentrate on the areas of computer science which complement their other academic interests.
IMPACT AND RELATIONSHIPS:
The department anticipates this option will be followed by a limited number of students. It does not affect the programs of any other department. No additional departmental resources will be required.
COMMITTEE COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATION:
Academic Programs Committee
At its June 11, 2004 meeting, the Academic Programs Committee agreed to recommend approval of the proposal for a B.Sc. Four-year in Computing
Following is the summary of APC discussion on this proposal:
The proposed program in "Computing" is virtually the same as the program in "Computer Science" but does not contain distribution requirements at the 300- and 400-level in Computer Science and the business science courses which the accredited program demands.
During discussion of the program with department and college representatives at the May 28, 2004 Academic Programs Committee, it was noted that the proposed program is intended to facilitate flexibility and interdisciplinary study between computing and another discipline by allowing students to focus in a sub-discipline of Computer Science rather than requiring the wider range of Computer Science and business courses. The new program will accommodate the intended direction in Arts & Science to allow double-majors. This proposal should be viewed as a new major rather than a program option - it does not fall into the "program option" category, as the Internship program does, because it is not an additional credential or learning experience.
Budget Committee
At its August 28, 2004 meeting, the Budget Committee approved the following motion:
The Budget Committee confirms that this proposal is satisfactory with respect to its funding.
Planning Committee
At its Sept. 13, 2004 meeting, the Planning Committee agreed to recommend that Council approve the BSc in Computing program. The Committee also discussed the issue of program options and noted that the university could discourage program proliferation by listing of program options on transcripts. It intends to discuss this issue further with the Student and Enrolment Services Division.
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