Computer Science Honors: Systems Software, BS

About the Program

Students in the Computer Science Honors major, in addition to fulfilling all the requirements for a BS in Computer Science, will complete additional coursework and a research project. Honors students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.25 plus at least a 3.6 in Computer Science and required CSHO courses. The program requirements include additional math coursework, three out of four selected CS and ECE courses, a research seminar and project, and a graduate level course. It is especially suitable for students planning on graduate level coursework, though it also offers advantages to students seeking employment.

Students are invited to declare the major if they meet the qualifications after their first semester or after completion of the six core courses. Students who have been admitted to the Honors College may also join the major. Students may also request to declare the major if they meet qualifications no later than their seventh semester (student must have at least 2 academic semesters remaining to accommodate both the research seminar and the research project). The Systems Software track is designed to prepare students to become programmers who can build…

• low-level software that uses or runs inside an operating system,
• system tools for other users (e.g., compilers and assemblers),
• programs that communicate over a computer network or the Internet (e.g., web servers).

Computer Science Website

Computer Science Major Change (CODO) Requirements  (Students must first CODO into Computer Science before Honors.)

Degree Requirements

120 Credits Required

Curriculum and Degree Requirements for College of Science

A College of Science degree is conferred when a student successfully completes all requirements in their degree program. Students will complete coursework or approved experiential learning activities to meet the following three degree components:

1. Major
2. Science Core Curriculum
3. Electives

Students may use any of the following options to meet College of Science degree requirements:

• Purdue Coursework
• AP, IB, and CLEP credit. The use of AP and IB coursework varies between College of Science degree plans.
• Transfer Credit. Students should consult the Admissions Transfer Credit Resource page for all available transfer options.

College of Science degree programs vary widely in their approval and use of the proceeding options and thus students are strongly encouraged to work closely with their academic advisors and to regularly consult their MyPurduePlan to view the use of each option in their degree plan. 

Most College of Science degree programs contain elective credits students may use to pursue courses that relate to their interests or which support their major area of study. The elective area of a degree plan may also be used to complete minors, second majors and certificates such as the Entrepreneurial Certificate. Any Purdue course may be used to meet the elective area of a student’s degree plan.

College of Science Core Requirements

All Students starting Purdue University Fall semester, 2007 or later are required to pursue the 2007 Science Core curriculum.

The College of Science Core Curriculum requires the completion of approved coursework and/or experiential learning opportunities in the following academic areas:

• Composition and Presentation  
• Computing    
• Cultural Diversity (Language and Culture)   
• General Education  
• Great Issues in Science   
• Laboratory Science   
• Mathematics    
• Science Technology and Society   
• Statistics    
• Teambuilding and Collaboration       

Earning Core Curricular Requirements through Experience

Students may meet selected core curriculum requirements through approved experiential learning opportunities. Interested students should contact their academic advisor for more information on this option and incorporating experiential learning into their four-year program of study. For more information on earning requirements through experience, please click here.

Computer Science Honors Major Courses (58-63 credits)

Must have a “C” or better in all courses.

Other Departmental/Program Course Requirements (32-55 credits)

Electives (2-30 credits)

Enrollment in freshman seminar course CS 19300 - Tools is strongly encouraged to be taken with CS 18000 . This is not a degree requirement. CS 19700 - Freshman Honors Seminar , CS 29100 - Sophomore Development Seminar , and CS 39100  are optional but recommended.

Grade Requirements

• All major required courses, all track requirements and track selectives, and their pre-requisites, regardless of department, must be completed with a grade of a “C” or better.
  

GPA Requirements

• 3.6 CS GPA and 3.25 cumulative GPA is required for graduation with the CS Honors degree.
  

Course Requirements & Notes

• Courses cannot double count between General Education, Culture and Diversity, and Great Issues requirements.
  
  

College of Science Pass/No Pass Option Policy

• Only electives and courses at the 50000-level general education requirement may be taken under the pass/no pass option. 
• The pass/no pass grade mode may be entered for courses which are not required by a student’s major(s), minor(s) or science core curriculum.
• Grade mode Passing is equivalent to at a minimum grade of C- had a letter grade been awarded.
• Students may elect to use the pass/no pass option for no more than 20% of the 124/120 credit requirement for graduation and for no more than two courses per academic year (Fall-Summer).
• The pass/no pass option cannot be elected for a course that has already been completed with a letter grade. University Regulation.
• Students may take elective credit while abroad using the P/NP mode. In the case of universities which only post P/NP, the University will apply a calculation process to determine a letter grade.
• Department of Languages and Cultures P/NP policy and Language Placement results. Students must take advanced coursework for a letter grade to receive credit for lower-level language courses.

College of Science Transfer Credit Policy

College of Science degree programs vary widely in their approval and use of non-Purdue originated credit (AP, IB, CLEP, and transfer credit). Students work closely with their academic advisors and degree plan audits to review the use and approval of each non-Purdue credit option.

University Requirements

Sample 4-Year Plan

World Language Courses

World Language proficiency requirements vary by program. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor. (ASL-American Sign Language; ARAB-Arabic; CHNS-Chinese; FR-French; GER-German; GREK-Greek(Ancient); HEBR-Hebrew(Biblical); HEBR-Hebrew(Modern); ITAL-Italian; JPNS-Japanese; KOR-Korean; LATN-Latin; PTGS=Portuguese; RUSS-Russian; SPAN-Spanish)

Critical Course

The ♦ course is considered critical.

In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major. Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful. These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program.”

Disclaimer

The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student. The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.

Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Pre-Requisite Information

For pre-requisite information, log in to mypurdue.purdue.edu and click here.