Major Core (36 semester hours) CS 226, 227, 280, 310, 313, 318, 340, 350, 401, 410, 430, and 440
Six hours from CS 330, 360, 420, 425, 437, 475
Six hours of Computer Science capstone 480, 482
ENG 318 (Technical Communication) which should be completed by the end of the sophomore year. Students should also consider ENG 418 (Advanced Technical Communication) upon successful completion of ENG 318.
A minor in applied mathematics consisting of Math 201, 202, 230 (which should normally be taken before completing any computer science course above the 280 level), 312, and either 203 and 425 or 304 and 305.
In order to be eligible to register for Computer Science courses at the 300-level or above, students majoring in Computer Science must have obtained a grade point average of 2.25 or higher on all courses required in the Computer Science major or minor, and must have an overall grade point average of 2.0 or better.
No additional minor or collateral is required.
The minimum number of semester hours required in major courses for a major in computer science is 48. The minimum number of semester hours in all courses (major and non-major) required for the major in computer science is 120.
Minor
A minor is offered in computer science.
CS 190
CS 226
CS 227
Three courses chosen from CS 280 or higher. (Math 230 is a prerequisite for taking computer science courses above the 280 level.)
A minor is offered in the Software Engineering track and consists of
CS 190
CS 226
CS 227
CS 313
CS 340
An approved CS elective
These courses cannot be counted towards more than one of a major, minor, or a collateral within the School of Business.
Collateral
A collateral in computer science requires 12 semester hours in computer science which consists of:
CS 190
CS 226
CS 227
CS 318
These courses cannot be counted towards more than one of a major, minor, or a collateral within the School of Business.
Other Information
Credit toward graduation will be granted only once in those courses in Computer Science and in Management Information Systems that carry identical course titles, and in those courses in computer science and in mathematics that carry identical course titles.
This is a tentative outline up to graduation of classes needed for a CS major:
Prerequisite: Eligibility to take Math 111 or 121 [or higher]
Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Credit: 3 hrs.
Introduction to microcomputer hardware and software. Topics include computer fundamentals, word processing, electronic spreadsheets, databases, and other microcomputer application areas. Solutions for several problems using microcomputers and commercial software will be required.
190 - Programming Fundamentals
Prerequisite: Math 111 or 121 (or eligibility to take a Math course higher than Math 121)
Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Credit: 3 hrs.
Introduction to problem-solving and algorithm development techniques based on the program development process. Study of basic computer concepts and computer systems; elementary data types and data structures; input and output processing; control structures; modular program design; elementary file processing; algorithm design and evaluation. Students will apply these ideas by analyzing specifications, designing solutions, and implementing programs based on this analysis and design.
190L - Laboratory for CS 190 Programming Fundamentals
Prerequisite: Math 111 or math 121[or eligibility to take a math course higher than math 121]
Corequisite: CS 190
Offered:Fall, Spring, Summer
Credit: 1 hour
Laboratory demonstrates the topics and principles presented in the lecture.
226 - Programming and Algorithmic Design I
Prerequisite: C or better in 190 or permission of school
Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Credit: 3 hrs.
Introduction to problemsolving with algorithm and program development. Includes problem analysis, algorithm representation and verification, scalar and structured data types, file input and output, techniques for program design, coding, testing, and documentation and basic sorting, and searching algorithms.
227 - Programming and Algorithmic Design II
Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in 226
Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Credit: 3 hrs.
Continuing study of algorithmic design, implementation, and analysis including object oriented design and implementation, abstract data types, stacks, queues, and linked structures
280 - Digital Systems Design
Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in Math 230 or permission of school
Offered: Fall
Credit: 3 hrs.
Starting from a description of digital circuits regarded as functional blocks, the course leads to a consideration of the logical design of combinational and sequential digital systems. Topics include binary representation of information, gate types, combinational circuit design, counters, registers, arithmetic circuits, sequential circuit design, and programmed logic. Students will gain practical experience by applying lecture material in a hands-on laboratory setting.
310 - Computer Architecture and Organization
Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in 280
Offered: Spring
Credit: 3 hrs
A study of hardware organization, memory addressing and structure, CPU-memory I/O relationships, organization of computer processors, memories, and interconnections. Students will look at processor control, data units, memory structure, microprogramming, the role of assembly language, timing, I/O design, current architectures, and alternate hardware designs.
313 - Systems Design and Development
Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in CS 226. Prerequisite/corequisite: CS 227
Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Credit: 3 hrs.
Development of computerized systems focusing on structured systems analysis and its application to information system software development. Emphasis will be on problem analysis, correctness, reliability, and maintainability
318 - Data Structures and Algorithm Analysis
Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in 227
Offered: Spring
Credit: 3 hrs
An overview of the structure and implementation of data structures, including lists, trees, heaps, and tables, and an examination of searching, sorting and other algorithms, including implementation and analysis of their efficiency.
330 - Special Topics in Computer Science
Prerequisite: Permission of school
Offered: As Needed
Credit: 3 hrs.
In-depth study of an area of interest in computer science. Different areas of study will be offered. Must have a 2.25 grade point average or higher in all courses which are required in the computer science major or minor. May be taken twice for academic credit with departmental approval.
340 - Software Design and Development
Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in 313 or permission of school
Offered: Spring
Credit: 3 hrs.
Study of design techniques used in creating large program packages, organization and management of projects, and application of techniques in team projects
350 - Theory of Computation
Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in 318 and Math 230
Offered: Fall
Credit: 3 hrs.
Introduction to the abstract concepts encountered in machine computation. Topics include finite automata, regular expressions, and formal languages, with emphasis on regular and contextfree grammars. Questions related to decidability and undecidability are looked at by considering various models of computation including Turing machines, recursive functions, and universal machines.
360 - Introduction to Computer Graphics
Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in 318; Math 304 is strongly recommended
Offered: Fall
Credit: 3 hrs
Principal topics include graphics devices, vector vs. raster graphics, lines and curves,
animation, linear transformations, three-dimensional graphics and wireframe models, and viewing objects with the synthetic camera.
401 - Programming Languages
Prerequisite or corequisite: 350
Offered: Spring
Credit: 3 hrs.
Study of formal language concepts, language syntax and semantics, language design and implementation, data types, data abstraction, control structures, procedure mechanisms, lexical analysis, parsing, and run-time organization as exemplified by a variety of programming languages and paradigms.
410 - Operating Systems
Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in 310 and 318
Offered: Fall
Credit: 3 hrs.
Study of sequential processes and concurrent program concepts and their application to operating system design; synchronization constructs; monitors, conditional critical regions, and the use of semaphores; resource concepts, resource allocation and management; dynamic protection and the structure of operating systems.
420 - Compiler Construction
Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in 318 and 350; prerequisite or corequisite: 401
Offered: Fall
Credit: 3 hrs.
Study of syntax and semantic analysis of source and target language; language translation and translators; a one-pass compiler model; phases of a compiler; lexical and syntax analysis; parsing; error recovery; intermediate code generation; code optimization; final code generation.
425 - Numerical Analysis
Prerequisite: Mathematics 203 and one
of Mathematics 213 or CS 226(Same as Math 426)
Offered: Fall
Credit: 3 hrs.
Study of techniques and types of errors involved in computer applications to mathematical problems. Topics include techniques for solving equations, systems of equations, and problems in integral calculus. Computer solutions for several problems will be required.
430 - Data Base Management Systems Design
Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in 313 or permission of school
Offered: Spring
Credit: 3 hrs.
A close study of the goals of DBMS, various data models and their implementations, normalization, file organization, security, and integrity.
437 - Artificial Intelligence
Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in 318 and Math 230; 350 is recommended.
Offered: Spring
Credit: 3 hrs.
An introduction to the fundamental principles of artificial intelligence: problem-solving methods, state-space representation, heuristic search, problem-reduction techniques, machine inference, game-playing, knowledge representation, and cognitive processes. Applications of these concepts to practical problems in society will be considered, looking at such areas as neural networks, expert systems, robotics, natural language processing, and computer vision.
440 - Computer Networks
Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in 310 and 318
Offered: Fall
Credit: 3 hrs.
A consideration of the technology and architecture of computer networks, emphasizing principles and concepts of both logical and physical connectivity and communication. Particular attention will be placed on network topology, transmission media, medium access, standards, Internetworking, and network management and security.
475 - Internship in Computer Science
Prerequisites: (Prerequisites: A 2.5 overall grade point average in the Computer Science major; approval by the student’s adviser, program coordinator, faculty member responsible for the course administration, and department chair.)
Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Credit: 3 hrs.
This course integrates a student’s classroom studies with work-based learning related to the student’s academic curriculum and/or career goals. At the work site, the student will engage in a number of supervisor-directed activities documented in a learning agreement that will subsequently be used as part of the student’s evaluation for the course.
480 - Capstone I
Prerequisite: Senior status or permission of school
Offered: Fall
Credit: 3 hrs.
Students will bring together the knowledge and skills acquired over the course of their studies and apply them in a project which demonstrates an application of computer science. Students may work individually or in a small team. Students will work on project planning, software requirements analysis, design, and specification. Written reports and oral presentations will take place in a technical setting.
482 - Capstone II
Prerequisite: 480
Offered: Spring
Credit: 3 hrs.
This course is the continuation of 480. Students will implement, test, verify, and validate their systems. Written reports and oral presentations will take place in a technical setting.
497 - Special Studies
Prerequisite: Permission of school
Offered: As Needed
Credit: 3, 2, or 1 hrs.
Open only to juniors or seniors with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher in their major courses. A maximum of three semester hours may be earned. Academic Committee approval required for each seminar and practicum. All individual research projects are reviewed by three faculty members from two different disciplines. May be taken for credit (three hours) towards the Honors degree by special arrangement.
Course Map
This is a flowchart showing all the classes in Computer Science and their prerequisites. After each block, there is an arrow pointing to the class that a student may take after completing that course, but not before. Some classes require more than one prerequisite before they can be attended and some require a Math.
Registration and Advising
STEPS FOR ADVISING
The following are the appropriate steps to follow in order to register for classes during Registration and Advising Periods:
Download and print your program requirements.
Fill in the designated area of the program sheet with the grades of courses that you have already completed and note the courses that you are currently taking.
Note the courses that you have remaining in order to complete your program, as well as the prerequisites for these courses.
Check with either the University registration program or the printed Course Schedules located around campus and determine which courses are to be offered that fit your program needs.
Create a mock schedule. Write down the Course name and number, the Course Code (the four-digit number), and the Course times. (You may wish to select some alternate courses—Sections for Courses are sometimes closed.)
Schedule an appointment with your advisor BY SIGNING UP FOR AN APPOINTED OPEN TIME SLOT—the sign up sheets are located outside the advisor’s door. (DO NOT CALL or E-MAIL YOUR ADVISOR TO SET UP AN APPOINTMENT UNLESS YOU HAVE PREVIOUSLY CLEARED THIS APPROACH WITH YOUR ADVISOR).
At your appointment time, bring your completed program sheet, your mock schedule and a printed copy of your degree audit. Please BE ON TIME.
If you have this information with you, your advisor will be able to either release you for Web Registration or register you directly.
Note: These rules are for Registration periods only, if you need special advising at any other time, your advisor will gladly set up an appointment with you.
Detrek Browning stayed true to FMU and became the school’s all-time leading scorer
In an early January game against Clayton State, Detrek Browning waited calmly behind the three-point line while teammate Brandon Parker battled for a loose ball in the lane. Eventually, Parker swatted the ball towards Browning, who gathered it in, paused to set himself and casually flipped in a three-pointer that etched his name into a prominent place in the FMU record books. With that relatively unremarkable basket, Browning became something quite remarkable — the leading career scorer in the school’s almost 50-year-old history.
That the record-setter came on a routine play is not surprising. Browning’s calling card as a player is his ability to score, seemingly without effort; to make a unique ability to find ways to put ball basket appear quite ordinary.
What was remarkable about the play is that Browning was around to do it at all.
FMU Basketball standout Detrek Browning
The dynamics of college basketball at all levels have changed dramatically in the past decade. Players move regularly and easily from school to school, looking for the next bit of slightly greener grass; and there is not much hard-working coaches and schools can do about it. Their path is fraught with peril.
Bring a player along too slowly and he will leave for a situation where he can play/shoot/start more often. But, bring them along too quickly, develop them too well – and this is especially true for programs at Division II schools like FMU — and bigger schools will come calling. They can’t recruit a player, per se, until he puts his name on the NCAA’s official transfer list (which numbers each year in the thousands) but word gets around. Pssst. If your name is on that list. …
After he averaged 20.1 points a game for FMU in 2015-16, officially his sophomore season, word got around to Browning. There were schools out there – Division I schools – who were interested. And Browning knew the drill. Friends, foes, even some of his teammates, had gone that route.
“I was hearing from a few people,” Browning says, “and people were in my ear, telling me to go, that this was my big chance. But …”
But?
Browning shakes his head, shrugs his shoulders. The big decision, he says, was really no decision at all.
“Man, after all (FMU) has done for me … I mean, they were there for me when no one else was,” says Browning. “And the people here have always been great. This is where I belong. I wasn’t going anywhere. I guess maybe coach was worried, but I wasn’t leaving. “
Gary Edwards, Browning’s coach at FMU, admits to some nervousness during the spring in question. But those days are long past now and recalling them now brings a smile to Edwards’ face.
“Detrek’s done a lot of neat things here, made a lot of big plays, and he’ll always be one of my favorites,” says Edwards, “but if you ask me what I’ll remember most that’s it. It’s that loyalty that Detrek showed. That’s a rare quality. It’s better than all those points he scored.”
Things happen
Maybe Detrek Browning never should have wound up at FMU in the first place.
He wasn’t exactly a secret coming out of Irmo (S.C.) High School, just north of Columbia. Irmo, led by legendary coach Tim Whipple, is one of the premier high school basketball programs in South Carolina and Detrek Browning did nothing during his time with the Yellowjackets to lessen that.
Browning played three varsity seasons at Irmo and helped the team win two state championships. In his senior year Irmo went 29-0 — Whipple’s only unbeaten squad in 37 years at the helm — and captured Whipple’s fifth state title.
Browning may not have been — may being the key word — the best player on a team that also included University of South Carolina recruit Justin McKie. But he wasn’t a secret. He was receiving significant recruiting attention by his junior year and had a number of Division I programs giving him long looks.
But … things happened. One program that seemed like a sure thing signed another guard and never called Browning again. Another changed coaches. And so on.
Whipple says it was clear to him — then and now — that Browning belonged on a Division I roster.
“Oh, there’s no doubt that the could play at that level,” says Whipple. “But you know, coaches look at things … it’s tough. He (Browning) was a little small maybe, kind of got in that in-between thing position wise. Was he a point guard or a shooting guard? He didn’t play much point for us until his senior year. But maybe he’s a little small for a D-I shooting guard, maybe he’s not that fast … So …”
So, early that year, one Edwards’ assistants at FMU saw Browning play and suggested the Patriots make a run at him. Edwards saw him and quickly agreed — “best point guard I saw all year,” Edwards said.
Edwards found out Browning’s recruiting had taken a funny turn and put on the full court press. When Browning came for his official visit, Edwards offered him a full scholarship on the spot.
Browning held out for a little while, waiting for the “better” offer that never came. Eventually his own good sense — all who know him see him as an extremely well-grounded person — and a little hectoring from his mom made him a Patriot.
“I kept thinking, ‘maybe a bigger school will offer me something,’” Browning says. “Meanwhile, mom is saying, ‘are you crazy? They’re offering you a full scholarship. They really want you. You know what? She was right.”
Red-shirt tears
One more test remained.
Though a polished player for a freshman, Browning arrived on the FMU campus to find Evrik Gary — the number three scorer in school history — already ensconced in the point guard role. Edwards and the Patriot staff persuaded Browning that the thing to do was sit out — redshirt is the term — his freshman season, just as Gary had done.
The move made sense, but it’s easier said than done. Redshirts spend all the practice time that regular players do but don’t get to play in the games, can’t even travel with the team to away contests.
“You’re really on your own a lot of times and have to stay focused to keep working on things, getting better, on your own,” says Browning. “That’s a good thing. There’s a lot to get used to moving from high school to college. It helped with basketball, with school, with everything. I tell everyone now ‘Redshirt. That’s the way to do it. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.’ But it’s not easy. I’ll have to say there were a few nights where a few tears were shed. “
Conserving energy
One point — not the first point, but a point all the same — that Browning would make about his game, about the way he plays basketball is that he can dunk the ball.
“Most definitely,” says Browning. “I actually have two dunks in games (at FMU). I guess there could have been more — fans would like it — but it’s not something I was ever that excited about. A bucket is a bucket. I’d rather conserve my energy.”
Good at energy conservation. Now there’s a line that doesn’t show up on many scouting reports. But that aspect of Detrek Browning, basketball player, says about as much about his game as any. He glides around the court, under control, moving from place to place — moving from the right place to the right place — with a studied nonchalance that lulls opponents, fans and even his own coach into a state of disinterest.
“He’s one of those guys,” says FMU’s Edwards, “where you pick up the stat sheet afterwards and you say, ’Twenty-five points? How’d he do that? I didn’t see that.’ He’s very, very smooth.”
Browning’s chief skill is an absolute intangible. He has innate understanding of the game that allows him to see plays before they develop.
“It doesn’t just happen,” explains Browning. “I’ve had some very good coaches. And I do think about all the plays. I just think about them five or 10 seconds before they happen.”
Which is five or 10 (or more) seconds ahead of most.
Speed, shooting kill
The awards and honors are piling up fast in Browning’s final season. He’s been the Peach Belt Conference Player of the Week four times (through January), set the FMU single game scoring mark (41 points) in early January and is clearly poised to post-season accolades as well.
It’s all well-deserved, but still surprising all the same for Browning seldom looks like the best athlete on the floor. The 6-0, 180-pounder is a little stocky as basketball players go, and doesn’t have the chiseled musculature of some. His two dunks aside, he is not a great leaper, and he’s probably not the fastest guy around either, although as dozens of oft-burned Peach Belt Conference foes would attest, he is plenty fast enough.
Browning comes from a very athletic family. His mom (Carlissa), various uncles and aunts and cousins all played college sports. His brother is a good bit heavier than Detrek, “but can still beat me in a race. He can fly.
“My uncle (Milton Kershaw) who played football in college and is just crazy fast, taught me early on that speed kills,” says Browning. “It’s the most important part of most sports. But it’s not necessarily who is fastest. It’s who can be fast when they need to be.”
Browning is a fine defender (he will finish his career among FMU’s all-time leader in steals, too), but what sets him apart are his offensive skills. In Browning’s mind — a good place to start for analyzing basketball — the key skill is shooting. He has simple mechanics and feel for the shot that came to him almost from the moment he took up the game — he hit a long buzzer beater to win the championship game in his first year of organized basketball at age 12.
“If you can shoot the basketball, I mean really shoot it, you are basically unguardable,” Browning says. “Try to stop the shot and it’s a fake and I’m by you for a pull up (jumper) or a layup. Try to stop that and …. “
His voice trails off. Another basketball thought has popped into a mind that processes such information at an astonishing rate.
“It’s always amazing to me the number of basketball players — Division I players — really can’t shoot,” says Browning. “That’s kind of the point of the game isn’t it?”
The Gary plan
Browning plans to follow in the footsteps of his former teammate Gary and play basketball professionally for as long as he can. Gary has been on an oddball world tour since he left FMU — Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Dubuque, Iowa and now, Cyprus — but he’s got a suitcase full of memorable experiences and … he’s still playing. The dream is still alive.
Browning understands. He knows he can play at a very high level and is eager to prove it, even if that means traveling some strange roads and learning even greater patience.
Whenever that is done, Browning suspects his long-term future lies … in coaching. He’s a Dean’s List student who’ll graduate in May with a degree in Psychology, and reservoir of knowledge that he thinks will translate nicely in that field.
“I seem to have a pretty good understanding of basketball,” says Browning. “I think that (coaching) could work out.”
