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Minors

Students interested in a minor should contact the CIS department for additional information.

Admission to the Computer Science minor program

In order to declare a minor within the Computer Science program, students must have a minimum overall GPA of 2.000 and a C or better in at least 1 core course required for the respective minor. Students are encouraged to inquire and plan their minor program early in their career.  Courses completed prior to formal declaration will count toward the minor program.

Once accepted, the student is assigned an advisor, who works with the student to design an individual minor program that meets the stated requirements. Study plans are to be approved by the department chairperson.


The Department of Computer and Information Science offers five minors:

The minor in Artificial Intelligence (AI) equips students with knowledge in AI and the ability to effectively provide technical diversity in fields that are shaping the world economically, socially, and culturally. Students will be trained in several areas, including AI, data mining, bioinformatics, mobile robotics, image processing, and data visualization in preparation for a wide range of careers.

Complete the following courses with a grade of C or better:

Four Required Courses

  • CIS 180* Object-Oriented Programming I (4)
  • CIS 322  Data Structures and Fundamental Algorithms (3) or CIS 360 Algorithms & Data Structures (4)
  • CIS  362 Empirical Methods for Computer Science (3) or CIS 381 Social and Ethical Aspects of Computing (3)
  • CIS 412 Artificial Intelligence (3)

Two Elective Courses

  • CIS 430 Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery (3)
  • CIS 455 Bioinformatics (3)
  • CIS 465 Topics in Computer Vision (3)
  • CIS 466 Mobile Robotics (3)
  • CIS 467 Image Processing (3)
  • CIS 468 Data Visualization (3)
  • CIS 490 Machine Learning (3)

Curriculum Summary

  • Total number of courses required: 6
  • Total credit hours required: 18–20
  • All required courses must be completed with a grade of C or better.
  • CIS 180 may be substituted with another 3-credit programming course in a high-level language, such as Python, C++, C#, C, or R, with department approval.

The Computer Game Design minor is intended to prepare students with the requisite knowledge to develop video games. Upon completion of the minor, the student will have the knowledge to develop video games independent of the platform. More importantly, this minor will give students the experience and framework to work cohesively when the technical track overlaps with the visual track.

Required Core Courses

  • CIS 180 – Object-Oriented Programming I (4 credits)
  • CIS 181 – Object-Oriented Programming II (4 credits)
  • CIS 360 – Algorithms & Data Structures (4 credits)
  • CIS 464 – Computer Game Design (3 credits)
  • PHY 101 – Introduction to Physics I (3 credits) or PHY 111 – Physics for Science and Engineering I (4 credits) or PHY 113 – Classical Physics I (4 credits)

Elective Courses

Choose two.

  • CIS 412 – Artificial Intelligence (3 credits)
  • CIS 431 – Human-Computer Interaction (3 credits)
  • CIS 433 – Mobile Application Development with Android (3 credits)
  • CIS 434 – Mobile Application Development with iOS (3 credits)
  • CIS 452 – Database Systems (3 credits)
  • CIS 454 – Computer Graphics (3 credits)
  • CIS 463 – Game Engine Design (3 credits)
  • CIS 466 – Introduction to Mobile Robotics (3 credits)
  • CIS 475 – Computer Networks (3 credits)
  • CIS 476 – Network Programming (3 credits)
  • CIS 477 – Computer and Information System Security (3 credits)

Curriculum Summary

  • Total number of courses required: 7
  • Total credit hours required: 24–25
  • All CIS courses must be completed with a grade of C or better.

 

 

The Computer Science minor is designed to enable students to develop an understanding of computer science as a discipline, its structure, methodologies, and trends. The minor prepares students to use computer technology as a tool to solve problems, and acquire a sufficient background in computer science to continue their study of the discipline independently. Furthermore, it gives students a sufficient knowledge in computer science to gain an advantage when entering the current job market.

Required Courses

  • CIS 180 – Object-Oriented Programming I (4 credits)
  • CIS 181 – Object-Oriented Programming II (4 credits)
  • CIS 280 – Software Specification and Design (4 credits)
  • CIS 360 – Algorithms & Data Structures (4 credits)
  • CIS 361 – Models of Computation (3 credits)
  • An additional 300- or 400-level CIS course (3 credits)

Curriculum Summary

  • Total number of courses required: 6
  • Total credit hours required: 22
  • All CIS courses must be completed with a grade of C or better.

 

The Computer Science Cybersecurity minor will prepare students with advanced skills in cyber defense for possible use against threats, attacks and vulnerabilities, in-depth knowledge for development of secure software systems, and a cybersecurity mindset that can be aligned with their respective interests and degree plans.

Required Core Courses

  • CIS 190 – Introduction to Procedural Programming (4 credits) or ECE 160 – Foundations of Computer Engineering I (4 credits)
  • CIS 360 – Algorithms & Data Structures (4 credits)
  • CIS 370 – Design of Operating Systems (4 credits)

Elective Courses

Choose three.

  • CIS 442 – Digital Forensics (3 credits) or ECE 487 – Computer Forensics (3 credits)
  • CIS 443 – Applied Cryptography (3 credits)
  • CIS 444 – Cyber Defense and Operations (3 credits)
  • CIS 446 – Secure Software Development (3 credits)
  • CIS 447 – Network Security and Data Assurance (3 credits) or ECE 489 – Network Security (3 credits)
  • CIS 477 – Computer and Information System Security (3 credits)

Curriculum Summary

  • Total number of courses required: 6
  • Total credit hours required: 21
  • Computer Science majors are not eligible for this minor.
  • Computer Engineering majors pursuing this minor may substitute ECE 171 and ECE 264 for CIS 360.
  • Computer Engineering majors may substitute ECE 370 for CIS 370.
  • Computer Engineering majors must take CIS 400-level electives.
  • Students who completed a programming course other than CIS 190 or ECE 160 should have the Chairperson evaluate course equivalency with CIS 190.
  • All courses must be completed with a grade of C or better.
  • At least half of the credits required for the minor must be taken at UMass Dartmouth.

 

The minor in Mobile Application Development is intended to prepare students to develop and market applications for mobile devices. Upon completion of the minor, the student will have the knowledge to develop mobile applications for Android or iOS platform, as well as the ability to adapt that knowledge to other platforms. 

Required Core Courses

  • CIS 180 – Object-Oriented Programming I (4 credits)
  • CIS 181 – Object-Oriented Programming II (4 credits)
  • CIS 360 – Algorithms & Data Structures (4 credits)
  • CIS 433 – Mobile Application Development with Android (3 credits) or CIS 434 – Mobile Application Development with iOS (3 credits)
  • CIS 440 – Software Process and Project Development (3 credits)
  • MKT 443 – Social Media Marketing (3 credits)

Curriculum Summary

  • Total number of courses required: 6
  • Total credit hours required: 21
  • All CIS courses must be completed with a grade of C or better.
  • The prerequisites for MKT 443 are waived for students completing the minor.