Program: Computer Science (BS) - American University

Nov 19, 2025

American University Catalog 2024-2025

Computer Science, B.S. (Sample Plans)

Offered by the Department of Computer Science , College of Arts and Sciences .

Admission to the Program

Formal admission to the major requires a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 (on a 4.00 scale) and departmental approval.

University Requirements

120 credit hours with minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 2 )
Completion of all requirements for a major (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 9 )

AU Core Requirements

Completion of AU Core foundation requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.2-8.6 )
Completion of AU Core Habits of Mind requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.7 )
Completion of AU Core integrative course requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.8-8.11 )

For additional information, see AU Core Curriculum .

Major Requirements

62 credit hours with grades of C or better, including at least 40 credit hours at or above 300-level
Maximum 6 credit hours of CSC coursework may be substituted for relevant non-CSC coursework with the approval of the program director

Course Requirements

Introductory Core (14 credit hours)

Upper-Level Core (10 credit hours)

Calculus (4 credit hours)

Complete 4 credit hours from the following:

Statistics (4 credit hours)

Complete 4 credit hours from the following:

Breadth of Knowledge (12 credit hours)

Complete 12 credit hours from the following, or other courses approved by program director:

Concentration (12 credit hours)

Complete one of the following concentrations:

Artificial Intelligence

Complete 12 credit hours from the following if not taken to fulfill Breadth of Knowledge:

CSC-468 Artificial Intelligence (3)
CSC-476 Computer Vision (3)
CSC-480 Introduction to Data Mining (3)
CSC-481 Machine Learning for Cybersecurity (3)
CSC-483 Big Data Computing and Machine Learning (3)
3 credit hours from Artificial Intelligence course

Computational Media

Complete 12 credit hours from the following if not taken to fulfill Breadth of Knowledge:

Cyber Security

Complete 12 credit hours from the following if not taken to fulfill Breadth of Knowledge:

Software Engineering & Computer Systems

Complete 12 credit hours from the following if not taken to fulfill Breadth of Knowledge:

Self-Designed

Complete 12 credit hours from the following if not taken to fulfill Breadth of Knowledge:

12 credit hours approved by advisor with at least 6 CSC credit hours

Capstone (6 credit hours)

Complete 6 credit hours from the following taken twice:

CSC-493 Computer Science Capstone Project (3)

Combined Computer Science (BS) and Computer Science (MS)

American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor’s/master’s programs. For more information, see Admission to a Combined Bachelor’s / Master’s Program and Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees of this catalog.

In addition to meeting the minimum university requirements for combined bachelor’s/master’s programs:

Admission is open to undergraduate computer science majors with a minimum grade point average of 3.20. Applicants must have completed the following by the end of the junior year: