Computer Science Major

The major consists of a minimum of 12 full courses (or the equivalent).

Note: Students must earn minimum grades of C- or P for all courses that apply toward the major.

View entry-level course sequence suggestions.

Summary of Requirements

Five Computer Science Core Courses
Five Computer Science Elective Courses (minimum of three courses required at the 300-level)
One Additional Mathematics or Statistics Course

Note: Private Reading courses do not normally count toward the major.

Entry-Level Course Sequence Suggestions

Most students who wish to study Computer Science or who wish to explore programming and algorithmic problem-solving should begin with CSCI 150. This course does not assume any prior experience with programming and is appropriate for both potential majors and non-majors. Students who seek a more gentle introduction to programming and problem-solving may take CSCI 140; those who do so should be aware that if they decide to continue their study of Computer Science after taking CSCI 140 they will still need to take CSCI 150.

Since the requirements for the major in Computer Science are substantial, students planning to major in the discipline are encouraged to begin the coursework in their first year at Oberlin taking CSCI 150 and CSCI 151 along with MATH 133.

Students who would like to explore Computer Science without studying it in great depth may be interested in the entries listed below in the section “Courses in General Computing”.

Honors Program

In the spring of the junior year, students may apply for admission to the Computer Science Honors Program by submitting a proposal for a project they will undertake in their final year. Most projects involve either original research in Computer Science or the development of an application that makes use of algorithms and techniques from recent papers. All Honors projects include a thorough exploration of the primary literature. Admission to the program will be based on past performance in classes as well as the quality and feasibility of the proposal. Those admitted to the program will receive a full course credit for CSCI 401F each semester. Honors students make several presentations of their work during the year, write a thesis on their research, and in the spring take a comprehensive examination prepared by an external examiner.