2024-2025
Computer Science (B.A.)
College of Engineering
Program description
The Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science (BA in CS) is a comprehensive program designed to equip students with both a strong foundation in computer science and the flexibility to explore diverse fields of study. This program balances rigorous technical training with a broad foundational education, fostering well-rounded graduates capable of innovative thinking and problem-solving in various technological contexts.
Students will delve into core computer science subjects such as algorithms, data structures, software development, and computer systems. Additionally, they will have the opportunity to explore specialized areas like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and web development. The curriculum emphasizes critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration, preparing students to tackle complex challenges in technology and beyond.
Career opportunities
Graduates of the program will be well-prepared for diverse career paths in technology, including software engineering, data analysis, and IT consulting, as well as roles in non-tech industries that increasingly rely on digital expertise. With a blend of technical skills and a broad educational background, the degree opens doors to innovative and impactful career opportunities and produces versatile professionals equipped with a unique blend of technical prowess and interdisciplinary insight. This combination is particularly valuable in today's rapidly evolving job market, where the ability to apply computer science principles across various domains is increasingly sought after. In addition to traditional roles in software engineering, data analysis, and IT consulting, graduates find opportunities in industries such as finance, healthcare, education, and media, where their ability to leverage technology for innovative solutions sets them apart.
Moreover, the program's emphasis on foundational education enhances graduates' communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, making them effective collaborators and leaders in diverse team environments. Their broad educational background enables them to approach problems from multiple perspectives, fostering creativity and adaptability. This adaptability is crucial in roles such as product management, UX/UI design, digital marketing, and tech entrepreneurship, where understanding user needs and market dynamics is essential.
With their well-rounded education and strong technical foundation, graduates are not only prepared to excel in current tech roles but are also equipped to adapt to future technological advancements and emerging fields, ensuring long-term career growth and relevance.
Change of major requirements
A minimum of 12 earned VCU credit hours and a VCU GPA of 2.0 or greater is required to change into the Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science. Completion of MATH 151, CMSC 254 or CMSC 210, & CMSC 255, all with grades "C" or higher. Students interested in declaring any major in the College of Engineering must first meet with an advisor in their preferred major to review eligibility requirements. To request a meeting, please email engradvise@vcu.edu and include your name, V#, and major of interest.
Bachelor-level job titles
- Computer Programmer
- Cybersecurity Engineer
- Data Engineer or Architect
- Project Manager
- Sales Engineer
- Scrum Master
- Software Engineer or Developer
- Software Quality Assurance and Test Engineer
- Web Developer
Graduate and professional level job titles
- College Professor
- Computer Architecture Engineer
- Lead Machine Learning Engineer/Scientist
- Lead Software Engineer
- Project Leader
Professional associations and resources
Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
Requirements
Highest level of math required
- MATH 310
Science required
Foreign language requirements
- No
Additional tuition/fees
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
- A minimum of 12 earned VCU credit hours and a VCU GPA of 2.0 or greater is required to change into the Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science. Completion of MATH 151, CMSC 254 or CMSC 210, & CMSC 255, all with grades "C" or higher.
Transfer Maps
Contact information
Department name:
Department of Computer Science
Building/room location:
401 West Main Street, Room E4225
Phone:
(804) 828-0575
Email:
compsci@vcu.edu
Campus (where 75% of courses are taken):
Monroe Park
Major map
Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
- Enroll in a student success course to connect with campus advisors and build community around your interests and goals.
- Map out a 4-year course plan in the DegreeWorks Student Educational Planner.
- Meet with a writing consultant to hone your writing skills.
- Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor to review your CSI self-report, start goal planning, and choose electives.
- Sharpen your study skills in supplemental instruction sessions at the Campus Learning Center.
- Register for CMSC 255, 256 & 302.
- Register for the highest level math you can.
- Attend all SI sessions and seek tutoring.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
- Apply to live in a Living-Learning Community.
- Consider applying to the Honors College.
- Get involved, meet people, and develop your interests by joining one of VCU's 50 student clubs and organizations.
- If living on campus, connect with your Resident Assistant, attend hall events, and participate in Community Council.
- Participate in RAM CAMP to get a jump start on learning about VCU’s campus community.
- Register to vote in Virginia and explore Richmond’s many museums and parks.
- Join an Engineering student org like ACM, LUG, RamDev, ACM-W, VINE.
- Meet your peers and make new friends and study buddies at the Weeks of Welcome cookout.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
- Check out the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs and follow @vcuomsa.
- Join RAMmalogues to talk with peers about social identities in the context of acceptance, belonging, and inclusion in life at VCU.
- Review Global Learning's Major Advising Sheets to explore studying abroad opportunities and other global learning opportunities.
- Visit a study abroad fair and complete Rams Abroad 101.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
- Activate your Handshake profile and opt-in to industry email lists.
- Apply to be a Division of Student Affairs peer leader.
- If eligible, consider applying for a federal work-study job on- or off-campus in Handshake.
- Seek research opportunities by applying for research funding through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.
- Set up a profile in the Student Opportunity Center to explore REAL opportunities.
- Create a draft engineering resume and meet with a career advisor in Engineering Career Services to discuss it.
- Learn about research opportunities through V.I.P Teams, UROP and DURI.
- Volunteer to do research with a professor.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
- Access your free credit report and begin making responsible credit choices to prepare for your future.
- Build a resume and LinkedIn profile with help from VCU Career Services, make at least 10 connections, and check out the VCU alumni career programs page.
- Explore “What Can I Do With This Major” to learn about employers in your field of study.
- Join Students Today Alumni Tomorrow to connect with VCU traditions and alumni networking opportunities.
- Make a 4-year affordability plan with your financial counselor.
- Attend Engineering Internship/Career Fairs.
Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
- Explore innovation and business/non-profit creation classes with the da Vinci Center.
- Get familiar with the research process with the VCU Libraries Research Basics Guide.
- Schedule an appointment with your advisor to explore minors, certificates, and plan your required REAL experience.
- Talk to professors about your research interests, electives, and strategies for success in your classes.
- Continue coursework in programming, math, chemistry, and physics.
- Consider Accelerated Master’s, added at end of second year.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
- Discuss personal and professional interests with faculty.
- If living on campus, join the Residence Hall Association.
- Learn about the Sophomore Year Experience in Cary & Belvedere.
- Take a service-learning class to get involved with local organizations while earning credit.
- Volunteer to address a social issue and check out Hands on Greater Richmond for opportunities.
- Work for the College of Engineering as a tutor in your strongest subjects.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
- Apply for the Critical Languages Scholarship.
- Explore social issues, develop cultural competency skills, and engage with faculty through iExcel pop-up courses.
- Investigate globally-focused courses in your major by pursuing language coursework or setting language proficiency goals with advisors and faculty.
- Make friends with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
- Consider short-term, semester, and year-long study abroad opportunities.
- Learn the historical and current events that have shaped cultures to which you have been underexposed.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
- Attend career and internship fairs and other professional development events.
- Complete a gap analysis with your career advisor to identify key skills required for your professional field.
- Explore global career options with a career advisor to set goals for getting your dream job.
- Organize examples of your academic and professional experiences, accomplishments, and reflections in an ePortfolio.
- Pursue a digital badge to highlight the knowledge, skills, and experiences employers and graduate schools value.
- Seek out practical experience through independent skill-building, internships, shadowing, or part-time work.
- Take ENGR 395 Professional Development & gain key skills for finding internships, co-op’s, or research opportunities.
- Apply for internships, co-ops, and VIP Teams.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
- Build a resume and LinkedIn profile with help from VCU Career Services, make at least 10 connections, and check out the VCU alumni career programs page.
- Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of professional interest.
- Connect with alumni on VCULink for career advice, industry contacts, and meaningful professional relationships.
- Meet with a coach in the Financial Success Center to set financial goals, understand student loans, and create spending plans.
- Attend Engineering Internship/Career Fairs.
- Consider attending a national career fair (SWE, SHPE, NSBE) to gain exposure to more employers.
Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
- Enhance your business, software, technology, and creative skills using LinkedIn Learning.
- See your academic and career advisors to discuss graduation progress and career planning.See your academic and career advisors to discuss graduation progress and career planning.
- Take a virtual library tour to learn about library spaces, services, and research help.
- Attend or present a poster at a scientific meeting or conference.
- Consider the Cybersecurity or Data Science Certificates for meeting upper level CMSC elective requirement.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
- Attend civic meetings, such as school board, neighborhood association, city council, or state legislative sessions.
- Design a community-engaged research project.
- Make an appointment with the National Scholarship Office to explore post-graduate scholarship and fellowship opportunities, such as the Fulbright Student Scholarship.
- Motivate your peers by presenting at Leaders Unleashed: Student Leadership Conference or at TEDxVCU.
- Create and complete a science related community-engaged research project.
- Work for the College of Engineering as a tutor in your strongest subjects.
- Consider being a mentor in VINE.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
- Build language proficiency and cultural competence by carrying out your plans for study abroad, internships, and service-learning.
- Explore new cultures at one of Richmond’s wide array of festivals.
- Get required REAL experience and effect community change by using iExcel’s Active Citizen’s Toolkit to vote and volunteer.
- Prepare for future work on multidisciplinary and multicultural teams by showcasing your interpersonal skills on your resume.
- Update your engineering resume to include how you have developed your communication and interpersonal skills for future work on multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
- Apply for the Graduate School Mentorship Program to learn more about graduate school and the graduate student experience.
- Get expert advice from VCU Alumni ranging from graduate school to your career simply by asking a question through Ask A Ram.
- Take advantage of mock interview opportunities through Big Interview or meeting with a career advisor.
- Work on developing your professional online presence (LinkedIn, Handshake, Github).
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
- Ask a faculty or staff member to be your academic and professional mentor and to provide future letters of recommendation.
- Have a personal statement or cover letter reviewed by Career Services.
- Make a plan with your advisors for applying to graduate school or land a micro-internship.
- Prepare for job offer negotiation by researching salaries, benefits, and other opportunities for flexibility.
- Study for and complete any standardized exams required for graduate school the summer before senior year.
- Talk to advisors, faculty, and Engineering Career Services about graduate school versus a job.
- Attend the Engineering Internship & Career Fair.
Excel
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
- Choose REAL electives to diversify your skillset and round out your degree.
- Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor the semester before you graduate to ensure that all graduation requirements will be met.
- Choose CMSC electives relevant to your preferred post-graduation opportunities.
- Declare any possible outstanding minors for which you may already have credit (Math, for example).
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
- Apply for post-graduation programs like Peace Corps, Literacy Lab, Richmond Teacher Residency, or AmeriCorps.
- Attend professional association conferences that offer student rates or scholarships.
- Serve in a leadership role on campus in a local community organization.
- Consider working as a tutor in your strongest subjects.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
- Carry out globally-oriented research projects with multilingual faculty and international partners.
- Master your answers to interview questions about your experience working with diverse populations.
- Plan for how you will grow your cultural agility after graduation.
- Read scholarly articles about diversity in your field.
- Continue to explore cultures beyond your own through scholarly and recreational avenues.
- Visit the Museum District’s many offerings, such as the VMFA and the Virginia Museum of History and Culture.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
- Consider becoming an educator through programs like RTR, which prepare graduates from a variety of majors to become teachers in high-need schools.
- Meet with your academic or professional mentor and identify examples of your experiential learning to share with employers.
- Publish your original research in Auctus: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creativity.
- Gain practical experience through internships, externships and skill building.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
- Connect with the Office of VCU Alumni Relations at Grad Fair, Grad Bash, and the VCULink Industry Network or alumni chapter.
- Prepare for graduation by making a plan to complete licensing exams, applications, and self-marketing activities.
- Single out prospective employers and create a job or graduate school search strategy at least 8 months before graduation.
- Meet with a career advisor in Engineering Career Services.
- Attend Engineering Internship/Career Fairs.
2024-2025
Computer Science (B.A.)
College of Engineering
Concentration(s):
Cybersecurity, Data Science, Software Engineering | No concentration
| MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING | GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY | DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY | EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS | PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE | ||
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