Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science

BA Quick Facts

A major in computer science is available through the Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree program offered by the College of Liberal Arts. The BA major in computer science has the following requirements.

See the Course Descriptions page for specific information on the computer science courses. See the BACS Four-Year Plan of Study for an example of how these courses fit in four academic years of study. Students should complete the BACS Checklist each semester during advising to aid in staying on track for graduation in four years.

Note: For the precise degree requirements, students and their advisors should consult the applicable catalog, current regulations, and Degree Audit application. This page describes the degree requirements beginning in Fall 2021.

Computer Science (37 credit hours)

Note: Students planning graduate study in computer science should include CSci 311, 423, and 450 among their computer science courses.

Mathematics (9 credit hours)

• Math 261, Unified Calculus and Analytical Geometry I
• Math 301, Discrete Mathematics
• One course chosen from the following:
  • Bus/Econ 30, Economic Statistics I
  • Math 375, Introduction to Statistical Methods

Science (9-11 credit hours)

• 9-11 credit hours chosen from courses in astronomy (Astr), biology (Bisc), chemistry (Chem), geology (Geol), physics (Phys), and interdisciplinary sciences (i.e., Liba 150, 151, 205, 205L, 315, 315L) that must include:
  • two semesters of course work in one subject and one semester in a subject from another department, where each course must be at least 3 credit hours
  • at least two courses with laboratories, which may be integrated with the lecture course or separated into a separate 1-hour course

Note: A student taking the required 6 credit hours of one subject (astronomy or physics) from the Department of Physics and Astronomy must take the remaining 3 hours from another department. Also, a student may not receive credit for taking Astr 101 or 102 (which do not have labs) with either Astr 103 or 104 (which have labs).

Speech (3 credit hours)

• 3 credit hours of speech chosen from:
  • Spch 102, Fundamentals of Public Speaking
  • Spch 105, Business and Professional Speech

First Year Composition (6 credit hours)

• 3 credit hours of writing chosen from Writ 100 and Writ 101
• 3 credit hours of writing chosen from Writ 102 and Liba 102

Note: Hon 101 and 102 can be used to satisfy 6 credit hours of the first year composition requirement, or, alternatively, 3 credit hours of the humanities and 3 hours of social science requirements described below.

Literature (6 credit hours)

• 6 credit hours of literature survey chosen from Eng 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, and 226

Modern or Ancient Language (6 credit hours)

• 6 credit hours at the 200-level or higher in a single modern or ancient language

Note: Courses may be chosen from Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swahili offered by the Modern Languages department, Ancient Greek and Latin offered by the Classics department, and American Sign Language (ASL) offered by the Communication Sciences and Disorders department.

History (6 credit hours)

• 6 credit hours chosen from courses in history (HST)

Social Sciences (6 credit hours)

• 6 credit hours in social science chosen from courses in anthropology (Anth), economics (Econ), political science (Pol), psychology (Psy), sociology (Soc), and interdisciplinary social sciences (i.e., Liba 203, 313)

Humanities (3 credit hours)

• 3 credit hours in humanities chosen from courses in African American studies (AAS), classical civilization (Clc), environmental studies (i.e., EnvS 101), gender studies (i.e., G St 201, 202, 301, 304, 333, 350, 355, 391, 402), philosophy (Phil), religion (Rel), Southern studies (i.e., S St 101, 102), and interdisciplinary humanities (i.e., Liba 202, 305, 312)

Note: In addition, gender studies courses that are cross-listed with African American studies, classical civilization, English, modern languages, philosophy, or religion courses will satisfy this requirements.

Fine or Performing Arts (3 credit hours)

• 3 credit hours in fine or performing arts chosen from art history (AH), music (Mus), dance (Danc), theatre arts (Thea), and interdisciplinary fine arts (i.e., Liba 130, 204, 314) that:
  • cannot include studio and workshop courses

Note: Acceptable freshman and sophomore courses are AH 101, AH 102, AH 201, AH 202, Danc 200, Liba 130, Mus 101, Mus 102, Mus 103, Mus 104, Mus 105, Thea 201, and Thea 202. Students who have completed 30 semester hours of undergraduate course work may fulfill the requirement with a 300- or 400-level art history course.

Minor Field (typically 18 credit hours)

• Complete the requirements for at least one minor (or for a second major)
• May choose any minor accepted by the College of Liberal Arts except Computer Science, Data Science, and the Computing emphasis on Digital Media Studies

Overall Requirements

• Complete at least 120 credit hours that satisfy the above degree requirements
• Complete at least one-third of the credit hours submitted for the degree (e.g., 40 of 120) in courses at the 300-level or higher
• Complete at least one-fourth of the credit hours submitted for the degree (e.g., 30 of 120) in residence at the University of Mississippi
• Complete at least 12 credit hours of the computer science major requirements in residence (i.e., the requirements listed above under Computer Science)
• Complete at least 6 credit hours of the requirements for each minor in residence
• Complete at least 12 of the last 21 credit hours in residence
• Earn resident and overall GPA of at least 2.00 on all course work taken at all institutions of higher learning
• Earn resident and overall GPA of at least 2.00 on all course work submitted to satisfy the degree requirements
• Earn resident and overall GPAs of at least 2.00 on all course work submitted to satisfy the major requirements (i.e., on all courses listed above under Computer Science)
• Earn resident and overall GPAs of at least 2.00 on all course work submitted to satisfy the minor requirements

Note: The GPA requirements for degree, majors, and minors above must be satisfied separately for transfer and resident course work.

GradSHARK Launch PAAD

Undergraduate students interested in graduate study in Computer and Information Science can get a head start in earning a graduate degree through the GradSHARK Launch PAAD for Computer and Information Science.

Requirements to qualify:

• Be a BSCS or BACS major
• 3.25 minimum GPA
• 90 completed credit hours as an undergraduate

Click here for more information about the GradSHARK Launch PAAD program.