Answer: In the Computer Science degree, there are a minimum 126 hours required; a minimum of 40 hours of your degree must be Upper Level (Junior/Senior) hours.

Answer: There are 41 hours of Computer Science required core courses and 12 hours of Computer Science electives (6 of these hours can be approved related electives with select Mathematics, Electrical & Computer Engineering, and Business Administration courses).

Answer:

1. MATH courses required for the CS Degree include: MATH 1451 (Calculus I), MATH 1452 (Calculus II), MATH 2450 (Calculus III), MATH 2360 (Linear Algebra), and MATH 3342 (Math Statistics for Engineers and Scientists). Students have the opportunity to take another Math course from the approved CS related electives list that would count  toward a Math minor and a CS related elective. Typically, students graduate with a math minor.. Additionally, students can easily complete  a dual major in Math and Computer Science by taking 19 additional hours,a minimum of 145 hours to complete. If you are interested in this, please let your advisor know.
2. ENGL courses required for the CS Degree include: ENGL 1301 (Essentials of College Rhetoric), ENGL 1302 (Advanced College Rhetoric), and ENGL 2311 (Technical Writing).
3. The Natural Science courses required for the degree include: CHEM 1307/1107 (Principles of Chemistry I w/ Lab), PHYS 1408 (Principles of Physics I), and PHYS 2401 (Principles of Physics II).

Answer: Available on our “Advising” tab on the website, we have 3 different versions of the curriculum: one shows a Degree Plan Checklist with recommended semesters and course information, one shows a Flowchart of the CS curriculum with some recommended semesters mainly showcasing the prerequisite flow of the Degree, and one simply lists the course curriculum information including course number, full title, and prerequisites or notes associated with the course.

Answer: Prior to being admitted as an official Computer Science student, you must complete the WCOE Foundational Engineering program. According to the WCOE terms, you have 3 long semesters to complete the curriculum, although most students will complete it in 2. The Foundational courses required are: ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302, MATH 1451 and MATH 1452, CHEM 1307/1107, PHYS 1408, ENGR 1110, ENGR 1320, ENGR 1330, and ENGR 2392.Until you complete the Foundational curriculum, you cannot take upper level engineering and computer science coursework.

Answer: While we do not have any specific concentrations that undergraduates can specialize in, there are electives available in a wide array of Computer Science topics (ranging from Artificial Intelligence, Human-Computer Interaction, Security, and more). There is also an  opportunity for undergraduate research hours, and professors have a large subset of research areas. To view what areas the professors' focus their research in, please visit our “Faculty” page here:https://www.depts.ttu.edu/cs/faculty/. Within each faculty member's biography, they identify their areas of research interests. You are welcome to contact individual professors with questions about their research or to see if they are willing to take on Undergraduates in their research as well.

Answer: Texas Tech offers many courses in the General Education and Core curriculum requirements online through their distance courses; however, the Computer Science department does not offer undergraduate coursework online.

Answer: The Texas Tech Transfer Equivalency Office has a very useful link to get a more accurate idea of whether or not a course is transferable. You can view that here:https://www.depts.ttu.edu/registrar/teosearch/#/

Answer: Our Junior/Senior requirements for Computer Science students include: Junior Career Advising and a Senior Capstone course. The career advising is an opportunity for you to interact with professionals in the research fields or industry to learn about them and from them. The Capstone course is a time for you to work with a team and create a project that culminates your time as a CS student. This is typically taken your last semester.

Answer: Yes! Undergraduate students can take CS 4000 with instructor permission for either internship or research credit. For the research credit of CS 4000, you would be doing research with any member of the CS faculty. If you have a professor in mind, please reach out to them and have them complete the CS 4000 Research Form (available from your advisor). The CS 4000 internship is a good way to earn CS elective credit. The internship must be in a CS related field, and you must complete the CS 4000 course concurrently with your internship. To register for CS 4000 internship credit, please email your advisor the Co-Op Approval Form (available on the Advising tab of our website) and your offer letter for the internship position.

Answer: While the WCOE no longer requires all students complete an international experience through the International Engineering Programs office (IEP), it is still encouraged. These can be an internship abroad, research abroad, a service-learning project abroad, or a study abroad. For more information on this requirement, please reference this: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/coe/iep/. Also located within the link above, there are specific CS-related study abroad opportunities. To view those, please reference this: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/coe/iep/searchbymajor.php. Once here, there is a drop-down icon next to the Computer Science major. Here, it lists programs offered during long semesters as well as summer programs.

Answer: Yes!  The Texas Tech Learning Center offers tutoring in Computer Science coursework and the tutors are students in Computer Science.  Call 806-742-3664 or email learningcenter@ttu.edu for more information.  You can also go to their webpage here: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/soar/LC/ to learn which courses there are tutors for and each tutor's schedule.

Answer: Yes! The Department of Computer Science offers two different versions of the accelerated program: one for the B.S./M.S. in Computer Science and the other for the B.S./M.S. in Software and Security Engineering. Students take 9 hours of Graduate courses counting as Undergraduate electives, and then follow that with the remaining Graduate coursework the next year. Students tend to complete all hours in 5 years. It is available as a thesis track (148 hours) or non-thesis track (154 hours) for both Master's programs. For more information or to see if you qualify, please contact your Undergraduate advisor. Contact information is available here: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/cs/undergrad/advising.php.

Answer: Yes! Starting Fall 2023, Texas Tech University is partnering with various industry leaders to offer free industry career certificates to all students. Texas Tech offers in-demand skill certificates from industry leaders like Google, IBM, Meta and more, available at no cost to you. These certificates are optional, non-credit enhancements to your degree plan. Programs are asynchronous and self-paced. Complete yours online on your own schedule and at your own pace. Complete as many certificates as you wish. Each program is rigorous, so select carefully and make a plan to invest the necessary time. These are great opportunities to enhance your education and stand out in the job market. To view the full list of industry career certificate options, please visit this link: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/online/careercertificates/info/.

Answer: Most high-performance laptops will be sufficient for the Computer Science program at TTU. We recommend at a minimum the following specifications:

• Operating System:  Windows, Mac, or Linux
• Processor: Intel i7 or Apple M2 equivalent, or newer
• Hard disk: Solid-state drive (SSD) 1 TB or more
• RAM: 16 GB or more
• GPU: Integrated graphics is sufficient, except research interest is in game development or 3D visualization