Bachelor of Arts [B.A] [Computer Science] From University of Iowa

The department encourages students majoring in computer science or informatics to consider earning a second major, certificate, or minor.Students may declare a major in computer science or in informatics when they are admitted to the University or afterward. All students begin the majors as Bachelor of Arts students but may switch to the Bachelor of Science programs at any time.Undergraduates majoring in computer science develop competence in programming principles and methodologies, problem-solving techniques, mathematics, and computer systems. Computer science training is critical for many careers in science, engineering, business, and health care.The informatics major combines fundamental and practical computing knowledge with a choice of cognate areas from the liberal arts and sciences, providing students with the necessary background and specialized skills to work at the interface of computing and another discipline. Informatics students may begin the major without a chosen cognate area; they may declare a cognate at any time. Some cognates are available only with the Bachelor of Arts, others are available only with the Bachelor of Science. So a student's choice of cognate determines whether he or she will earn a B.A. or a B.S.Both computer science and informatics majors are advised at the Academic Advising Center until they have completed 24 s.h., at which point they are assigned a departmental advisor. Students being advised at the Academic Advising Center also can consult with a computer science or informatics faculty advisor.Transfer students who have taken a course approved as equivalent to a required computer science or informatics course are exempt from that course. Transfer course grades are included in the computer science or informatics grade-point average.Students should consult the Department of Computer Science web site or visit the department's office for information about general policies, elective areas, and internships, scholarships, and student groups, such as the University's chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and Women in Informatics and Computer Science (WICS).