Minors

Students interested in a minor should contact the CIS department for additional information.

Admission to the Computer Science minor program

In order to declare a minor within the Computer Science program, students must have a minimum overall GPA of 2.000 and a C or better in at least 1 core course required for the respective minor. Students are encouraged to inquire and plan their minor program early in their career.  Courses completed prior to formal declaration will count toward the minor program.

Once accepted, the student is assigned an advisor, who works with the student to design an individual minor program that meets the stated requirements. Study plans are to be approved by the department chairperson.


The Department of Computer and Information Science offers five minors:

The minor in Artificial Intelligence (AI) equips students with knowledge in AI and the ability to effectively provide technical diversity in fields that are shaping the world economically, socially, and culturally. Students will be trained in several areas, including AI, data mining, bioinformatics, mobile robotics, image processing, and data visualization in preparation for a wide range of careers.

Requirements (Artificial Intelligence Minor Tracking Sheet) (PDF)

Complete the following courses with a grade of C or better:

Four Required Courses

  • CIS 180* Object-Oriented Programming I (4)
  • CIS 322  Data Structures and Fundamental Algorithms (3) or CIS 360 Algorithms & Data Structures (4)
  • CIS  362 Empirical Methods for Computer Science (3) or CIS 381 Social and Ethical Aspects of Computing (3)
  • CIS 412 Artificial Intelligence (3)

Two Elective Courses

  • CIS 430 Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery (3)
  • CIS 455 Bioinformatics (3)
  • CIS 465 Topics in Computer Vision (3)
  • CIS 466 Mobile Robotics (3)
  • CIS 467 Image Processing (3)
  • CIS 468 Data Visualization (3)
  • CIS 490 Machine Learning (3)

Total Credits: 18-20

* CIS 180 may be replaced with any 3-credit programming course on high-level language, e.g., Python, C++, C#, C, and R. Substituted course requires department approval.

The Computer Game Design minor is intended to prepare students with the requisite knowledge to develop video games. Upon completion of the minor, the student will have the knowledge to develop video games independent of the platform. More importantly, this minor will give students the experience and framework to work cohesively when the technical track overlaps with the visual track.

Requirements (Computer Game Design Tracking Sheet) (PDF)

Complete the following courses with a grade of C or better:

  • CIS 180 Object-Oriented Programming I (4)
  • CIS 181 Object Oriented Programming II (4)
  • CIS 360 Algorithms & Data Structures (4)
  • CIS 464 Computer Game Design (3)
  • Two Game Design Electives (6)

Complete a course in Physics:

  • PHY 101 or PHY 111 or PHY 113 (3 or 4)

Total Credits: 24-25

The Computer Science minor is designed to enable students to develop an understanding of computer science as a discipline, its structure, methodologies, and trends. The minor prepares students to use computer technology as a tool to solve problems, and acquire a sufficient background in computer science to continue their study of the discipline independently. Furthermore, it gives students a sufficient knowledge in computer science to gain an advantage when entering the current job market.

Requirements (CIS Minor Tracking Sheet) (PDF)

Complete the following courses with a grade of C or better:

  • CIS 180 Object-Oriented Programming I (4)
  • CIS 181 Object-Oriented Programming II (4)
  • CIS 280 Software Specification & Design (4)
  • CIS 360 Algorithms & Data Structures (4)
  • CIS 361 Models of Computation (3)
  • One additional CIS 300/400 course (3)

Total Credits: 22

The Computer Science Cybersecurity minor will prepare students with advanced skills in cyber defense for possible use against threats, attacks and vulnerabilities, in-depth knowledge for development of secure software systems, and a cybersecurity mindset that can be aligned with their respective interests and degree plans.

Requirements (CIS Cybersecurity Minor Tracking Sheet) (PDF)

Complete the following courses with a grade of C or better:

Three required courses

  • CIS 190 Intro to Procedural Programming (4) or ECE 160 Foundations of Computer Engineering I (4)
  • CIS 360 Algorithms & Data Structures (4)
  • CIS 370 Design of Operating Systems (4)

Choose three elective courses

  • CIS 442 Digital Forensics (3) or ECE 487 Computer Forensics (3)
  • CIS 443 Applied Cryptography (3)
  • CIS 444 Cyber Defense and Operations (3)
  • CIS 446 Secure Software Development (3)
  • CIS 447 Network Security and Data Assurance (3) or ECE 489 Network Security (3)
  • CIS 477 Computer and Information System Security (3)

Total Credits: 21

The minor in Mobile Application Development is intended to prepare students to develop and market applications for mobile devices. Upon completion of the minor, the student will have the knowledge to develop mobile applications for Android or iOS platform, as well as the ability to adapt that knowledge to other platforms. 

Requirements (Mobile Applications Development Minor Tracking Sheet) (PDF)

Complete the following courses with a grade of C or better: 

  • CIS 180 Object-Oriented Programming I (4)
  • CIS 181 Object-Oriented Programming II (4)
  • CIS 360 Algorithms & Data Structures (4)
  • CIS 433 Mobile Appl Development w/Android (3)or CIS 434 Mobile Appl Development w/iOS (3)
  • CIS 440 Software Process and Project Management (3)
  • MKT 443 Social Media Marketing (3)

Total Credits: 21