Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology-Catalog

   The Computer Science curriculum prepares students for careers in all areas of the computer industry as well as for graduate studies in computer science and computer related fields. Students have also found a computer science major to be excellent preparation for careers in law, medicine, business administration, industrial engineering, biomedical engineering, and other technical and non-technical fields.
   Computer science is a rapidly changing discipline. The lifetime of a particular computer system or software package can be very short. The computer science curriculum is designed to prepare students for multiple careers in a rapidly changing environment. The department’s courses emphasize fundamental concepts and techniques that will last longer than present technology.
   Computer science majors complete a core of basic computer science courses that includes the study of algorithms, data structures, database concepts, computer architecture, programming languages, operating systems, and software engineering. Majors also complete important courses in closely related fields, e.g., discrete mathematics, digital logic design, and probability and statistics. The major requires students to study all aspects of the science of computing, including hardware, software, and theory.
   Courses in database systems, compilers, computer graphics, fractals and chaotic dynamical systems, artificial intelligence, theory of computation, analysis of algorithms, computer networks, computer vision, web-based information systems, and cryptography are available as advanced electives. A three-term senior project provides valuable practical experience in the specification, design, implementation, and documentation of large software systems. Qualified students can undertake independent study in advanced topics in computer science, participate in a research project with a faculty member, or complete a senior thesis.
   Programming assignments and large projects are part of most computer science courses. These assignments familiarize students with the wide variety of tasks performed by software professionals. Programming assignments include system specification, system feasibility studies, system design, system maintenance studies, and user interface design in addition to system implementation (i.e., coding), testing (verification and validation), and documentation. Projects include both individual and team activities and require appropriate written and oral presentations.
   Computer science majors have diverse interests and career goals. Five free elective courses allow students to tailor their undergraduate education to their specific goals. Students planning to undertake graduate study in computer science usually take additional advanced courses in computer science (particularly Theory of Computation and Design and Analysis of Algorithms), electrical engineering, and mathematics.
   The department has its own local area network. This network is connected to the campus-wide network and the Internet. Laboratory machines are mostly Sun Ultra workstations. Computer science majors have unlimited access to the department’s laboratories. Computer science majors are frequently employed by the computing center as user consultants, and by the department as system managers and course assistants.
   The student chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery provides seminars and other technical activities throughout the year and sponsors the school’s programming teams which compete in local, regional, and national contests. The national computer science honor society, Upsilon Pi Epsilon, has chartered its Indiana Alpha Chapter at Rose-Hulman.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND GOALS
Graduates from the computer science program will be prepared for many types of careers in the computing industry and prepared for graduate study in computer science and in closely related disciplines. Graduates will demonstrate the abilities to:

	1.	Apply effectively a variety of programming languages, programming paradigms, operating systems, networks, and software development tools.
	2.	Anticipate complexities and problems involved in the development of large software systems.
	3.	Analyze requirements, design software that satisfies those requirements, and implement the software.
	4.	Analyze problems using ideas of problem complexity, models of computation, and decidability.
	5.	Design algorithms using a variety of paradigms.
	6.	Analyze algorithms in terms of correctness as well as time and space efficiency.
	7.	Communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
	8.	Discuss major legal, social, and ethical issues that arise in the computing industry.
	9.	Collaborate effectively in small teams.

The faculty strives to maintain an open atmosphere that encourages mutual respect and support as well as learning and sharing of knowledge.

There are many alternatives to the schedule below. Students with special interests or opportunities (e.g., advanced placement) should determine what schedule is best for their own plan of study by examining schedules at the department’s web site: www.cs.rose-hulman.edu.

Freshman Year
Fall Term		Credit
CSSE MA PH RH CLSK	120 111 111 131 100	Fundamentals of Software Development I... Calculus I .............................. Physics I................................ Rhetoric & Composition .... College and Life Skills ........	4 5 4 4 1
			18

Winter Term		Credit
CHEM MA PH HSS	201 112 112	Engineering Chemistry I...... Calculus II.............................. Physics II............................... Elective...................................	4 5 4 4
			17

Spring Term		Credit
ECE MA HSS Science	130 113	Introduction to Logic Design................................ Calculus III............................ Elective.................................. Elective..................................	4 5 4 4
			17

Sophomore Year
Fall Term		Credit
CSSE CSSE MA MA	220 232 221 275	Fundamentals of Software Development II ............... Computer Architecture I ... Differential Equations and Matrix Algebra I.............. Discrete & Combinatorial Algebra I..........................	4 4 4 4
			16

Winter Term		Credit
CSSE CSSE MA HSS	230 333 375	Fundamentals of Software Development III .............. Database Systems .............. Discrete & Combinatorial Algebra II ......................... Elective..................................	4 4 4 4
			16

Spring Term		Credit
CSSE ECE ECE/MA HSS	304 332	Programming Lang. Con..... Computer Architecture II... Elective................................. Elective.................................	4 4 4 4
			16

Junior Year
Fall Term		Credit
CSSE CSSE MA HSS	371 381	Software Requirements & Specification ..................... Elective................................... Introduction to Probability with Statistical Applications...................... Elective...................................	4 4 4 4
			16

Winter Term		Credit
CSSE CSSE ECE/MA RH	332 372 330	Operating Systems............... Software Project Manage.... Elective................................... Technical Communications	4 4 4 4
			16

Spring Term		Credit
CSSE CSSE ECE/MA Free		Elective.................................. Elective.................................. Elective.................................. Elective..................................	4 4 4 4
			16



CSSE electives must include CSSE 473 and/or 474, and cannot include any of CSSE 373 through 377. Science elective is any CHEM, PH, or AB courses totaling at least 4 credits.

Senior Year
Fall Term		Credit
CSSE CSSE CSSE HSS Free	497 494	Senior Project I or Senior Thesis I...................... Elective................................... Elective................................... Elective...................................	4 4 4 4
			16

Winter Term		Credit
CSSE CSSE CSSE HSS	498 495	Senior Project II or Senior Thesis II..................... Elective................................... Elective................................... Free Elective ..........................	4 4 4 4
			16

Spring Term		Credit
CSSE CSSE Free Free	499 496	Senior Project III or Senior Thesis III ................... Elective .................................. Elective ..................................	4 4 4
			12

		Total credits required: 192

ECE/MA electives must be approved by the CSSE department head. HSS electives must be distributed as required by HSS.

Summary of graduation requirements for the computer science major
To complete the major in computer science a student must complete the following:

1.	All required courses listed by number in the schedule of courses above: CSSE120, CSSE220, CSSE230, CSSE232, CSSE304, CSSE332, CSSE333, CSSE371, CSSE372, either CSSE473 or CSSE474, and either CSSE494-6 or CSSE497-9; MA111, MA112, MA113, MA275, MA221, MA375, MA381; ECE130, ECE332; PH111, PH112; CHEM201; RH131, RH330; CLSK100.
2.	Four additional computer science courses numbered between 300 and 492. None of these may be CSSE373-377. The student’s academic adviser must approve the courses used to satisfy this requirement. (Use of computer science courses numbered 490 through 492 to fulfill this requirement must be approved by the department head.)
3.	Twelve credits of technical elective courses selected from the courses offered by the Department of Mathematics or the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Courses used as technical electives must have been approved for such use by the computer science department head. A student pursuing a second major, minor, or certificate program in an area not offered by the Department of Mathematics or the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering may substitute one or more technical electives counted towards the second major, minor, or certificate program for MA/ECE electives. These substitutions require approval of the computer science and software engineering department head.
4.	Four credits of science electives, which can be any CHEM, PH, or AB courses not already required for the computer science major.
5.	Twenty-eight credits of additional courses offered by the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. The distribution of these courses must meet the requirements of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences.
6.	Twenty credits of free elective courses. These courses must have the approval of the student’s academic adviser. Free electives may be selected from any Rose-Hulman course except Military Science and Aerospace Studies.
7.	A total of 192 credits.

Area Minor in Computer Science
Advisor: Dr. Laxer

Students majoring in Software Engineering may not receive a Computer Science minor.

Required courses
CSSE120 Fundamentals of Software Development I
CSSE220 Fundamentals of Software Development II
CSSE230 Fundamentals of Software Development III
Four additional courses in computer science numbered above 200. None of these may be CSSE 371-377.

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING

   Software engineering is the creation of software using a process similar to other engineering disciplines. It allows for software to be reliable and developed within time and cost estimates. The software engineering curriculum prepares students for a career in reliable, economical software development.
   Programming is only one phase (construction) of software engineering. There are many other aspects of the software engineering process, such as requirements definition, architectural design, and quality assurance, which need to be applied in order to develop reliable software on time and within budget constraints. The software engineering curriculum provides students a solid background in both the theory and practice of all phases in the software engineering process, beginning with their first course of study in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, and continuing to the end of the senior year.
   Since software is a non-physical product developed and executed on computers, the software engineering curriculum has computer science as its primary engineering science. The computer science courses taken by software engineering majors include the study of algorithms, data structures, database concepts, computer architecture, programming languages and operating systems. Software engineering majors also complete important courses in other closely related fields, such as discrete mathematics, digital logic design, and engineering statistics.
   Coverage of software engineering topics begins in a three-term introduction to software development during the freshman and sophomore years. This study continues with coverage of core software engineering areas in the junior year, including software requirements, software architecture, software design, software project management, software construction, software maintenance, software evolution, software quality assurance, and formal methods in software specification and design. All of these courses include individual and team projects relevant to that particular area of software engineering. These projects generally include both written and oral presentations, building upon a technical communication course which introduces the student to the skills necessary for this important aspect of being a software professional. Throughout the senior year, a capstone team project develops and delivers software for a “real-world” client, which is put on display locally at a public exposition.
   Throughout society, software exists for a wide variety of application domain areas. Each student is required to take at least three courses in a particular application domain, so that RHIT software engineering graduates can more effectively apply the software engineering principles they learn to that domain area. Students can choose from a variety of domain areas, including engineering, scientific and commercial applications.
   Courses in various computer science topics such as computer graphics, artificial intelligence, computer networks, computer vision, web-based information systems, and cryptography are among those available as advanced electives. In addition, free elective courses students to tailor their undergraduate education to their specific goals.
The department has its own local area network. This network is connected to the campus-wide network and the Internet. Laboratory machines are mostly Sun Ultra workstations. Software engineering majors have unlimited access to the department’s laboratories. Software engineering students are frequently employed by the computing center as user consultants and by the department as system managers and course assistants.
   The student chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery provides seminars and other technical activities throughout the year. The national honor society in the computing and engineering disciplines, Upsilon Pi Epsilon and Tau Beta Pi, both have chapters at Rose-Hulman. Software engineering majors are also eligible to join the Order of the Engineer, which focuses on the ethical and professional responsibilities of an engineer, during the spring of their last year of study.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND GOALS

Software engineering majors receive the knowledge and skills required to excel as a software professional in a wide variety of fields. Graduates will have been:

	1.	educated in the theory, principles, tools and processes involved in the engineering of complex software systems (including analysis, design, construction, maintenance, quality assurance and project management) and given opportunities to put that knowledge into practice.
	2.	endowed with a sound background in computer science and mathematics.
	3.	shown how to solve problems in a team environment through effective use of written and oral communication skills.
	4.	introduced to the global issues presently involved in effectively performing duties as a software practitioner in an ethical and professional manner for the benefit of society, and to the reasons why lifelong learning is needed in order to keep current as new issues emerge.
	5.	equipped to develop software in at least one application domain.

In addition, software engineering graduates will have demonstrated:

	1.	the ability to apply software engineering theory, principles, tools and processes, as well as the theory and principles of computer science and mathematics, to the development and maintenance of complex software systems.
	2.	the ability to design and experiment with software prototypes.
	3.	the ability to design and run experiments with software metrics.
	4.	the ability to participate productively on software project teams involving students from both software engineering and other majors.
	5.	effective communication skills through oral and written reports and software documentation evaluated by both peers and faculty.
	6.	the ability to elicit, analyze and specify software requirements through a productive working relationship with project stakeholders.
	7.	the ability to evaluate the business and impact of potential solutions to software engineering problems in a global society, using their knowledge of contemporary issues.
	8.	the ability to apply appropriate codes of ethics and professional conduct to the solution of software engineering problems.
	9.	the knowledge required to understand the need for and the ability to perform in lifelong learning.
	10.	the basic knowledge required in a software engineering application domain track.

The Computer Science and Software Engineering faculty strives to maintain an open atmosphere that encourages mutual respect and support as well as learning and sharing of knowledge.

Freshman Year
Fall Term		Credit
CSSE MA PH RH CLSK	120 111 111 131 100	Fundamentals of Software Development I... Calculus I .............................. Physics I................................ Rhetoric & Composition .... College and Life Skills ........	4 5 4 4 1
			18

Winter Term		Credit
CHEM MA PH HSS	201 112 112	Engineering Chemistry I...... Calculus II.............................. Physics II............................... Elective...................................	4 5 4 4
			17

Spring Term		Credit
ECE MA HSS Science	130 113	Introduction to Logic Design................................ Calculus III............................ Elective.................................. Elective..................................	4 5 4 4
			17

Sophomore Year
Fall Term		Credit
CSSE CSSE MA MA	220 232 221 275	Fundamentals of Software Development II ............... Computer Architecture I ... Differential Equations and Matrix Algebra I.............. Discrete & Combinatorial Algebra I..........................	4 4 4 4
			16

Winter Term		Credit
CSSE CSSE MA	230 333 375	Fundamentals of Software Development III .............. Database Systems .............. Discrete & Combinatorial Algebra II ......................... Domain track course...........	4 4 4 4
			16

Spring Term		Credit
CSSE MA HSS	304	Programming Lang. Con..... Elective................................. Elective................................. Domain track course..........	4 4 4 4
			16

Junior Year
Fall Term		Credit
CSSE CSSE MA RH	371 373 381 330	Software Requirements & Specification .................... Formal Methods in Spec.... Introduction to Probability with Statistical Applications...................... Technical Communications	4 4 4 4
			16

Winter Term		Credit
CSSE CSSE CSSE	372 374 332	Software Project Manage... Software Arch. and Des..... Operating Systems.............. Domain track course...........	4 4 4 4
			16

Spring Term		Credit
CSSE CSSE HSS	376 377	Software Quality Assur....... Software Arch. and Des. II.. Elective.................................. Domain track course or free elective............	4 4 4 4
			16

Science elective is any CHEM, PH, or AB courses totaling at least 4 credits.

Senior Year
Fall Term		Credit
CSSE CSSE HSS	375 497	Software Construction and Evolution...................... Senior Project I...................... Elective................................... Domain track course or free elective..................	4 4 4 4
			16

Winter Term		Credit
CSSE CSSE HSS Free	498	Senior Project II..................... Elective................................... Elective................................... Elective ..................................	4 4 4 4
			16

Spring Term		Credit
CSSE HSS Free	499	Senior Project III Elective .................................. Elective ..................................	4 4 4
			12

		Total credits required: 192

HSS electives must be distributed as required by HSS.

Summary of graduation requirements for the software engineering major
To complete the major in software engineering a student must complete the following:

1.	All required courses listed by number in the schedule of courses above: CSSE120, CSSE220, CSSE230, CSSE232, CSSE304, CSSE332, CSSE333, CSSE371, CSSE372, CSSE373, CSSE374, CSSE375, CSSE376, CSSE377, CSSE497, CSSE498, CSSE499; MA111, MA112, MA113, MA221, MA275, MA375, MA381; ECE 130; PH111, PH112, CHEM201; RH 131, RH330; CLSK100.
2.	One additional CSSE course numbered between 300 and 492. The student’s academic advisor must approve the course used to satisfy this requirement if the course number is between 300 and 489, while the CSSE department head must approve it if the course is numbered between 490 and 492.
3.	All of the courses in one of the following application domain tracks: Commercial Applications (3 courses, 12 credit hours) SL 151 Principles of Economics SL 350 Managerial Accounting SL 351 Managerial Economics Biomedical (3 courses, 4 credit hours) BE 310 Analysis of Physiological Systems I (4) BE 320 Analysis of Physiological Systems II (4) BE 360 Biomaterials (4) Electrical Engineering (4 courses, 16 credit hours) ES 203 Electrical Systems MA 222 Differential Equations II ECE 200 Circuits and Systems ECE 300 Signals and Systems Ethics and Law of Business (3 courses, 12 credit hours) RH 101 Introduction to Philosophy SL 290 Business Law VA 303 Business and Engineering Ethics Engineering Management (3 courses, 12 credit hours) SL 151 Principles of Economics VA 454 Financial Economics VA 498 Technology Management and Forecasting Fundamentals of Engineering (6 courses, 22 credit hours) MA 222 Differential Equations II ES 201 Conservation and Accounting ES 202 Fluid and Thermal Systems ES 203 Electrical Systems ES 204 Mechanical Systems ES 205 Analysis and Design of Engineering Systems Geography (3 courses, 12 credit hours) SL 191 - Cultural Geography VA 291 - Geography of Europe GL 391 - Geography of Africa and Southwest Asia Physical Modeling (4 courses, 16 credit hours) MA 222 Differential Equations and Matrix Algebra II MA 323 Geometric Modeling MA 371 Linear Algebra MA 433 Numerical Analysis Scientific Computing (4 courses, 16 credit hours) MA 222 Differential Equations and Matrix Algebra II MA 373 Applied Linear Algebra for Engineers MA 433 Numerical Analysis MA 439 Mathematics of Image Processing The application domain track should be selected in consultation with the student’s academic advisor, and filed with that advisor by the beginning of the junior year.
4.	One additional course offered by the Department of Mathematics. The student’s academic advisor must approve the course used to satisfy this requirement. Where appropriate, a course in the student’s application domain track can be used to satisfy this requirement.
5.	Four credits of science electives, which can be any CHEM, PH, or AB courses not already required for the software engineering major.
6.	Twenty-eight credits of additional courses offered by the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences; the distribution of these courses must meet the requirements of that department. Where appropriate, one or more courses in the student’s application domain track can be used to satisfy part of this requirement.
7.	Sufficient free elective courses to meet the minimum credit hour requirement of 192 hours for a software engineering major. These courses must have the approval of the student’s academic advisor. Free electives may be selected from any Rose-Hulman course except Military Science and Aerospace Studies.

Area Minor in Software Engineering
Advisor: Dr. Bagert

Required courses
CSSE 120, Fundamentals of Software Development I
CSSE 220, Fundamentals of Software Development II
CSSE 230, Fundamentals of Software Development III
CSSE 371, Software Requirements and Specification
CSSE 372, Software Project Management

Two additional courses in software engineering chosen from CSSE 373-377.