Specializations
The following three specializations have been approved within the Bachelor of Computer Science Programs:
- Graphics, Gaming, and Media
- Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Systems
- Communication Technologies and Cyber Security
The above three specializations have been approved for the following Bachelor of Computer Science programs: BCSC, BCSC Co-op, BCSC with Honours, BCSC Honours with Co-op, BCSC Honours Conversion, BCSC Honours Conversion with Co-op.
If a student satisfies academic requirements of a specialization, he/she can request a certificate, which is issued by the Dean’s Office, and a notation on his/her transcript (see notes below). A sample certificate is shown below. The specializations have the following requirements:
Graphics, Gaming, and Media specialization requires a student to take three compulsory and two electives from a list of elective courses.
Required courses are:
- CSCI 3161- Introduction to Computer Graphics with Animation
- CSCI 3162 – Digital Media
- CSCI 4168 – Game Design and Development
Elective courses are:
- CSCI 3154 – AI and Games
- CSCI 4160 – Computer Graphics
- CSCI 4166 – Visualization
- CSCI 4167 – Advanced Computer Animation
Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Systems specialization requires a student to take two compulsory and two electives at the 4th year level from a list of elective courses.
Required courses are:
- CSCI 3154 AI with Gaming Applications
- CSCI 3151 Web Intelligence
Elective courses are:
- CSCI 4155 Machine Learning and Robots
- CSCI 4152 Natural Language Processing
- CSCI 4141 Information Retrieval
- CSCI 4144 Data Mining and Data Warehousing
Communication Technologies and Cyber Security specialization requires a student to take two required courses and three electives from a set of elective courses.
Required courses are:
- CSCI 3120 Operating Systems
- CSCI 3171 Network Computing
Elective courses are:
- CSCI 3172 Web Centric Computing
- CSCI 4176 Mobile Computing
- CSCI 4116 Cryptology
- CSCI 4171 Networks and Communications
- CSCI 4174 Network Security
Sample Certificate
Notes:
Degree Requirements and Specialization Requirements
Note that to obtain a degree, the degree requirements must be satisfied. To obtain a specialization certificate, requirements for the specialization, in addition to the degree requirements, must be satisfied. For instance, the core courses of the degree are required.
Specialization Formalities
A student does not have to declare/register-in a specialization. However, it is strongly recommended that any student considering obtaining a certificate in a specialization should seek advising provided by our Undergraduate Committee. Provided that a student satisfies the specialization’s requirements, he/she can apply to the Dean’s Office for the Certificate – the Dean’s Office will check that the requirements are satisfied, issue the Certificate, and also ensure that the student’s transcript has a notation to that effect. Further details on exact procedure are to be announced.
It should be noted that a student, who satisfies a specialization’s requirements, will not be issued the specialization’s certificate automatically – it is issued upon the student’s request only.
Who Can Apply
Any students currently, or in the future, registered in the Bachelor of Computer Science programs can apply for a specialization certificate, i.e., students registered in the following programs: BCSC, BCSC Co-op, BCSC with Honours, BCSC Honours with Co-op, BCSC Honours Conversion, BCSC Honours Conversion with Co-op. Of course, a specialization certificate will be issued only to a student who satisfies all of the requirements of that specialization (in addition to the degree requirements). Consequently, we cannot issue certificates to students who already graduated (as of June 1, 2010).
No Specializations within BSc with Major in CS and Bachelor of Informatics Programs
We are currently investigating the possibility of the three specializations for the Bachelor of Informatics program and for the program Bachelor of Science Major in CS.
Other Frequently Asked Questions
- Does a student have to declare/register-in a specialization?
To declare a specialization, please contact undergrad@cs.dal.ca