VCU College of Engineering’s Department of Computer Science is offering a new specialization in fundamentals of computing open to VCU undergraduates regardless of their school, college or major. To earn the specialization, students must complete four courses.
The program starts in spring 2019 with CMSC 191 Computers and Programming, an online course that is a prerequisite for the remaining three courses. Students seeking to enhance their computer skills in this new specialization program must take CMSC 191 in the spring 2019 to continue with other courses in the fall 2019 semester. In the prerequisite, students will learn how to analyze a problem and create a software program to solve it.
These three remaining courses will be offered in the fall 2019 and spring 2020 semesters:
- Web Development and Software Engineering - Students will apply knowledge of the software engineering process to build and test a website.
- Data Science Skills - Students will learn how to apply knowledge of database systems to create and use data and how to discuss data analysis.
- Cybersecurity Skills - Students will learn how to appropriately secure data and gain a conceptual understanding of risk management processes.
These three courses are not sequential, so students may take them one at a time or in the same semester.
This specialization is designed to equip students from all disciplines with technology skills that are increasingly sought after by today’s employers.