BA Four-Course Concentration

General Advice

We are looking for a proposal that includes a link between CS and some other field. In some fields, this connection is easy to make; in others, it is hard. Taking additional courses in CS does not make the connection. 

To be specific, BA students have the option of either:

  • Completing 3 of the 4 CS 200-level core courses, and then completing a pre-approved sequence of 4 courses in another department; or,
  • Completing 4 of the 4 CS 200-level core courses, and then completing a pre-approved sequence of 3 courses in another department; or,
  • Completing 3 of the 4 CS 200-level core courses, 1 additional (that is, a sixth) CS elective at the 300-level or higher, and then completing a pre-approved sequence of 3 courses in another department.

Even in the last case, where a sixth CS elective is taken, we still may not approve your concentration if you don't have a link to CS among all CS electives and the set of courses outside CS that you plan to take.

It's important to note that modifications to an approved concentration are not generally approved. UPD approval of your courses does not mean that you are given priority for seats in those courses. Checking with the offering department before you submit courses for UPD approval is strongly recommended! If it becomes necessary to substitute a course(s) after your concentration has been approved, please use the link below to submit the course indicating which course it is replacing.

Concentration Courses

The BA in CS requires four concentration courses (see tracking form) as part of the required curriculum. The intent is to provide BA students with an opportunity to build relationships between computing and another discipline by including courses with content that is not available in our CS curriculum. To be eligible for the concentration, courses must be 200 level or above and used in the degree requirements of the major in the other discipline. Courses from more than one discipline can be acceptable with permission from the UPD. One of the four can be the fourth 200-level CS core course or a 300-level CS elective in computer science. No junior-year writing courses are eligible for use in the concentration. 

All BA majors* are required to submit your list of eligible courses already taken and courses planned in the future to meet the outside concentration requirement. A minimum of four courses must be submitted for review before registration for Senior year.  CS Applicants On Contract must be prepared to submit eligible courses upon admission to the major within the stated deadlines.

The UPD may disallow courses that do not meet the intent of the requirement. When registering for concentration courses, students are strongly advised to get pre-approval from the UPD to avoid misunderstandings that may delay graduation. UPD approval of your courses does not mean that you are given priority for seats in those courses. Checking with the offering department before you submit courses for UPD approval is strongly recommended.

Advising Hold

Students in their last semester must have completed or registered for a total of 4 approved courses. Advising Holds are placed prior to registration for last semester if a concentration is not approved.  The Academic Requirements Report (ARR) on SPIRE is updated after courses are completed to show the approved Four-Course Concentration.