Blended BS/MS in Computer Science

Units required for Major (both BS and MS): 96-99

Total units required for Blended BS/MS: 138

Program Description:

The Blended BS/MS program in Computer Science provides an accelerated route to a graduate professional degree, with simultaneous conferring of both Bachelor's and Master's degrees. Students in the blended program can progress from undergraduate to graduate status without applying for admission through the Office of Graduate Studies. Students are required to complete all requirements for both degrees, including senior project for the Bachelor’s degree.

Admission Requirements

Students majoring in Computer Science will be eligible to apply to the program if they meet the following criteria:

  • Completion of the WPJ or equivalent, eligible for WI course, and completion of the prerequisites for CSC 190 (Senior Project I);
  • Completion of 60 Undergraduate Units
  • Have not yet enrolled in CSC 190 or need one academic year to meet the BS requirements;
  • Have a minimum overall GPA of 3.3; and
  • Have a minimum GPA in CSC 130-139 of 3.3

Please note: Students must complete their application while in undergraduate status and with at least 30 semester units remaining until graduation

Application Procedures

Students interested in applying to the Blended BS/MS Program should follow the following procedure:

  • Prior to Week 4 during the semester before taking CSC 190, students must complete the department application.
  • Applicants do not need to pay the graduate program application fee.
  • Electronic applications will be submitted to the CSC Graduate Coordinator for review.
  • Upon acceptance to the program, the department forwards the approved application to the Office of Graduate Studies who will inform the Registrar’s Office of the student’s change in status.
  • When completing 12 units of graduate courses as specified in the program of study and other BS requirements, the student must apply for a change to graduate status and the BS degree can be awarded.

Program of Study

In the two semesters of their senior year (Year 4), students admitted to the program are required to take the following courses:

  • CSC 200 Professional Writing in Computer Science (3 units)
  • Three graduate-level courses (200-level) in Computer Science (3 units each)

The graduate courses listed above substitute for 3 units of the BS required upper division courses and 9 units of the BS electives. When completing 12 units of graduate courses listed above and other BS requirements, the student must apply for a change to graduate status and the BS degree can be awarded. Students will be eligible to receive the MS degree when the remaining requirements for the graduate degree are completed (i.e., the requirements for the MS degree are the same whether taken separately or blended).

Pre-Major Requirements

Students requesting to become Computer Science majors must first complete the lower-division (pre-major) courses listed in this section. If a student requests to become a Computer Science major but has not yet completed these courses, they should change their major to pre-Computer Science. Changing to the pre-Computer Science major requires either completion of or enrollment in MATH 30 and a Sacramento State and overall GPA of at least 2.5.  Changing to the Computer Science major requires a GPA of at least 2.7 in the courses listed in this section.

To change to the Computer Science or pre-Computer Science major, students are required to complete and submit a Change of Major form to the Computer Science Department Office along with transcript copies.

Registration in Computer Science courses numbered 133 and above is restricted to Computer Science and Computer Engineering majors. Other students need to obtain approval from the CSC Department Chair.

CSC 15Programming Concepts and Methodology I3
CSC 20Programming Concepts and Methodology II3
CSC 28Discrete Structures for Computer Science3
CSC 35Introduction to Computer Architecture3
MATH 30Calculus I4
MATH 31Calculus II4
PHYS 11AGeneral Physics: Mechanics4

Minimum Units and Grade Requirement for the Degree

Units Required for the Blended BS/MS:  138

A grade of "C-" or better is required in all undergraduate-level courses (199-level and below) applied to the Computer Science major.

A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a grade of "C" or better are required for all graduate-level courses (200-level and above).

Note: Only those graduate courses completed within seven years prior to date of graduation will satisfy course requirements.

Advancement to MS Candidacy

No later than the second week during their first semester in graduate status (Year 5), the students taking the culminating experience are required to submit to the department a thesis/project proposal approved by their committees and apply for Advancement to Candidacy (ATC).  The application for ATC must be submitted at least one semester prior to registering for CSC 500/502. 

Each student must file an application for Advancement to Candidacy with the Office of Graduate Studies indicating a proposed program of graduate study for the completion of the graduate portion of the BS/MS program. This procedure should begin as soon as the classified graduate student has:

  • completed or currently enrolling with a minimum of 12 units of CSC 200 level courses in the graduate program with a minimum 3.0 GPA; and
  • taken or currently enrolling with CSC 200 with a grade of at least B.

Each student must be advanced to candidacy prior to registering for CSC 500/502. Advancement to Candidacy forms are available on the Office of Graduate Studies website.

Program Requirements

Required Lower Division Courses (15 Units)
CSC 15Programming Concepts and Methodology I3
CSC 20Programming Concepts and Methodology II3
CSC 28Discrete Structures for Computer Science3
CSC 35Introduction to Computer Architecture3
CSC 60Introduction to Systems Programming in UNIX3
Required Mathematics and Science Courses (21-24 Units)
MATH 30Calculus I 14
MATH 31Calculus II4
PHYS 11AGeneral Physics: Mechanics 14
Select one of the following:3 - 4
STAT 50
Introduction to Probability and Statistics
ENGR 115
Statistics For Engineers
Select one of the following:3
MATH 35
Introduction to Linear Algebra 2
MATH 100
Applied Linear Algebra 2
MATH 101
Combinatorics
MATH 102
Number Theory
MATH 150
Introduction to Numerical Analysis
PHIL 160
Deductive Logic II
STAT 103
Intermediate Statistics
STAT 115A
Introduction to Probability Theory
STAT 155
Introduction to Techniques of Operations Research
Select one of the following:3 - 5
BIO 1
Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology 1
BIO 10
Basic Biological Concepts 1
CHEM 1A
General Chemistry I
CHEM 1E
General Chemistry for Engineering
PHYS 11B
General Physics: Heat, Light, Sound, Modern Physics
PHYS 11C
General Physics: Electricity and Magnetism
Required Upper Division Courses (30 Units)
Select 30 units from the following in consultation with the graduate coordinator:30
CSC 130
Data Structures and Algorithm Analysis
CSC 131
Computer Software Engineering
CSC 133
Object-Oriented Computer Graphics Programming
CSC 134
Database Management Systems
CSC 135
Computability and Formal Languages
CSC 137
Computer Organization
CSC/CPE 138
Computer Networking Fundamentals
CSC 139
Operating System Principles
CSC 190
Senior Project - Part I
CSC 191
Senior Project - Part II
PHIL 103
Business and Computer Ethics 1
Include two units from the following:
CSC 192
Career Planning
CSC 193A
Web Programming
CSC 194
Computer Science Seminar
CSC 195
Fieldwork in Computer Science
CSC 195A
Professional Practice
CSC 198
Co-Curricular Activities in Computer Science
CSC 199
Special Problems
ENGR 197
Seminar in Peer-Assisted Learning
Undergraduate Electives
Three 200-level graduate courses taken during the last year of study in the BS program substitute for 9 units of the BS electives.
Required Graduate Courses (16 Units)
CSC 200Professional Writing in Computer Science 3
CSC 201Programming Language Principles3
CSC 205Computer Systems Structure 33
CSC 206Algorithms And Paradigms 33
CSC 209Research Methodology1
CSC 290Preparation for Culminating Experience3
Graduate Breadth Requirement (9 Units)
Select three courses from at least TWO of the following areas:9
Computer Architecture/Computer Engineering
CSC 237
Microprocessor Systems Architecture
CSC 242
Computer-Aided Systems Design and Verification
CSC/EEE 273
Hierarchical Digital Design Methodology
CSC/EEE 280
Advanced Computer Architecture
Data Science
CSC 212
Bioinformatics: Data Integration and Algorithms
CSC 219
Machine Learning
CSC 238
Human-Computer Interface Design
CSC 244
Database System Design
CSC 258
Distributed Systems
Information Assurance and Security
CSC 250
Computer Security
CSC 252
Cryptography Theory and Practice
CSC 253
Computer Forensics
CSC 254
Network Security
CSC 258
Distributed Systems
Artificial Intelligence
CSC 215
Artificial Intelligence
CSC 219
Machine Learning
CSC 296R
Computer Vision
CSC 296S
Deep Learning
Networks and Communications
CSC 255
Computer Networks
CSC 258
Distributed Systems
CSC 275
Advanced Data Communication Systems
Software Engineering
CSC 230
Software System Engineering
CSC 231
Software Engineering Metrics
CSC 232
Software Requirements Analysis and Design
CSC 233
Advanced Software Engineering Project Management
CSC 234
Software Verification and Validation
CSC 235
Software Architecture
CSC 236
Formal Methods in Secure Software Engineering
CSC 238
Human-Computer Interface Design
System and Networks
CSC 239
Advanced Operating Systems Principles and Design
CSC 245
Performance Modeling and Evaluation
CSC 250
Computer Security
CSC 251
Principles of Compiler Design
CSC 255
Computer Networks
CSC 258
Distributed Systems
CSC 275
Advanced Data Communication Systems
CSC 296P
Theory and Practice of Parallel Programming with GPUs
CSC 296Z
Computer Graphics Theories and Algorithms
Graduate Restricted Electives (3 Units)
Select 3 units 43
Culminating Requirement (2 Units)
Select one of the following:2
CSC 500
Master's Thesis 5
CSC 502
Master's Project 5
Total Units96-99
1

Course also satisfies General Education (GE)/Graduation Requirement.

2

Computer science students choosing between MATH 35 and MATH 100 should normally choose MATH 100 because it is more applied. MATH 35 at Sacramento State is designed for math majors.

3

Students whose undergraduate preparation has covered a significant amount of the material in CSC 205 or CSC 206 may be given a waiver by the Department from taking one or more of these courses. In this case, for each course waived with department approval, the student must take three additional units from the list below.

4

Students should choose their electives according to the following guidelines:

a.) Any 200-level CSC courses not already used to satisfy the Breadth Requirement, with the exception of CSC 295 and CSC 299.
b.) Related 200-level courses from outside the Computer Science Department may only be taken with prior department approval and may not have been used in another program.

5

Students are required to conduct an oral defense of their master's projects or their master's thesis. The recommended department-level deadline in each semester for submitting an MS project or thesis signed by the committee chair and its members to the Graduate Coordinator's office is 10 working days prior to the University deadline.

Opt-Out Option

Students who wish to opt out after completing the four graduate courses and other BS requirements may do so and the four graduate courses substitute for 3 units of the BS required upper division courses and 9 units of the BS electives.

The total number of units required for the BS degree will be the same (120 units) as for students who are not in the blended program.

The following roadmaps are sample planning resources. Please consult your academic advisor and Academic Catalog for graduation requirements as you develop your individualized academic plan.

Computer Science, Blended BS/MS: 5-Year Roadmap

Plan of Study Grid
Year 1
First SemesterUnits
CSC 15 Programming Concepts and Methodology I 3
MATH 30 Calculus I 4
GE Area 1A - English Composition 2 3
GE Area 1B - Critical Thinking 2 3
GE Area 1C - Oral Communication 2 3
 Units16
Second Semester
CSC 20 Programming Concepts and Methodology II 3
MATH 31 Calculus II 4
GE Area 3A - Arts 2 3
GE Area 5B - Biological Science 2 3
GR American Institutions (US History) 2 3
 Units16
Year 2
First Semester
CSC 28 Discrete Structures for Computer Science 3
CSC 35 Introduction to Computer Architecture 3
PHYS 11A General Physics: Mechanics 4
BIO 1
or BIO 10
or CHEM 1A
or CHEM 1E
or PHYS 11B
or PHYS 11C
 Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology 3
or Basic Biological Concepts
or General Chemistry I
or General Chemistry for Engineering
or General Physics: Heat, Light, Sound, Modern Physics
or General Physics: Electricity and Magnetism
 3 - 5
Second Semester Composition 2 3
 Units16-18
Second Semester
STAT 50
or ENGR 115
 Introduction to Probability and Statistics
or Statistics For Engineers
 3 - 4
CSC 130 Data Structures and Algorithm Analysis 3
CSC 131 Computer Software Engineering 3
GE Area 6 - Ethnic Studies 2 3
GR American Institutions (GOVT) 2 3
 Units15-16
Year 3
First Semester
CSC 133 Object-Oriented Computer Graphics Programming 3
CSC 134 Database Management Systems 3
CSC 60 Introduction to Systems Programming in UNIX 3
CSC 192
or CSC 193A
or CSC 194
or CSC 195
or CSC 195A
or CSC 198
or CSC 199
or ENGR 197
 Career Planning 3
or Web Programming
or Computer Science Seminar
or Fieldwork in Computer Science
or Professional Practice
or Co-Curricular Activities in Computer Science
or Special Problems
or Seminar in Peer-Assisted Learning
 1 - 12
GE Area 3B - Humanities 2 3
 Units13-24
Second Semester
CSC 135 Computability and Formal Languages 3
CSC 137 Computer Organization 3
CSC 193A
or CSC 192
or CSC 194
or CSC 195
or CSC 195A
or CSC 198
or CSC 199
or ENGR 197
 Web Programming 3
or Career Planning
or Computer Science Seminar
or Fieldwork in Computer Science
or Professional Practice
or Co-Curricular Activities in Computer Science
or Special Problems
or Seminar in Peer-Assisted Learning
 1 - 12
MATH 35
or MATH 100
or MATH 101
or MATH 102
or MATH 150
or PHIL 160
or STAT 103
or STAT 115A
or STAT 155
 Introduction to Linear Algebra 3
or Applied Linear Algebra
or Combinatorics
or Number Theory
or Introduction to Numerical Analysis
or Deductive Logic II
or Intermediate Statistics
or Introduction to Probability Theory
or Introduction to Techniques of Operations Research
 3
PHIL 103 Business and Computer Ethics 3
Upper Division GE Area 3 - Arts or Humanities 2 3
 Units16-27
Year 4
First Semester
CSC 138 Computer Networking Fundamentals 3
CSC 139 Operating System Principles 3
CSC 190 Senior Project - Part I 2
CSC 209 Research Methodology 1
Upper Division GE Area 5 or 2 - Science or Mathematical Concepts/Quantitative Reasoning 2 3
 Units12
Second Semester
CSC 191 Senior Project - Part II 2
CSC 201 Programming Language Principles 3
CSC 205 Computer Systems Structure 3
CSC 206 Algorithms And Paradigms 3
Elective of Choice 3
 Units14
Year 5
First Semester
CSC 209 Research Methodology 1
CSC 290 Preparation for Culminating Experience 3
Graduate Breadth Elective 3 3
Graduate Restricted Elective 3 3
 Units10
Second Semester
CSC 500
or CSC 502
 Master's Thesis
or Master's Project
 1 - 5
Graduate Breadth Elective 3 3
Graduate Breadth Elective 3 3
 Units7-11
 Total Units135-164
1.

Any course not completed in the first semester should be taken in the second or a later semester.

2.

Please see General Education/Graduation Requirement course options.

3.

Please see an academic advisor for elective options.