Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Computer Science
The official policies for this program may be found in the CS Department Bulletin. If there is any conflict between this webpage and the official policies, then the official policies have precedence.
The post-baccalaureate program in Computer Science offers the student with a bachelor’s degree, but few computer science courses, the opportunity to earn the equivalent of an undergraduate minor in computer science by completing the requirements for the minor. It is designed to give the student with a nontechnical, liberal arts degree the introductory knowledge base to enter the technology field or continue on to graduate study in computer science. For more information, visit the post-baccalaureate FAQs page.
We offer a standalone post-baccalaureate track or a combined post-baccalaureate/MS track. Most students who successfully complete the standalone post-baccalaureate continue to our master's programs, and a small but significant percentage continue for a PhD. Any courses taken as part of the post-baccalaureate numbered above 100 will count toward the master's degree.
Certificate Track: Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Computer Science. This track is designed for students who are new to the field of computer science and are looking to gain a solid foundation in the field to pursue new career opportunities.
Master’s Track: Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Computer Science to MS in Computer Science or another MS program in the CS Department. This track is designed for students who are new to the field of computer science with the goal of continuing their education to pursue a Master of Science in the field of computer science.
Requirements
The program requires five Tufts courses:
• Computer Science 15 Data Structures*
• Computer Science 61 or Mathematics 61 or 65 Discrete Mathematics
Choose two courses from the following four competency areas; courses chosen must come from two distinct competencies:***
• Computer Architecture and Assembly Language (CA&AL)
▪ Computer Science 40, Machine Structure (no graduate credit)
▪ Computer Science 111, Operating Systems
▪ Computer Science 112, Networks & Protocols
▪ Computer Science 114, Network Security
▪ Computer Science 116, Computer Security
▪ Computer Science 118, Cloud Computing
▪ Computer Science 146, (also EE 126) Computer Engineering
▪ Computer Science 107 (formerly CS 181), Compilers
▪ Computer Science 140, Advanced Topics in Computer Architecture
• Programming Languages (PL)
▪ Computer Science 105, Programming Languages**
▪ Computer Science 21, Concurrent Programming (no graduate credit)
▪ Computer Science 86, Object-Oriented Programming for GUIs
(no graduate credit)
▪ Computer Science 121 (formerly CS 180), Software Engineering
▪ Computer Science 107 (formerly CS 181), Compilers
• Data structures and Analysis of Algorithms (DS&AA)
▪ Computer Science 160: Algorithms
(we highly recommend taking this class!)
• Theory of Computation (ToC)
▪ Computer Science 170, Computation theory
One elective:
• One computer science elective above Computer Science 15****
*Prerequisite course Computer Science 11: Introduction to Computer Science is available to individuals without a previous programming course.
**Only one of Computer Science 80 and 105 may be counted toward the program.
***Courses numbered above 100 award graduate credit and are transferable into the Tufts Master of Science in Computer Science program upon acceptance into that program.
**** Computer Science 55 and 155 may not be utilized as the Computer Science elective.
Questions not addressed in the FAQ may be directed to Sandie Schulenburg, Graduate Program Coordinator, or Diane Souvaine, Director of Graduate Studies.