Johns Hopkins University

The objectives of our bachelor degree programs are to train computer scientists who will be able to:

• Successfully engage in professional practice in the computing sciences or apply computer science tools and techniques to another field of interest.
• Pursue advanced study in the computing sciences.
• Work successfully in both independent and team environments.
• Lead teams and provide vision for innovation.
• Behave in a professional and ethical manner.

A successful major program of study leads to either the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (B.S.) or the Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science (B.A.). Students should decide which degree program to complete by about their junior year. Both degree programs require specific courses and/or credits in several key areas: computer science, math, basic science, humanities and social sciences. However, there is much flexibility in how these requirements are fulfilled. Undergraduate majors may choose to pursue a broad selection of computer science and distributional courses, or to pursue a focus area within the field. Current foci primarily reflect departmental and school research strengths: big data, computational biology, fundamentals of computing, information security, natural language processing, robotics, systems and networking; and also include career paths for software engineering and entrepreneurship. Regardless of whether you pursue a particular focus or not, our bachelor programs provide excellent preparation for research within the department, summer internships, and post-graduation industry employment or graduate work.

All undergraduate students majoring or minoring in computer science must have a faculty advisor in the department. They will be assigned an advisor as entering freshmen or upon deciding on the major/minor. Every major must follow a program approved by their faculty advisor.

The department also offers a minor in computer science, and tangentially, a minor in computer integrated surgery and a minor in robotics. Some students majoring in computer science may be eligible for a combined bachelor’s/master’s degree program. Requirements for these programs are included here as well.