Information for prospective students

The department offers three B.S. degrees and some minors. When students choose a degree to pursue, they also choose a concentration in that degree. Please explore our degrees, concentrations, and minors in the University Bulletin. For each concentration, you can also view sample 4-year degree plans.

Tennessee Promise The department supports Tennessee Promise participants, who are able to complete their degree in four years. Tennessee Promise students must be admitted to APSU seeking an Associate’s degree, which is usually completed in four or five semesters. After completing the Associate's degree., the student continue their studies by declaring a B.S. in Computer Information Systems, or a B.S. in Computer Information Technology, or a B.S. in Computer Science for the remaining three or four semesters.  More information on the Tennessee Promise at ASPU can be found at the Office of Financial Aid's Tennessee Promise page.

Second degrees/majors Students who hold a bachelor’s degree from APSU or any other regionally accredited college or university may subsequently earn a second bachelor’s degree OR a second major from APSU (Minimum university-wide requirements: Complete an additional 30 hours APSU credit; 24 of these hours must be earned in upper level courses numbered 3000-4999).

• If you hold a bachelor's degree from another regionally accredited university, you will receive a B.S. degree from APSU.
• If you hold a non-Science bachelor's degree from APSU, you will receive a B.S. degree from APSU.
• If you hold another B.S. Degree from APSU, you will receive a second major.

More information The department supports a large number of traditional students, students on the Tennessee Promise, transfer students, and students seeking second degrees. As every student's situation is different, we encourage you to contact us in order to schedule time with an advisor who will be happy to discuss the programs and how they fit with your needs. Please use one of these methods to contact us and let us know that you would like to speak to an advisor.

• Email: apsu_cs@apsu.edu
• Phone: (931) 221-7840

Degrees and concentrations

Computer Information Systems (B.S.)

The Computer Information Systems major prepares students to work in technical but applied areas of computing. While maintaining an emphasis on programming, it addresses several areas of application, including systems development and cybersecurity.

Computer Information Technology (B.S.)

The Computer Information Technology major prepares students for a career in certain professional job tracks within the information technology field. These tracks include web developer and administrator, database administrator, and network administrator.

Computer Science (B.S.)

The Computer Science major covers the technical areas of computing with an emphasis on programming and algorithm design. It includes a significant mathematics component. It allows students to study traditional computer science topics as well as topics in the newer area of software engineering.

Minors

The department offers some minors.  These minors are open to any student, regardless of whether or not their degree is Computer Information Systems, Computer Information Technology, or Computer Science. For information on these minors, please check the University Bulletin.

NOTE: The Computer Information Systems degree has restrictions on minors and these minors cannot be used to fulfill the degree's requirements.  These minors can be added as a second minor. Talk to an advisor before adding a minor.

1. Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Minor introduces students to several areas in and related to artificial intelligence. The minor includes courses in general artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics.
2. Computer Networking Minor provides students with an in-depth understanding of the foundations of data communication and modern networking technology. It develops technical skills needed to deploy and manage an enterprise network in a secure computing environment.
3. Computer Science Minor covers the technical areas of computing with an emphasis on programming and algorithm design.
4. Cybersecurity Minor prepares students to work in the information security and data protection areas. It emphasizes data communications, network security, cryptography, and computer forensics.
5. Web Technology Minor introduces students to the basic areas of Web page design, creation, and management. It includes an introduction to programming, an introduction to web development and web page design, an introduction to scripting using several platforms, and an introduction to database management.

In some cases, there are significant overlap between the requirements of a degree and the requirements of a minor. In order to ensure students are learning new topics when selecting a minor, students with computing-related degrees may not select certain minors.

** The Computer Information Systems B.S. (Catalog Years Fall 2021 & Fall 2022) requires a non-computing minor.  These minors do not meet that requirement, but may added as a second minor.