Computer Science Majors

If you have any questions regarding the major requirements, send an email to the Undergraduate Program Administrator .

Students must complete CSCI-UA 101, Introduction to Computer Science (or higher) with a grade of C or better before they may declare a major in this department.

Please see the CAS Bulletin for additional information about the Program of Study and Course Offerings within the Department of Computer Science.

Please note the following restrictions on the majors in our department:

  • Tandon students are not permitted to declare a major in Computer Science, Computer Science/Math, Computer Science/Economics, or Computer Science/Data Science at CAS, as there are similar programs available at Tandon.
  • Data Science majors are not permitted to declare a double major in Computer Science, Computer Science/ Math or Computer Science/Economics, as there is significant course overlap. Students interested in Computer Science, Data Science and Math should consider a joint major in Computer Science/ Data Science.

 

Please be aware of the following INFORMATION for all majors:

  • Each major offered in the Computer Science Department requires a minimum of 32 credits with the CSCI-UA designation. The Registrar's Office will not approve a major with 31 credits. 31 credits or less is considered a "minor".
  • A minimum grade point average of 2.0 is required.
  • Only grades of "C" or higher are applicable to our majors and minors (and the required prerequisites).
  • 50% of the majors MUST be completed here at the College of Arts and Sciences due to State and University residency requirements.
  • CSCI-UA 2, 4, 60, 61, 330, 380, 381, 520/1, 897/8 & 997/8 are NOT applicable to the majors in the Computer Science Department.
  • The Registrar's Office will allow students to double count a maximum of two courses towards their major(s) and/or minor(s).
  • Grades of "P" or "F" are not applicable towards the Computer Science Majors or Minors. In addition, grades of "P" are also not accepted if the student is trying to register for a higher level course that requires the class/course as a prerequisite.
  • Students that take a placement exam and pass, DO NOT EARN CREDIT. If the course that a student is placing out of is required for the CS major or minor, the course must be replaced with a CS 400 level elective with the CSCI-UA designation (or approved equivalent) in our department.
  • College Board AP Credits, A Levels, International Baccalaureate HL Exam Scores, internal NYU Study Abroad courses are equivalent to our courses and approved transfer courses/credits from other universities/colleges: DO NOT SATISFY the residency requirement for the College of Arts & Sciences at the New York City, Washington Square campus.            

Major in Computer Science (12 Courses)

The major in Computer Science requires the successful completion of the following:

  • A minimum of 12 courses/48 credits
  • A minimum grade point average of 2.0
  • Only grades of "C" or higher are applicable to our majors and minors (and the required prerequisites)

Core Requirements (7)

  1. MATH-UA.0120 Discrete Mathematics (Fall / Spring)
    prerequisites

Electives (5)

  • FIVE electives, numbered CSCI-UA.04xx

Electives vary every fall, spring semester and there is one elective option offered in the summer semester. Students may substitute a 400-level elective with one of the following Math classes: MATH-UA.0122 Calculus II , MATH-UA.0140 Linear Algebra , and/or MATH-UA.0185 Probability and Statistics a maximum of two classes can be substituted.

 

The Computer Science Major of 12 courses/48 credits can be distributed in the following ways:

  1. 10 CS courses(40 credits) + 2 Math courses(8 credits) valued at 4 credits each for a total of 48 credits, 5 to 1 ratio = 83% CS & 17% Math
  2. 9 CS courses(36 credits) + 3 Math courses(12 credits) valued at 4 credits each for a total of 48 credits, 3 to 1 ratio = 75% CS & 25% Math
  3. 8 CS courses(32 credits) + 4 Math courses(16 credits) valued at 4 credits each for a total of 48 credits, 2 to 1 ratio = 67% CS & 33% Math

 

Students must complete a minimum of 32 credits with the CSCI-UA designation as part of their 48 credits for the CS major.

Joint Major in Computer Science and Data Science (18 Courses)

The joint major in computer and data science targets students who seek comprehensive training in two bodies of knowledge: (1) computer science, an established field that advances computing, programming, and building large-scale and intelligent systems, and (2) data science, an emerging field that leverages computer science, mathematics, and domain-specific knowledge to analyze large data collections using data mining, predictive statistics, visualization, and efficient data management. The joint major in computer and data science trains students to use data science systems, the automated systems that effectively predict outcomes of interest and that extract insights from increasingly large data sets. This training enables students to participate in harnessing the power of data and in influencing policies that will govern the rollout of data science technologies. In addition, students gain the ability to build such systems. This is an interdisciplinary major (eighteen courses/72 points) offered by the Department of Computer Science and the Center for Data Science. A grade of C or better is necessary in all courses used to fulfill joint major requirements. Interested students should consult with the directors of undergraduate studies in the department and the center for additional information. Please note that the CAS minor requirement associated with the major in data science is waived for the computer and data science joint major, just as it is waived for a data science major pursuing a double major.

The computer science requirements (eight courses/32 points) are as follows:

Two (2) Computer Science Electives: choose two (2) of the following:

Data science requirements (five courses/20 points) are as follows:

Mathematics requirements (five courses/20 points) are as follows:

Please reach out to the Data Science Department for advising, concerning their requirements at cds-undergraduate@nyu.edu. 

Joint Major in Economics/Computer Science (22 Courses)

Computer Science Requirements (9)

Economics Requirements - Theory Concentration (9)

  • ECON-UA.0001 Introduction to Macroeconomics
  • ECON-UA.0002 Introduction to Microeconomics
  • ECON-UA.0011 Microeconomic Analysis
  • ECON-UA.0013 Macroeconomic Analysis
  • ECON-UA.0020 Analytical Statistics
  • ECON-UA.0266 Introduction to Econometrics
  • Two economics theory electives, numbers ECON-UA 300-399
  • One additional economics elective

Mathematics Requirements (4)

Please reach out to the Economics Department for advising, concerning their requirements at econ.ug@nyu.edu.

Joint Major in Computer Science/Mathematics (18 Courses)

An interdisciplinary major offered jointly by the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, providing the opportunity to study both computer science and such relevant mathematics courses as analysis, algebra, probability, and statistics.

Foundational Math Course Requirements

Advanced Math Elective Requirement

General Math Elective Requirement

  • One (1) general Math elective course numbered MATH-UA 120 or higher.
    • Must be a MATH-UA course. This course CANNOT be substituted by a CSCI-UA, DS-UA, DS-GA, PHYS-UA, etc. course. 
    • Excludes Math for Economics I-III if you have taken Calculus I-III (or Honors Calculus III).
    • Excludes Calculus I-III (and Honors Calculus III) if you have taken Math for Economics I-III.
    • Excludes any Honors version of a course that you have already taken the non-Honors version of, or vice versa.

The requirements are eight courses from the Computer Science Department, which must include:

A grade of C or better is required in all these courses to fulfill the major requirement.

[1] If the student has chosen Numerical Analysis from the Math side, they can be excused by the DUS from the CSCI-UA.421 Numerical Computing requirement and substitute a different upper level elective for it.

Please reach out to the Math Department for advising, concerning their requirements at undergrad@math.nyu.edu.         

General advisement for students interested in Study abroad

College Board AP Credits, A Levels, International Baccalaureate HL Exam Scores, internal NYU Study Abroad courses are equivalent to our courses, however, they do not satisfy the residency requirement for the College of Arts & Sciences at the New York City, Washington Square campus.
New York University’s College of Arts and Science (NYU CAS) offers robust study abroad programs, enabling students to immerse themselves in global cultures and gain diverse academic perspectives. However, CAS students must meet a 50% residency requirement for their majors, which means at least half of the courses required for their declared major must be completed at NYU CAS. This policy ensures that students benefit from the college's unique academic resources and maintain a strong connection to the NYU faculty and curriculum while pursuing their degree.

Authoritative information about curricular requirements [or “the four-year plan,” or “course descriptions”] is found exclusively in the University Bulletin for CAS. All other content, including what is on this website, is for informational purposes only. Students can find the curricular requirements or “the four-year plan,” or “course descriptions” for this program on this page Computer Science in the Bulletin.