Minor in Computer Science

This minor is offered by the Department of Computer Science. The curriculum consists of two segments: core courses and electives whose purpose is to provide the student with depth in an area of computer science, for a total of 18 credits. School of Engineering and Applied Science students enrolled in programs other than computer science may also complete a minor in Computer Science.  

Students who wish to do a minor in computer science must apply.  Please review the list of Frequently Asked Questions and then contact [email protected] with any further questions.

Required courses:

• CSCI 1111 - Introduction to Software Development 
• CSCI 1112 - Algorithms and Data Structures 
• CSCI 1311 - Discrete Structures I 
• CSCI 2113 - Software Engineering 
• 2 CS Elective courses 

CS Electives:
Choose at least two courses (3 credits each) from among the courses requiring CSCI 2113 or above. Please consult the GW Bulletin for a list of undergraduate computer science courses. Other electives may be substituted, as appropriate, upon approval from your advisor.

Credits in residence requirement:
Students who are pursuing a minor must complete at least 15 credits in computer science courses towards the minor at GW.

Graduation GPA requirement:
To satisfactorily complete a CS minor, a student must have a minimum GPA of 2.2 in all the Department of Computer Science courses he or she has taken.

Admission requirement:
The admission criteria and application form for the minor can be found here.

Course registration information for interested and declared CS Minors

Students can only take each course during the semester they are eligible, with the appropriate prerequisite.

• CSCI 1111 - Spring 
  • Any GW undergraduate may take CSCI 1111 in Spring. Do not yet need to be declared a CS minor or 2nd major.
  • In Fall, CSCI 1111 is open only to SEAS first year students, primary CS majors and declared secondary BS in CS majors, all of whom may also take it in Spring.
• CSCI 1112 - Fall 
  • Declared majors and minors may take CSCI 1112 in Fall.
  • In Spring, CSCI 1112 is open only to SEAS first year students, primary CS majors and declared secondary BS in CS majors, all of whom may also take it in Fall.
• CSCI 1311 - Fall 
  • Declared majors and minors may take CSCI 1311 in Fall.
  • In Spring, CSCI 1311 is open only to primary CS majors and declared secondary BS in CS majors, all of whom may also take it in Fall.
  • It is recommended to be taken at the same time as CSCI 1112
• CSCI 2113 - Spring
  • Declared majors and minors may take CSCI 2113 in Spring.
  • In Fall, CSCI 2113 is open only to primary Computer Science majors and declared secondary BS in Computer Science majors, all of whom may also take it in Spring.

Note: GWU has offered some of these CSCI courses online during the Summer. Students can take the course(s) they meet the prerequisites for during the Summer. However, this will not change the eligibility during the Fall/Spring semesters.

If you have registration issues, please submit your inquiry here. For questions, email [email protected].