• Skip to Content
  • AZ Index
  • Catalog Home
  • Institution Home
Northeastern University

Academic Catalog 2021-2022

  • Home›
  • Undergraduate›
  • Khoury College of Computer Sciences›
  • Khoury Combined Majors›
  • Computer Science and Design, BS

Computer Science and Design, BS

2021-2022 Edition

  • Undergraduate
    • Admission
    • Information for Entering Students
    • College Expenses
    • Academic Policies and Procedures
    • University Academics
    • College of Arts, Media and Design
    • D'Amore-​McKim School of Business
    • Khoury College of Computer Sciences
      • Computer Science
      • Cybersecurity
      • Data Science
      • Khoury Combined Majors
        • Chemical Engineering and Computer Science, BSChE
        • Civil Engineering and Computer Science, BSCE
        • Computer Engineering and Computer Science, BSCmpE
        • Computer Science and Behavioral Neuroscience, BS
        • Computer Science and Biology, BS
        • Computer Science and Business Administration, BS
        • Computer Science and Cognitive Psychology, BS
        • Computer Science and Communication Studies, BS
        • Computer Science and Criminal Justice, BS
        • Computer Science and Design, BS
        • Computer Science and Economics, BS
        • Computer Science and English, BS
        • Computer Science and Environmental and Sustainability Sciences, BS
        • Computer Science and Game Development, BS
        • Computer Science and History, BS
        • Computer Science and Journalism, BS
        • Computer Science and Linguistics, BS
        • Computer Science and Mathematics, BS
        • Computer Science and Media Arts, BS
        • Computer Science and Music with Concentration in Music Technology, BS
        • Computer Science and Philosophy, BS
        • Computer Science and Physics, BS
        • Computer Science and Political Science, BS
        • Computer Science and Sociology, BS
        • Computer Science and Theatre, BS
        • Cybersecurity and Business Administration, BS
        • Cybersecurity and Criminal Justice, BS
        • Cybersecurity and Economics, BS
        • Data Science and Biochemistry, BS
        • Data Science and Biology, BS
        • Data Science and Behavioral Neuroscience, BS
        • Data Science and Business Administration, BS
        • Data Science and Chemistry, BS
        • Data Science and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, BS
        • Data Science and Economics, BS
        • Data Science and Environmental and Sustainability Sciences, BS
        • Data Science and Health Science, BS
        • Data Science and Journalism, BS
        • Data Science and Linguistics, BS
        • Data Science and Mathematics, BS
        • Data Science and Physics, BS
        • Data Science and Psychology, BS
      • Accelerated Bachelor/​Graduate Degree Programs
    • College of Engineering
    • Bouvé College of Health Sciences
    • College of Science
    • College of Social Sciences and Humanities
    • Faculty
    • Appendix
  • College of Professional Studies Undergraduate
  • Graduate
  • Course Descriptions
  • Catalog Archives
  • Overview
  • Program Requirements
  • Plan of Study

The combined major in computer science and design integrates fundamental design courses with a strong programming foundation. Students will declare a concentration in interaction design, graphic and information design, or experience design. Students in this major often have an interest in human-centered design methods used in developing digital interfaces and applications.

Complete all courses listed below unless otherwise indicated. Also complete any corequisite labs, recitations, clinicals, or tools courses where specified and complete any additional courses needed beyond specific college and major requirements to satisfy graduation credit requirements.

University-Wide Requirements

All undergraduate students are required to complete the University-Wide Requirements.

NUpath Requirements

All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.

Computer Science Courses

Course List
Code Title Hours
Computer Science Overview
CS 1200First Year Seminar1
or ARTF 1000 Art and Design at Northeastern
CS 1210Professional Development for Khoury Co-op1
or EEAM 2000 Professional Development for Co-op
Computer Science Fundamental Courses
CS 1800
and CS 1802
Discrete Structures
and Seminar for CS 1800
5
CS 2500
and CS 2501
Fundamentals of Computer Science 1
and Lab for CS 2500
5
CS 2510
and CS 2511
Fundamentals of Computer Science 2
and Lab for CS 2510
5
Computer Science Required Courses
CS 3000Algorithms and Data4
CS 3500
and CS 3501
Object-Oriented Design
and Lab for CS 3500
5
CS 4500Software Development4
or CS 4530 Fundamentals of Software Engineering
IS 4300Human Computer Interaction4
Computer Science Elective Courses
With adviser approval, directed study, research, project study, and appropriate graduate-level courses may also be taken as upper-division electives.
Complete 8 credits of CS, CY, DS, or IS classes that are not already required. Choose courses within the following ranges:8
CS 2500 or higher, except CS 5010
CY 2000 or higher, except CY 4930
DS 2500 or higher, except DS 4900
IS 2000 or higher, except IS 4900

Design Requirements

Course List
Code Title Hours
Art + Design Fundamentals Required
ARTF 1122Color and Composition (with optional ARTF 1123)4
Art + Design Fundamentals Elective
Complete one of the following:4-5
ARTF 1121
Conceptual Drawing
ARTF 1124
and ARTF 1125
Form and Structure
and Form and Structure Tools
ARTF 2220
Movement and Time (with optional ARTF 2221)
ARTF 2223
Experience and Interaction (with optional ARTF 2224)
Design Required
ARTG 1250Design Process Context and Systems4
ARTG 2250Typography 1 (with optional ARTG 2251)4
ARTG 3350Typography 24
ARTG 3451Information Design 14
Design Elective
Complete any one ARTG design elective course, as long as prerequisites have been met. 4
Art + Design History Elective
Complete any one ARTH course.4
Art + Design Elective
Complete any one ARTG, ARTE, ARTD, ARTH, ARTS, or GAME course as long as prerequisites have been met.4
Degree Capstone Project
ARTG 4550Design Degree Project 14

Design Options

Course List
Code Title Hours
Complete one of the following options:8
Interaction Design Option
ARTG 2400
Interaction Design 1: Responsive (with optional ARTG 2401)
ARTG 3700
Interaction Design 2: Mobile
Course List
Code Title Hours
Graphic and Information Design Option
ARTG 2252
Graphic Design 1
ARTG 3450
Graphic Design 2
Course List
Code Title Hours
Experience Design Option
ARTG 3462
Experience Design 1
ARTG 3463
Experience Design 2

Degree-Focused Electives

Course List
Code Title Hours
Complete two courses from the following lists:8
Art + Design
Complete any ARTG or ARTE courses as long as prerequisites have been met.
Psychology
PSYC 1101
Foundations of Psychology
PSYC 3452
Sensation and Perception
PSYC 3464
Psychology of Language
PSYC 3466
Cognition
Computer Science
CS 3200
Database Design
CS 3520
Programming in C++
CS 3540
Game Programming
CS 3650
Computer Systems
CS 3700
Networks and Distributed Systems
CS 3800
Theory of Computation
CS 4100
Artificial Intelligence
CS 4150
Game Artificial Intelligence
CS 4300
Computer Graphics
CS 4400
Programming Languages
CS 4520
Mobile Application Development
CS 4550
Web Development
CS 4850
Building Game Engines
CS 4991
Research
CS 4992
Directed Study
CS 4993
Independent Study
DS 3000
Foundations of Data Science
DS 4200
Information Presentation and Visualization
DS 4300
Large-Scale Information Storage and Retrieval
DS 4400
Machine Learning and Data Mining 1
DS 4420
Machine Learning and Data Mining 2
IS 2000
Principles of Information Science

Integrative Requirement

Course List
Code Title Hours
The following courses are used in the major but also count as the integrative requirement:
IS 4300
Human Computer Interaction
ARTG 4550
Design Degree Project 1

Supporting Course

Course List
Code Title Hours
Computing and Social Issues
Complete one of the following:4
AFAM 2600
Issues in Race, Science, and Technology
CY 4170
The Law, Ethics, and Policy of Data and Digital Technologies
CY 5240
Cyberlaw: Privacy, Ethics, and Digital Rights
ENGL 2150
Literature and Digital Diversity
HIST 2220
History of Technology
INSH 2102
Bostonography: The City through Data, Texts, Maps, and Networks
IS 1300
Knowledge in a Digital World
or PHIL 1300
Knowledge in a Digital World
PHIL 1145
Technology and Human Values
SOCL 1280
The Twenty-First-Century Workplace
SOCL 2485
Environment, Technology, and Society
SOCL 4528
Computers and Society

Computer Science Writing Requirement

Course List
Code Title Hours
College Writing
ENGW 1111First-Year Writing4
Advanced Writing in the Disciplines
ENGW 3302Advanced Writing in the Technical Professions4
or ENGW 3315 Interdisciplinary Advanced Writing in the Disciplines

Required General Electives

Course List
Code Title Hours
Complete 24 credits of general electives.24

NUpath Requirements Satisfied

  • Engaging with the Natural and Designed World 
  • Exploring Creative Expression and Innovation
  • Conducting Formal and Quantitative Reasoning 
  • Analyzing and Using Data 
  • Writing in the First Year 
  • Advanced Writing in the Disciplines 
  • Writing-Intensive in the Major 
  • Demonstrating Thought and Action in a Capstone 

 Integrating Knowledge and Skills Through Experience is satisfied through co-op.

Khoury College GPA Requirement

Minimum 2.000 GPA required in all CS, CY, DS and IS courses

Computer Science and Design Major Credit Requirement

96 SH are required in the major.

Program Requirement

133 total semester hours required

Five Years, Three Co-ops in Spring/Summer 1

Year 1
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
CS 1200 or ARTF 10001CS 2510
and CS 2511
5VacationVacation
CS 1800
and CS 1802
5ARTG 12504  
CS 2500
and CS 2501
5A+D Fundamentals elective4  
ARTF 1122 (with optional ARTF 1123)4Elective4  
ENGW 11114   
 19 17 0 0
Year 2
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
CS 30004Co-op 1Co-op 1Elective4
CS 3500
and CS 3501
5  Elective4
ARTG 2250 (with optional ARTG 2251)4   
Design option 14   
CS 1210 or EEAM 20001   
 18 0 0 8
Year 3
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
IS 43004Co-op 2Co-op 2ENGW 3302 or 33154
ARTG 33504  Elective4
Art + Design History Elective4   
Design option 24   
 16 0 0 8
Year 4
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1Hours 
ARTG 34514Co-op 3Co-op 3 
Computing and social issues elective4   
Degree-focused elective 14   
Art + Design elective4   
 16 0 0 
Year 5
FallHoursSpringHours  
CS 4500 (and CS 4501)4CS elective4  
ARTG 45504Degree-focused elective 24  
CS elective4Elective4  
Elective4Elective4  
 16 16  
Total Hours: 134
*

 Indicates course must be taken in the semester listed.

Four Years, Two Co-ops in Spring/Summer 1

Year 1
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
CS 1200 or ARTF 10001CS 2510
and CS 2511
5CS 3500
and CS 3501
5Vacation
CS 1800
and CS 1802
5ARTG 12504CS 30004 
CS 2500
and CS 2501
5A+D fundamentals elective4  
ARTF 1122 (with optional ARTF 1123)4Elective4  
ENGW 11114   
 19 17 9 0
Year 2
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
ARTG 2250 (with optional ARTG 2251)4Co-op 1Co-op 1ENGW 33024
Art + Design History Elective4  Elective4
Design option 14   
Degree-focused elective 14   
CS 1210 or EEAM 20001   
 17 0 0 8
Year 3
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
IS 43004Co-op 2Co-op 2Elective4
ARTG 33504  Elective4
Computing and social issues4   
Design option 24   
 16 0 0 8
Year 4
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1Hours 
CS 4500 (and CS 4501)4Degree-focused elective 24Elective4 
ARTG 34514Art + Design elective4Elective4 
ARTG 45504CS elective4  
Elective4CS elective4  
 16 16 8 
Total Hours: 134
  • Boston Opens New Window
  • Burlington Opens New Window
  • Charlotte Opens New Window
  • London Opens New Window
  • Nahant Opens New Window
  • Portland Opens New Window
  • San Francisco Opens New Window
  • Seattle Opens New Window
  • Silicon Valley Opens New Window
  • Toronto Opens New Window
  • Vancouver Opens New Window

360 Huntington Ave., Boston, Massachusetts 02115 Opens New Window | 617.373.2000 | TTY 617.373.3768 | Emergency Information
© 2021-2022 Northeastern University | myNortheastern Opens New Window

  • Facebook. Opens New Window
  • Twitter. Opens New Window
  • Youtube. Opens New Window
  • Linkedin. Opens New Window
  • Instagram. Opens New Window
  • Snapchat. Opens New Window

Privacy Policy Opens New Window

Back to top

Print Options

  • Send Page to Printer

    Print this page.

  • Download Page (PDF)

    The PDF will include all information unique to this page.

  • 2021-22 Undergraduate PDF

  • 2021-22 College of Professional Studies Undergraduate PDF

  • 2021-22 Graduate PDF

  • 2021-22 Course Descriptions PDF