Coding and Software Design Minor (formerly Computer Science)

The Coding and Software Design minor enhances students’ Dominican degree by augmenting their major course of study with technology skills. The competencies acquired provide a pathway to high-demand jobs and support further graduate studies.

Students learn to build websites, mobile applications, and gain an introduction to the fundamental theory of computer science. Courses in this minor end with a culminating project where participants can apply the knowledge and skills gained throughout the semester. Students identify and analyze a real-world problem-solving opportunity, plan a software project, and learn how to select and use software applications and tools to complete the project.

Faculty-to-student, and student-to-student interactions are integral to each of the courses in the minor. As students complete culminating projects, they receive feedback from faculty members as well as student peers. Instructional requirements such as group work, time log audits, discussion forums, and faculty-to-student feedback audits ensure that interactions among students, as well as between students and faculty are timely and meaningful.

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Students will:

1. Design, build, and launch software products to address real world problems
2. Practice quantitative and qualitative reasoning, critical thinking, and problem -solving skills
3. Identify and evaluate the quality of data sets; analyze, visualize, and interpret data sets
4. Assess, select, and implement appropriate technologies with attention to ethics, equity, and social justice
5. Learn strategies for effective communication in multiple domains including coding craftsmanship, as well as written and oral communications
   

Required Courses

CS 2001	Coding and Building Websites	4.00 units
CS 3001	The Fundamentals of Computer Science and Algorithms	4.00 units

Electives

Select 8 units from the following courses:

CS 3002	Coding and Building Websites II	4.00 units
CS 3003	Intro to Data Science: Visualization, Analysis, and Modeling	4.00 units
CS 3004	Mobile App Development in Apple Ecosystem	4.00 units

Total Credit Hours: 16

EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS:

Courses in the minor require access to an Apple laptop for the duration of the semester. The Apple operating system (OSX) is the leading software engineering environment and working with it significantly accelerates a student’s progress as a software engineer. Any Apple laptop, no older than 6 years, will work so long as it has or is upgraded to have a Solid State Drive (SSD) hard drive and at least 8 GB RAM.

To ensure that all Dominican students can take courses in the Coding and Software Design minor, the following options are recommended for meeting this requirement:

Option 1: Buy a new or refurbished Apple laptop. A refurbished laptop works as well as a new laptop. Use Dominican’s new Apple On Campus partnership to take advantage of education discounts. https://apple.com/edu/dominican

Option 2: Purchase a used Apple laptop. Any Apple laptop will work so long as it has or is upgraded to have a Solid State Drive (SSD) hard drive and at least 8 GB RAM. Used Apple laptops can be found on Amazon, Ebay, and Craigslist. Please use caution when purchasing a used computer.

Option 3: Additional Financial Aid support. Additional loan funds may be available to cover the purchase of a computer. A student may be able to increase their financial aid budget one-time during their tenure at Dominican to accommodate the purchase of a computer. Please download the Budget Appeal Form from the Financial Aid website and submit the completed form with proof of purchase (receipt) to the Office of Financial Aid for review.

Option 4: Loaner laptops. For students qualifying for financial aid, there is a limited supply of semester-long loaner laptops available. Please contact the Library for information on the Long-term Laptop Loan Program.