Post-Baccalaureate Certificate

Program Overview

The post-baccalaureate certificate program in computer science (PBCS) is designed for qualified students who have an undergraduate degree in a discipline other than computer science. It lets students take foundational courses in programming, data structures, algorithms, hardware, and systems. The program prepares students for further advancement in their current field, for entry-level positions in industry and in government, or for advanced study in computer science at the graduate level.

Application Deadlines

July 15 (for fall admission)
October 15 (for spring admission)
March 15 (for summer admission)

Contact

Jami Montgomery
P: 202.687.5233
E: jm985 at georgetown dot edu

Admissions Requirements

Applicants to the post-bacc program must have a four-year degree or equivalent from an accredited academic institution. They must have a 3.2 grade-point average in previous undergraduate study. Applicants to the post-bacc program must assemble and submit

• application form
• application fee of $65.00 (check or money order payable to Georgetown University)
• one-page personal statement
• official transcripts from all undergraduate institutions
• two letters of recommendation, preferably with at least one from a person familiar with the applicant’s academic work
• Official TOEFL scores for applicants whose language of instruction was not English
• SAT or ACT scores may be submitted, but are not required

Applicants must submit their complete application to

Post-baccalaureate Program
Department of Computer Science
329 St. Mary’s Hall
Georgetown University
Washington, DC 20057-1232

Note that applicants can submit unofficial copies of transcripts with their application, but the department can not make a formal decision to award admission to the program until it receives official transcripts.

International Students

The post-bacc program has been approved for international students. However, international students must be enrolled in twelve credits per semester. This requires course work in addition to that required for the certificate, but international students can elect to take additional courses in computer science, in mathematics, and in their undergraduate discipline of study.

Program Requirements and Sequence

The curriculum for the post-baccalaureate program consists of twelve courses or thirty-six credits:

• Computer Science I (COSC-051)
• Computer Science II (COSC-052)
• Math Methods for Computer Science (COSC-030)
• Data Structures (COSC-160)
• Hardware Fundamentals (COSC-120)
• Systems Fundamentals (COSC-121)
• Introduction to Algorithms (COSC-240)
• Two computer science electives selected from COSC courses numbered 200 or higher
• Calculus I (MATH-035)
• Calculus II (MATH-036)
• One additional math elective from Probability and Statistics (MATH-040), Multivariable Calculus (MATH-137), Introduction to Mathematical Statistics (MATH-140), Linear Algebra (MATH-150), Abstract Algebra (MATH-203), Number Theory (MATH-211), Numerical Analysis (MATH-212), Combinatorics (MATH-223), Graph Theory (MATH-224), Optimization (MATH-225), Mathematical Statistics I (MATH-233), Mathematical Statistics II (MATH-234), and Symbolic Logic (PHIL-378)

Course Waivers and Substitutions

The minimum number of required credits is twenty-seven credits, or nine courses. Students who have taken relevant courses at other institutions either before or during their enrollment in the program may petition the program administrator for course waivers. Students enrolled in the program who elect to take courses at another university must obtain prior approval from the program administrator. Students who fall short of the minimum requirement of twenty-seven credits because of course waivers must petition the program administrator for a course substitution. A substituted course must be comparable to or more advanced than the original course. Because of the program’s short duration, the department does not award transfer credit.

Class Time, Enrollment Status, and Time to Completion

Students may enroll part-time or full-time and must maintain a minimum grade-point average of 2.8 to be in good academic standing. To earn the post-baccalaureate certificate, students must complete their program of study with a grade-point average of 2.8 or higher.

The normative time to complete the certificate program is four semesters. A hypothetical schedule for a fall start appears in

Table 1. Students can matriculate during the fall, spring, or summer semesters.

Students with no background in computer science who pursue the certificate full-time and start in the fall semester can complete the program’s requirements in four semesters. Students with some course work in computer science who start in other semesters may be able to finish the program more quickly. Depending on a student’s preparation and semester of entry, it may be possible to complete the certificate program in as few as two semesters.

Students who plan to pursue the certificate part-time must keep in mind the sequence and pre-requisites of classes and that all but the introductory courses are offered only once per year.

Students in the post-bacc program take our regular undergraduate courses taught by the department’s faculty. These courses occur during week days. We do not offer evening, weekend, or online courses.

Cost

Students in the program pay per credit hour at the undergraduate tuition rate. See Georgetown’s Tuition and Fees for current rates.