Linguistics Concentration in the BS in Applied Computer Science

Catalog Year: 2026-2027

Banner Code: EC-BS-ACS-LING

This program presents an innovative approach to the integration of computer science with other disciplines that require expertise in computing techniques. These disciplines do not merely use computing but create new and interesting problems for computer scientists.

Policies

Advanced Placement, Credit by Exam

A score of 4 on the Advanced Placement (AP) computer science exam qualifies students for credit in CS 112 Introduction to Computer Programming (Mason Core). A score of 4 on the International Baccalaureate (IB) computer science exam qualifies students for credits in CS 112, and a score of 5 or more qualifies students for credit in CS 211 Object-Oriented Programming.

Change of Major

Students requesting a change of major to Applied Computer Science must meet with the College of Engineering and Computing Coordinator of Undergraduate Advising, 2500 Nguyen Engineering Building. Students requesting a change of major to Applied Computer Science must have a GPA of at least 2.75 in computer science and math courses countable on the major, and successfully completed one of CS 109, CS 112, or CS 211, and one of MATH 113,  MATH 114, MATH 124, or MATH 125, with a grade of B or better at Mason.  See Change of Major for more information. 

Grades

Students must earn a C or better in any course intended to satisfy a prerequisite for a computer science course. Applied Computer Science majors may not use more than one course with a grade of C-, D, or XP toward department requirements.

Program Requirements

For the BS ACS degree, students must complete 120 credits, including the Mason Core requirements. The program requires foundation, core, and concentration courses. These course requirements provide expertise in programming, computer systems, software requirements and modeling, formal methods, and analysis of algorithms.

Repeating Courses

Students may attempt an undergraduate course taught by the College of Engineering and Computing twice. A third attempt requires approval of the department offering the course. This policy does not apply to STAT 250 Introductory Statistics I (Mason Core), which follows the normal university policy for repeating undergraduate courses.

The CS Department may not allow students to retake certain high-demand CS courses in which they have already earned a grade of C or better simply to improve their GPA.

Writing-Intensive Requirement

Computer science majors complete the writing-intensive requirement through a sequence of projects and reports in CS 405 Ethics and Law in Computing (Mason Core) and CS 321 Software Engineering (Mason Core). Mechanical Engineering concentration students complete the writing-intensive requirement in ME 444 Mechanical Design II (Mason Core). Faculty members provide feedback on students' expository writing.

Termination from the Major

No math, science, or College of Engineering and Computing course that is required for the major may be attempted more than three times. Those students who do not successfully complete such a course within three attempts will be terminated from the major. Undeclared students in the College of Engineering and Computing who do not successfully complete a course required for a College of Engineering and Computing major within three attempts will also be terminated. 

In addition, students in the College of Engineering and Computing with evidence of continued failure to make adequate progress toward declaring or completing a College of Engineering and Computing major will be terminated from the school. Adequate progress is determined by the major program. For more information, see AP.5.2.4 Termination from the Major.

Once a student has attempted one of these courses twice unsuccessfully, the third attempt must be no later than the next semester of enrollment, excluding summers. Failure to take the course at that time will result in termination from the major. A third attempt of a College of Engineering and Computing course requires support by the student's major department as well as permission by the department offering the course. This permission is not guaranteed. If the student is unable to take the course when required, the student may request an extension to a future semester; extensions require approval of the student's advisor, their department, and the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs. The deadline for extension requests is the add deadline for the semester in which the course is required.

Students who have been terminated from a College of Engineering and Computing major may not register for a College of Engineering and Computing course without permission of the department offering the course. This applies to all undergraduate courses offered by the College of Engineering and Computing except IT 104 Introduction to Computing (Mason Core) and STAT 250 Introductory Statistics I (Mason Core).

A student may not declare any major in the College of Engineering and Computing if the student has previously met the termination criteria for that major at any time, regardless of what the student's major was at the time the courses were taken.

CS Honors Program

The Department of Computer Science offers a CS Honors Program for students with strong computational foundations and the drive to delve deeper into computing. The program is based on the bachelor of science in computer science and applied computer science curriculum and is distinct from the University Honors College curriculum.

Entry Requirements

Students must be seeking a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science or a Bachelor of Science in Applied Computer Science and must apply for entry into the CS Honors Program after completing 12 credits of CS courses. Applicants must meet the GPA requirements outlined below to enter into the CS Honors Program.

Honors Requirements

CS Honors Program students must fulfill all standard courses required by the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science or Applied Computer Science degree as well as the following additional requirements:

• GPA Requirement: Students must maintain an overall GPA of at least 3.50 and a GPA of at least 3.50 for courses which count towards the BS/CS or BS/ACS major including math, natural sciences, and all CS/SWE courses.
• Research Project Requirement: Students must complete a significant research project prior to graduation. Students should seek out a CS faculty member willing to serve as their research advisor for the project. The project should comprise original work by the student and be demonstrated via two channels:
  1. a written project report that is approved by the student's research advisor and submitted to the department;
  2. a presentation of the project to an audience of students and/or faculty.
• Advanced Course Requirement: At least two Advanced Courses must be completed.  A complete list of acceptable advanced courses is maintained by the CS department and is available on the department web site.

Degree Requirements

Total credits: 120

Students must complete all ACS Foundation and ACS Core requirements, as well as the requirements from one selected concentration.

ACS Foundation

¹

Must be taken within a student's first year at the university.

Note:

MATH 103T, MATH 104, MATH 105, MATH 108, IT subject courses below 350 (and any associated cross-listed courses), and CS 504, CS 530, and CS 531 cannot be counted towards this degree.

ACS Core

¹

Only Bachelor's to Accelerated Master's Program and CS Honors Program students are eligible to enroll in graduate courses identified for those programs, including: CS 583. Only one of the pair of courses may be used for any requirements of this degree: CS 483 and CS 583.

Concentration in Linguistics (LING)

Foundation

Core

¹

CS 499 - topics vary; specific sections must be approved by the CS department in order to be applied to this requirement. Check with the department before enrolling.

²

Only Bachelor's to Accelerated Master's Program and CS Honors Program students are eligible to enroll in graduate courses identified for those programs, including: CS 540, CS 580, CS 584. Only one of each pair of courses may be used for any requirements of this degree: CS 440 and CS 540; CS 480 and CS 580; CS 484 and CS 584.

Linguistics Breadth

LING Related Electives

Additional Mason Core

General Electives