Computer Science

  • server rack and sample Java programming code

Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Information Technology

The B. S. degree in Computer Information Technology (CIT) is designed for students interested in professional careers involving the design, implementation and support of solutions to informational technology infrastructure needs.

The B. S. in CIT program requires a total of 120 units, including general education requirements, major core and a 15+ unit domain emphasis package, composed of a sequence of courses from a breadth discipline.  The domain emphasis is normally satisfied by completion of a minor in a program of the student's choice. In cases where declaration of a minor is not feasible, students can instead complete a sequence of courses from that same program of study that includes at least 15 units, of which at least 9 units are upper division. A CIT major must complete a minimum of 18 residency units of upper division CIT program courses; this is in addition to all other institutional residency requirements. Since CIT majors cannot declare a domain emphasis from programs in the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics (DNCBE), an alternative option for students interested in that combination of courses is to declare the B. S. in Information Systems major with IT option (BS in IS/IT), offered by the Department of Accounting and Information Systems in the DNCBE.

CIT Domain Emphasis Requirements in More Detail (Catalog Years: Fall 2021 - Spring 2023)

We recommend that students majoring in CIT first consider declaring a formal minor to satisfy the CIT Domain Emphasis requirement. The only restriction on minor is that it cannot be a minor in Computer Science and it cannot be from any department within the DNCBE. One advantage of declaring a formal minor that students should note is that a formal minor is named along with the major on the diploma, while a domain emphasis package is not. But for a variety of reasons, students may decide against declaring a minor. In that case, students can satisfy the CIT Domain Emphasis requirement by defining a package of courses with the following guidelines.

  • Must be a minimum of 15 units total
  • A minimum of 9 units must be upper division (300 level or higher)
  • Must be from a single department, cannot be a random selection of 5 courses from 5 different departments. Some exceptions are allowed, such as a package composed of courses from Art and Music, or Urban Studies and Sustainability. Other combinations may be allowed, but check with the department to get confirmation in advance.
  • A minimum grade of C- or better for courses taken at CSUN. Transfer courses can be included in the package, but transfer courses must have a minimum grade of C or better. Also, transfer courses from a community college can only count as lower division courses, they cannot be used as part of the requirement for 9 units upper division.
  • Courses in a domain emphasis package cannot double count with the CIT science elective. For example, if you use courses from GEOG or GEOL to satisfy the CIT science elective and you also declare a CIT domain emphasis in the same department, you cannot use the same course in both sections. In contrast, A&R does allow double counting between the CIT science elective and a formal minor. When considering the difference between a minor and a domain emphasis package, note that declaring a formal minor opens the door to more opportunity for double counting. Furthermore, the minimum acceptable grade for a minor may be lower than the C- required by the domain emphasis package. A course with a grade of D might count toward a minor, while it won't count toward a CIT domain emphasis package. Seek advice from the department offering the minor to confirm any questions about their grade policies.

Other CIT Program Documents