Computer and Information Science (CIS) Study Away Advising Guide

The Global Education Office and the Department of Computer and Information Science (CIS) have compiled the following information for computer science, data science, informatics, and software engineering majors to assist in planning for a semester of study away. Students should let their Academic Advisor know as soon as possible about their plan to study away so they can help fit this experience into the student’s graduation plan.

Academic Planning Prior to Going Away

Successfully Complete the Following Courses Before Studying Away

In order to be eligible to study away, students in any CIS major must successfully complete the following courses at Allegheny prior to studying away:

  • FS-101, FS-102 OR SWS-105 *wording TBD 
  • CMPSC 100, CMPSC 101

When should I study away?

It is recommended that students majoring in any CIS department’s major who intend to study away do so in their sophomore year or the first semester of their junior year. 

Allegheny’s graduation requirements state that a student’s final 16 semester credit hours before graduation must be taken in academic residence on campus, therefore study away during the second-semester senior year is not allowed without the permission of the Dean’s Exemption Committee.

Plan Around Your Junior Seminar/Senior Project

Junior Seminar, CMPSC 580, is always offered only in the spring semester. This course must be completed before students take the Senior Comprehensive Project course in their CIS major. 

Students could study away during the Spring semester of their Junior year, granted they take CMPSC 580 in the spring semester of their Sophomore year. 

All majors in the CIS department require completion of a two-semester Senior Comprehensive project with 600 typically taken in the fall semester and 610 taken in the spring semester

Courses that Must Be Taken on Campus

The following courses in the CIS department cannot be taken during a study-away program: 

  • CMPSC 580
  • CMPSC 600
  • CMPSC 610

How Studying Away Counts Towards the Major

Students in all majors in the CIS department should focus on coursework for the Electives and/or Core section of the major while studying away. 

  • With the department’s approval, a range of elective courses can be substituted for CMPSC elective courses, therefore students are encouraged to take courses that are not offered at Allegheny when studying away that might supplement their CIS education at Allegheny.

A maximum of 16 transfer credits may be counted toward the major. A maximum of 8 transfer credits may be counted toward the minor.

Suggested Programs for a Computer and Information Science Major in the CIS Department

The following is a highlighted list of sponsored study away programs that have approved coursework for the majors offered by the Computer and Information Science Department.
  • Australia: James Cook University – Study along the beautiful coast of Queensland, Australia. This program offers a variety of computer science courses, both at the Elective and Core levels.
  • England, Lancaster University – This program is based in Lancaster, a small city in the northern region of England. This program offers a variety of computer science courses, both at the Elective and Core levels.
  • Ireland: University College Cork – Cork is the the second largest city in Ireland, but has a quaint, small town feel as everything is walkable. The city center is just a ten minute walk from campus. Students can take classes in computer science, data science and analytics, digital humanities and information technology, and psychology and computing,
  • Ireland: University College Dublin – Dublin is a charming, bustling, and exciting capital city. UCD, located just a couple miles from the city center, offers courses in programming, foundational mathematics, advanced software engineering, cloud development, theory of computer science, networks and security, statistics, data management and data analytics. The principal programming languages used are C, Java and Python. Specialized topics include computer graphics, game development, robotics, mobile development and others.
  • Italy: CET Siena – This program offers courses in Discrete Mathematics and Theory 2 Computer Systems and Organization 2, Operating Systems, Artificial Intelligence, Database Systems
  • Spain: Engineering & Society in Madrid (CIEE) program: – This program offers a variety of courses in Data Science, Robotics, and Computer Science and Engineering.