CICS BS and BA requirements

Major Requirements

Each academic program has major requirements. Please refer to the information about your major for those requirements and tracking forms.

BS Degree: CICS Requirements

Students pursuing a bachelor of science (BS) degree are required to complete at least 60 credits of coursework in courses offered by the college (or approved courses offered by departments outside the college). Credits earned to satisfy general education and major requirements count toward this requirement.

Approved Science Coursework

College of Information and Computer Sciences: All courses

College of Natural Sciences: All courses

5-Colleges: All CICS and CNS comparable 5-college courses

Select courses from other colleges: Please see the listing at CNS for specifically approved courses in other colleges (CICS approvals parallel those of CNS at this time).

BA Degree: CICS Requirements

Students pursuing a bachelor of arts degree must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language at the intermediate level, by one of the following methods:

• Completion of a foreign language course at the fourth semester level (Intermediate II or Intermediate Intensive courses numbered 240-249). Intermediate II courses may be graded on a pass/fail basis.
• Degree credit equivalent earned through an appropriate score on a College Board Foreign Language Achievement Test (SAT II) or a College Board Advanced Placement Test.
• Proficiency demonstrated in a test designed by a UMass Amherst language department, or a test administered and validated by a local faculty member if the language is not one offered by a department at the university.
• Satisfactory completion in high school or college of either a fourth-level foreign language course, or of a third-level course in one language and a second-level course in another language.
• Successful completion of one year in a high school in which English is not the language of instruction.
• Successful completion of a semester or yearlong study abroad program that leads to foreign language proficiency at the fourth semester (Intermediate II) level as approved by the appropriate language department.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE MODIFICATION REQUEST

Students with a documented language acquisition challenge or hearing impairment may petition a Consumer Manager at Disability Services for support of a foreign language modification. Final decisions on petitions for foreign language modification will be made by the Academic Dean in the College of Information and Computer Sciences. To initiate such a petition, contact Disability Services, 161 Whitmore Administration Building, tel. (413) 545-0892, https://www.umass.edu/disability/students. Modification courses may include proficiency in American Sign Language at the Intermediate II level, or completion of four courses (12-16 cr.) taught in English on the history, culture, or literature of non-English speaking countries or regions. These courses must be completed in addition to courses used to fulfill the General Education and major requirements, and may not be graded on a Pass/Fail basis.