CSCI Degree Requirements

Entered Fall 2020 or later

Math and Natural Science (9 CU)

MATH 1400
MATH 1410
CIS 1600
CIS 2610 or ESE 3010 or ENM 3210 or Stat 4300
MATH 2400, 3120, 3130, or 3140

Math or Natural Science Elective

PHYS 0150/0170, or MEAM 1100+1470
PHYS 0151/0171, or ESE 1120


Engineering (14 CU)

CIS 1100
CIS 1200
CIS 1210
CIS 2400
CIS 2620
CIS 3200

CIS 3800
CIS 4710

CIS 4000 or CIS 4100
CIS 4010 or CIS 4110

CIS Elective
CIS Elective
CIS Elective
CIS Elective

A CIS elective is a CIS or NETS engineering course numbered 1000 or above, or ESE 3500. (Note that not all CIS/NETS courses are engineering courses; please see the SEAS Undergraduate Handbook.) At most one CU of 1xxx courses may be used as CIS Electives.

The CIS and Tech Electives must include a course from each of the following lists (notice that courses can be in multiple lists):

Networking: NETS 1500, 2120; CIS 3310, 4550, 5050, 5530
Databases: CIS 4500, 4550, 5450
Distributed systems: NETS 2120; CIS 4410, 4500, 5050, 5450
Machine learning/AI: CIS 4190, 4210, 5200, 5450, 6200
Project: NETS 2120; CIS 3410, 3500, 4410, 4500, 4550, 4600, 5050, 5530; ESE 3500


Tech Elective (6 CU)

(Dept. Approval Required)

May contain at most one course numbered 1xxx. You may use 1) courses from a declared concentration, and/or 2) courses approved by the Department. In general, approved courses will be advanced courses that are rigorous/quantitative and have at least one nontrivial prerequisite. See the CIS web site for a list of approved courses.

Tech Elective
Tech Elective
Tech Elective
Tech Elective
Tech Elective
Tech Elective


Social Sci & Humanities (7 CU)

EAS 2030 or CIS 4230/5230 or LAWM 5060
Social Science (SS) or Humanities (H)
SS or H
SS or H
SS or H
SS, H, or Technology, Business, and Society (TBS)
SS, H, or TBS

The courses must include a writing seminar:
Writing Seminar

Please see the SEAS Undergraduate Handbook for a list of writing seminars that can be counted as an SS or H course.


Free Elective (1 CU)

Free Elective

Undergraduate Program:

Your CIS Contacts:

Jessica Kimpel
Academic Advisor
Office: 308 Levine
Email: jkimpel@seas.upenn.edu

Rob Lee
Academic Advisor
Office: 308 Levine
Email: rkplee@seas.upenn.edu

Laura Fox
Associate Director
Office: 309 Levine
Phone: 215-898-3191
Email: lffox@seas.upenn.edu

Lee Dukes
Sr. Director of Academic Affairs
Office: 361 Levine
Email: ldukes@seas.upenn.edu

Dr. Joseph Devietti
Undergraduate Curriculum Chair
Office: 572 Levine
Email: devietti@cis.upenn.edu