Major map:
Computer Science
Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) - View all program options
Learn how to get the most out of your degree and prepare for your future career.
The Computer Science B.Sc. program is a comprehensive program that provides ample depth and significant breadth of the field. The core of the program balances practice with theoretical topics and mathematics. The program also allows the student some flexibility to pursue some topics in more depth, or to obtain more breadth. Students can apply to participate in a 12—16 month professional internship between 3rd and 4th years.
This program is accredited by the Canadian Information Processing Society's (CIPS) Computer Science Accreditation Council (CSAC).
Not a USask student?
Learn more about studying computer science at USask and apply for admission.
Explore your major
Learn more about some of the required major-specific courses for this degree. View the course and program catalogue or meet with an academic advisor to understand all major requirements.
The courses listed here and in the Course and Program Catalogue are not necessarily offered each year and do not represent the totality of your requirements.
CMPT 141.3 | Introduction to Computer Science
CMPT 145.3 | Principles of Computer Science
MATH 110.3 | Calculus I
MATH 163.3 | Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning
MATH 164.3 | Introduction to Linear Algebra
You choose
- From a variety of courses to fulfill your degree requirements
Academic tips
- Explore information about your major in the course and program catalogue and the Department of Computer Science undergrad programs page
- Meet with an academic advisor for help choosing your courses and planning your degree
- Visit the student Learning Hub for help developing your academic skills
- Students without high-school CS32 must take CMPT 140.3 before starting first-year, or must register for CMPT 141.3 and MATH 110.3 concurrently
- Students without high-school CS30 can get a start with CMPT 140.3 in the summer before first-year
- Full first-year courses (CMPT 140.3, 141.3, and 145.3) are typically offered over the spring and summer sessions
- Students who cannot get CMPT 140.3 in summer session can take it in fall term, and then take CMPT 141.3 in winter term; but then they will need to complete CMPT 145.3 in the summer term after first-year
- All second-year courses require completion of CMPT 145.3; missing it before the start of second-year will delay the student by a whole year
- It is recommended students complete MATH 110.3 (or 176.3 for MATH students or 133.4 for GE students). The other first-year MATH courses (MATH 102.3, 104.3, 121.3, 125.3) will not count towards the CMPT degree
What will I learn?
- Describe fundamental concepts regarding operating systems, version control systems, and the software build process and its automations
- Understand software engineering concepts and techniques; capturing, documenting and analyzing requirements, translate a requirements specification into an implementable design
- Explain data-analytic design-patterns, create and apply them using the scikit family of Python libraries and SQL scripts
- Discover and explain basic software vulnerabilities in software code
- Build N-tier web-applications using modern front-end development environments on standard web server platforms
Gain relevant experience
- Consider a study abroad experience to earn credit toward your degree
- Explore undergraduate research opportunities
- Consider enrolling in an experiential learning course
- Join the Computer Science Student Society and attend their start-of-term bootcamps
Create local and global connections
- Visit the USask Community Centre to make connections and build community
- Get involved in your campus community through student groups, campus rec, and USask events
- Before you register in your first-year courses, sign up to be a part of a Learning Community
- Get to know your faculty and their research interests
Get career ready
- Explore career pathways related to computer science
- Meet with a career educator at Career Services to explore your career possibilities
- Take a career assessment to learn more about your strengths, personality, interests, and values
- Create your résumé and cover letter to take advantage of part-time and summer job opportunities
- Develop your LinkedIn profile to begin building your professional brand
Featured courses
- CMPT 214.3 Programming Principles and Practice
- CMPT 306.3 Game Mechanics
- CMPT 318.3 Data Analytics
- CMPT 353.3 Full Stack Web Programming
- CMPT 370.3 Intermediate Software Engineering
Explore your major
Learn more about some of the required major-specific courses for this degree. View the course and program catalogue or meet with an academic advisor to understand all major requirements.
The courses listed here and in the Course and Program Catalogue are not necessarily offered each year and do not represent the totality of your requirements.
CMPT 214.3 | Programming Principles and Practice
CMPT 215.3 | Introduction to Computer Organization and Architecture
CMPT 260.3 | Mathematical Logic and Computing
CMPT 270.3 | Developing Object-Oriented Systems
CMPT 280.3 | Intermediate Data Structures and Algorithms
PHIL 232.3 | Ethics and Professional Responsibility in Computer Science
STAT 245.3 | Introduction to Statistical Methods
You choose
- From a variety of courses to fulfill your degree requirements
The courses listed here and in the Course and Program Catalogue are not necessarily offered each year and do not represent the totality of your requirements.
You choose
Academic tips
- Check DegreeWorks and meet with an academic advisor to ensure your degree is on track
- Apply for scholarships and bursaries
- Declare your major in PAWS
- Plan your terms carefully: we recommend no more than three CMPT courses in a single term. Some course are high workload, and catch students unaware
- Full second-year course offerings (CMPT 214.3, 215.3, 260.3, 270.3, 280.3) are typically offered over the spring and summer sessions
- It is recommended students take STAT 245.3 (or STAT 241.3 and 242.3), instead of one of the other college-level equivalents, as these other courses do not meet pre-requisite requirements for some to statistics-intensive CMPT courses, including CMPT 394.3, 423.3, and 489.3
- Note that not all CMPT 400 courses are offered every year — students should check with the department when registering for third-year to determine course scheduling and take the courses they’re interested in
Add to your major
Choose from a variety of options to complement your major.
- Advanced Studio Art (certificate)
- Business (certificate)
- Entrepreneurship (certificate)
- Geomatics (certificate)
- Mathematical Modelling (certificate)
- Precision Agriculture (certificate)
- Economics (minor)
- Mathematics (minor)
Gain relevant experience
- Gain work expereince through the Computer Science Professional Internship Program (CSPIP)
- Meet with the Study Abroad Coordinator or an International Student and Study Abroad Centre (ISSAC) International Education Officer to explore your study abroad options
- Become a peer mentor through the College of Arts and Science, University Library, or Peer Health
- Sign up for a Student Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE)
- Get involved in research by applying for a research assistantship
- Participate in the annual International Collegiate Programming Competition, with local qualifying competitions in Fall and Winter terms
- Participate in free global comp-sci competitions, hackathons, and code-jams with Google, Amazon, Facebook/Meta, and others through HackerEarth.
Create local and global connections
- Engage with your community through volunteering and Co-Curricular Record activities
- Meet with new people and grow your cultural understanding through Building Bridges and Global Connections
- Join the Computer Science Student Society (CSSS) to connect with fellow USask Computer Science students
- Consider joining the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) where a discounted student membership is offered
- Consider joining the IEEE, he world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity
Get career ready
- Discover job opportunities, explore career options, and meet professionals at Career Services events and career fairs
- Attend the Computer Science Career Fair
- Explore experiential learning opportunities to gain relevant experience and skills
- Expand your professional network on LinkedIn
- Get a better understanding of your career possibilities through career informational interviews
- Conduct occupational research through Job Bank and LinkedIn
Career readiness competencies
Career Readiness Competencies are transferable skill sets that will prepare you for the world of work and include the top attributes that employers are looking for:
- Career & Self-Development
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Equity & Inclusion
- Leadership
- Professionalism
- Teamwork
- Technology
Explore your major
Learn more about some of the required major-specific courses for this degree. View the course and program catalogue or meet with an academic advisor to understand all major requirements.
The courses listed here and in the Course and Program Catalogue are not necessarily offered each year and do not represent the totality of your requirements.
You choose
Academic tips
- Apply for scholarships and bursaries
- Consider applying to the Honours program or Honours Software Engineering Option
- The CMPT 400.3, 405.3, and 407.3 courses are restricted to students enrolled in honours programs. CMPT 406.3 will not count towards one of the two CMPT 400 electives; it will only fill the CMPT 300 or 400 elective
- Students interested in taking CMPT 394.3, 423.3, or 489.3 must take STAT 245.3 (or the preferred STAT 241.3 and 242.3)
Consider applying to a graduate program
- Applied Computing (M.Sc., Ph.D.)
- Computer Science (M.Sc., Ph.D.)
Gain relevant experience
- Consider running for a leadership position with the Arts and Science Student Union (ASSU) or the USask Students' Union (USSU)
Create local and global connections
- Join the USask Alumni and Friends community
Get career ready
- Update your cover letter, résumé, and/or CV to apply for jobs
- Meet with Career Services to prepare for your interview
- Explore experiential learning opportunities to gain relevant experience and skills
- If you are new to Canada, take time to learn about how to search for a job in Canada
Career readiness competencies
Career Readiness Competencies are transferable skill sets that will prepare you for the world of work and include the top attributes that employers are looking for:
- Career & Self-Development
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Equity & Inclusion
- Leadership
- Professionalism
- Teamwork
- Technology
Possible destinations
People with a computer science degree take their knowledge and skills into many different industries and occupations. Note that some of the career paths listed here require further education and training.
Designations
Graduates of the four-year computer science program can apply for Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS) credentials. Upon graduation, the AITP (associate IT professional) designation is available. After 100 hours of employment, the ITCP (IT certified professional) designation becomes available. Additionally, with reference letters, a student can receive the the ISP (Information Systems Professional) designation, with legal recognition in AB, BC, ON, NB, and NS via the national self-regulating organization (similar to professional engineering societies).
With the four-year computer science degree, Canadian citizens and permanent residents qualify for a visa under the Canada-USA-Mexico free-trade agreement.
Career paths
- Aerospace Engineer
- Applications Programmer
- Business Analyst
- Chief Information Officer
- Clinical Data Analyst
- Cloud Infrastructure Architect
- Computer Programmer
- Computer Service Technician
- Cyber Security Specialist
- Data Analyst
- Database Administrator
- Database Marketing Analyst
- Developer
- Financial Analyst
- Graphic Designer
- Information Systems Designer
- Inventory Control Specialist
- IT Analyst
- Network Engineer
- Programmer Analyst
- Records Manager
- Researcher
- Robotics Technologist
- Software Engineer
- Statistician
- Systems Administrator
- Transportation Planner
- Video Game Developer
- Web Application Developer
- Web Designer
At Vendasta, we pride ourselves on employing the best and brightest talents, ensuring a dynamic and forward-thinking environment for our technological pursuits. Over the years, we've had the pleasure of bringing on board several graduates from USask's Computer Science program. Their inclusion in our workforce has been nothing short of noteworthy, both in terms of the value they bring and the standards they set.
The competencies exhibited by these graduates are immediately noticeable. They arrive with a palpable hunger to learn and grow, showing an innate curiosity and a passion for their craft. Notably, a significant number of our most senior engineers are proud alumni of USask's Computer Science program, which stands testament to the program's caliber and its alignment with our aspirations.
—Hemant, Director of Engineering, Vendasta, B.Comm. (Computer Science) '99
Where do USask alumni work?
- 7Shifts
- Amazon
- Andgo Systems
- Calian, Advanced Technologies
- Canadian Light Source Inc.
- City of Saskatoon
- Government of Canada
- Government of Saskatchewan
- Microsoft
- Saskatchewan Polytechnic
- Siemens Digital Industries Softwares
- University of Calgary
- University of Regina
- University of Saskatchewan
- University of Waterloo
- Vecima Networks Inc.
- Vendasta
Explore Canadian salaries for various occupations using the Job Bank Career Planning Tool
"I chose computer science because I wanted to solve real world problems using the tools that software and programming offers. The skills I learned in the Computer Science program at USask are broadly applicable to so many different sectors and jobs. Technology encompasses everything around us, and learning to understand and master it is a key skill."
—Harris, fourth-year computer science student
"I have always been fascinated by technology and problem-solving, but taking the introductory computer science course cemented my passion for the Computer Science program at USask. There is always more to learn in this program, and I love that this major pushes me to continuously build on my skills."
—Tanmay, fourth-year computer science student
"I pursued computer science to embrace mental challenges. I've learned that I love to take complex problems and combine creativity and logic to create solutions. As well, participating in the internship program gave me valuable industry knowledge and kick-started my career."
—Cassidy, fourth-year computer science student