Major

The DCS major will first be available to the graduating class of 2027. Until the official catalog entries are complete, DCS is providing a major advising worksheet to help with planning.

Requirements:

The major consists of 11 courses:

  • Introduction to Computer Science: Complete one course from the following:
    • DCS 109D Intro to Computer Science for Data Analysis
    • DCS 109R Intro to Computer Science using Robots
    • DCS 109S Intro to Computer Science for Software Development (previously DCS 109)
    • DCS 109T Intro to Computer Science for Text Analysis (previously DCS 111)
      • Previous offerings of DCS 109 or DCS 111 will count for this requirement.
  • Software Development and Synthesis: Complete one course from the following:
    • DCS 211 Computing for Insight
    • DCS 229 Data Structures and Algorithms
      • Students who complete both courses may apply DCS 211 toward the (DCS: Data Science & Analysis) method below.
  • Methods: Complete the following methods, using at least two distinct courses having corresponding course tags:
    • (DCS: Data Science & Analysis)
    • (DCS: Critical Digital St.)
    • (DCS: Human-Centered Design)
    • (DCS: Community Engagement)
  • Upper-Level Courses: Complete two 300-level or higher DCS courses, not including DCS 360 Independent Study, DCS 456 Senior Capstone, or DCS 457 or 458 Senior Thesis. Students may also use one Short Term course number S40 or higher toward this requirement, not including DCS S50 Independent Study.
  • Senior Capstone: Complete the following one-semester course, taken in the senior year, also serving as the W3 requirement:
    • DCS 456 Senior Capstone
      • Advised by DCS faculty, students will work in teams to design, build, analyze, & critique a solution in partnership with external stakeholders.
  • Additional Courses: Complete any additional courses in Digital and Computational Studies to bring the total number of courses for the major to eleven.
    • Students may include either DCS 457 or DCS 458 toward this requirement, but not both.
    • One course outside of the DCS program and one internship (DCS 401) may be applied, subject to prior approval by the DCS Program Committee.

Senior Thesis (Optional)

All students majoring in DCS must take DCS 456 Senior Capstone, which serves as the W3 requirement for DCS.

Except for students pursuing Honors, completing a thesis in DCS is neither required nor typically expected. However, students interested in pursuing original research may submit a thesis proposal to the DCS Program Committee for approval.

  • Any student who is approved for a one-semester senior thesis within DCS should take the DCS capstone course in the first semester of their final year and complete the thesis in the second semester of their final year.
  • Any student who is approved for a two-semester or Honors thesis within DCS should take the DCS capstone course in the first semester of their final year and complete the thesis across the two semesters of their final year.

Students may apply no more than one approved DCS 457 or 458 as part of the Additional Courses requirement for the major.

Any deviation from the suggested timing of capstone and/or thesis must be pre-approved by the DCS Program Committee.

Courses Taken Outside of Bates

Of the eleven courses required for the DCS major, up to three courses may be taken from institutions external to Bates College, subject to prior approval by the DCS Program Committee.

Pass / Fail

Students may apply one course taken Pass/Fail to the Upper-Level Courses or Additional Courses requirements.

Other Considerations

Students may apply up to two Short Term courses toward the major. Each Short Term course counts as one course (not 0.5 credit) toward the major.

Restricted Declarations

Students who have declared the Digital and Computational Studies major may not declare the following:

  • Digital and Computational Studies minor
  • Digital and Computational Studies (C093) GEC