About CIS

The Computer and Information Sciences (CIS) department was established in September 1967 and strives to foster excellence in teaching, research and service. The department offers three Bachelor of Science degrees, a Master of Science in Software Engineering, and a minor in Computer Information Sciences. The Bachelor of Science degree programs, Computer Science and Computer Information Systems are project oriented, requiring students to carry out all phases of systems analysis, design and development. Graduates have an applied orientation, and can make immediate contributions as professional programmers and systems analysts. The newly approved degree program (as of July 2010), Information Technology, is designed to prepare students to meet the computer technology needs of business, government, healthcare, schools, and other kinds of organizations.  IT program graduates will possess the skills and knowledge to assume appropriate entry-level professional positions. To this end, all of our undergraduate programs encourage student internships and cooperative education participation.  Students may choose electives, which in conjunction with required courses, will prepare them for graduate studies in CIS related fields or career specialization. The Computer Science major (Science option) is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).  This major is designed for students who plan to apply their computing knowledge in scientific or engineering environments including software engineering.  It is also designed for students who plan to seek advanced degrees in computer science or a related discipline.  The Computer Information Systems (Business option) and the Information Technology (IT) majors, which is not currently accredited by ABET, prepares students for careers that apply information technology as a strategic component of running a business.  Students are also encouraged to participate within the department in various activities. We have five student organizations within the CIS department: CISMO, ACM, ACMW, AAWCS, and FAMU STARS.