Bachelor of Science in Data ScienceSchool of Arts and Sciences

This course explores the fundamental principles, operations, and uses of data structures to support large applications. The data structures studied in the course include linked-lists, search trees, and maps along with their variants. These data structures are then used as a basis for exploring common classes of algorithms used to solving computational problems such as sorting data or planning delivery routes. Throughout the course mathematical tools are introduced to analyze the complexity of the data structures, algorithms, and problems studied in the course.

This course is a fun introduction to the different traditional and modern day approaches on database management using hands-on examples. Concepts of files, databases, data objects, and presentation of data in various formats are covered. Students learn the principles, techniques and tools needed to create a relational database application from scratch and apply them in a group project using open source tools such as MySQL and PHP. This course also familiarizes students with the technical hands-on knowledge of NoSQL databases using MongoDB and also explores the origins and characteristics that distinguish them from traditional relational database management systems.

This course introduces students interested in math or computer science to a level of abstraction and argumentation appropriate to those fields as well as providing some of the foundational mathematics and more importantly, ways of thinking needed for success in either field. In addition, the course provides students the opportunity to see connections between the two fields such as those between symbolic logic and digital logic circuits or between recurrence and induction. Topics include: logic, methods of proof, sequences, induction, recursion, set theory, functions, relations, counting, probability, graphs, trees, analysis of algorithm efficiency.