Computer Science

 NOTE: The (P) designation identifies courses that involve significant programming work assigned to each individual student. The programming component involves substantive feedback and guidance to develop and improve programming skills. For elective courses, the programming component goes beyond the skills a CS student can be expected to achieve as part of their core courses. See the beginning of Section F for abbreviations, course numbers and coding.

CS1003Programming and Problem Solving for Engineers4 ch (3C 1.5L*)

Intended for Science, Applied Science and Engineering students. Introduction to the use of digital computers for problem solving and communicating solutions. Covers use of procedures, decisions, loops and arrays focusing on scientific and engineering problem analysis, algorithm design, and program structure. Also includes organizing, tabulating, and graphing program output with different software tools to communicate results. This course is currently taught primarily in Python. NOTE: Credit will be granted for only one of the following courses: CMPE 1003, CS1003, CS 1063, CS1073, or IT 2773. This course may not be taken for credit by BCS or BScCS or BScSwE students.

Co-requisites: (MATH 1003 or MATH 1001) and MATH 1503.

CS1023Data Structures and Algorithms4 ch (3C 2L)

Intended for Science, Applied Science, and Engineering Students. Introductions to the ideas of abstraction of procedures and data. Handling of the fundamental data types: lists, stacks, queues, and graphs. Basic concepts of discrete mathematics, elements of combinatorics, aspects of complexity and recursion and algorithm development, including estimation of program resource utilization. NOTE: This course may not be taken for credit by CS students.

Prerequisite: CS 1003.

CS1063Introduction to Computer Programming in Python3 ch (2C 1L)
Python is a modern scripting language widely used in AI, web applications, and interactive games, as well as in scientific computing and data analysis. This course is intended for students with no prior programming experience. Coverage: variables, conditionals, iteration, functions, classes, modules, types including arrays, lists, tuples and dictionaries, selected features available in the standard libraries. NOTE: This course may not be taken for credit by students pursuing computer science degrees, majors, or minors. Credit will be granted for only one of the following courses: CMPE 1003, CS 1003, CS 1063, CS 1073, or IT 2773.

Prerequisite: High School Mathematics.
CS1073Introduction to Computer Programming I (in Java)4 ch (3C 1.5L 1T) (P)

Covers fundamental concepts such as decisions, loops, arrays, classes, methods, and inheritance; focusing on problem analysis, algorithm design, program structure and readability. Introduction to the Java API libraries. NOTE: Credit will be granted for only one of the following courses: CMPE 1003, CS 1003, CS 1063, CS 1073, or IT 2773. 

Prerequisite: High School Mathematics.

CS1083Introduction to Computer Programming II (in Java)4 ch (3C 1.5L 1T) (P)

Continues CS 1073 focusing on problem analysis, algorithm design, program structure and readability. Covers recursion, sorting and searching, data abstraction, encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism, simple data structures and files, testing and debugging. NOTE: Credit will not be granted for both CS 1083 and CS 2616.

Prerequisite: (CS 1073 with a grade of C or better) or (IT 2773 with a grade of C or better, and High School Mathematics or MATH 1863 or permission of the instructor).

CS1103Introduction to Databases4 ch (3C 2L)
Topics include: Motivation for and capabilities of database management systems; the role of databases in a three-tier application architecture; relational data model; relational algebra; functional dependencies and normalization; SQL language, including creating, loading, updating, modifying, and querying database tables; data integrity, security & privacy; entity relationship data modeling; CRUD analysis; stored procedures; accessing a database using an API such as JDBC; brief introduction to advanced topics such as data warehouses, big data, and XML. NOTE: Credit is only given for one of CS 1103 and INFO 1103.

Prerequisite: CS 1073
CS1303Discrete Structures4 ch (3C 1T)

Introduces topics in discrete mathematics important in computer science, including: propositional logic, predicate logic using quantifiers, direct and indirect proofs, summation and product notation, mathematical induction, elementary set theory and counting. Students are expected to write mathematical proofs throughout the course. NOTE: Credit will not be given for both CS 1303 and MATH 2203. Students majoring in Mathematics or Statistics must choose MATH 2203.

Prerequisite: High School Mathematics. 

CS2043Software Engineering I4 ch (3C 2L)

Introduction to fundamentals of the discipline of software engineering with focus on the software development life cycle. Topics include software development methodologies and processes, requirements, analysis, modeling, architecture, design, implementation, testing, and maintenance. Basics of software management are also introduced. NOTE: Credit is not given for both CS 2013 and CS 2043.

Prerequisite: CS 1083.

CS2113Scientific Computing (O)4 ch (3C)

An introduction to numerical techniques for solving scientific problems. Topics to include sequences, series, structured linear systems, polynomial models, quadrature, differential/difference equations and root finding. Use of existing numerical software packages and a basic introduction to scientific programming using a high-level language. 

Prerequisites: MATH 1013 and one of CS 1073, IT 2773 or CS 1003.

CS2253Machine Level Programming4 ch (3C 2L) (P)

Introduces students to lower-level computer operations and the association with higher-level procedural programming constructs. Topics include binary representation of data, instruction formats and execution, assembler programming, scope, functions, user-defined data types using both low- and high-level programming languages.

Prerequisite: CS 1303 or permission of instructor.

Co-requisite: CS 2263 or CS 2617.
CS2263Systems Software Development4 ch (3C 2L) (P)

This course examines program development and supporting tools, using the C language. Topics include: organization of programs into procedural components, multi-file program organization, inter-file type checking, and development, maintenance and performance techniques. Software tools for program development such as compilation/linking, building, debugging, version control, profiling and tracing are included.

Prerequisite: CS 1083.
CS2333Computability and Formal Languages4 ch (3C 1T)

This course introduces students to some of the fundamental ideas in theoretical computer science: functions and relations, formal languages, finite automata, regular languages, context-free grammars, context-free languages, push-down automata, pumping lemmas, Turing machines, the Church-Turing thesis, recursive and recursively enumerable languages, the Chomsky hierarchy, the halting problem and other unsolvable decision problems, problem reducibility, and fundamental computational complexity classes.

Prerequisites: CS1073, CS1303, and 30 ch. 

CS2383Data Structures and Algorithms4 ch (3C 1T) (P)

Presents formal specifications of abstract data and their data structure representations, operations, and algorithms. Includes priority queues, dictionaries, graphs, heaps, hash tables, binary search trees, balanced trees, and graph adjacency representations. Covers sorting, searching, dynamic storage handling, and fundamental graph algorithms. Asymptotic analysis of time and space complexity are taught and used throughout the course. Students are expected to implement a variety of data structures and graph algorithms. NOTE: Credit is not given for both CS 2383 and CS 3323.

Prerequisites: CS 1083 and CS 1303.

CS2616Java for Programmers (O)1 ch (2C) (P)

Basic language constructs (input/output, variables and types, control structures.) Object oriented concepts, such as classes, objects, attributes and methods. Programming with multiple classes. This course is given over an 8 week period as follows: 2 hours/week for 3 weeks followed by midterm test plus 2 hours/week for 3 weeks followed by final examination. Course drop date is one week after the midterm test. NOTE: Credit will not be given for both CS 1083 and CS 2616.

Prerequisites: Two term courses (at least 6 ch) in programming, excluding CS 1083.

CS2617C/C++ for Java Programmers (O)1 ch (2C) (P)

Basic language constructs (input/output, variables and types, control structures), classes, pointers, and preprocessor. This course is given over an 8 week period as follows: 2 hours/week for 3 weeks followed by midterm test plus 2 hours/week for 3 weeks followed by final examination. Course drop date is one week after the midterm test. NOTE: Credit will not be granted for both CS 2617 and CS 2263.

Prerequisites: CS 1083 or CS 2616, or equivalent.
CS2704Data Analytics using Python (Cross-Listed: DA 2704) (A)4 ch (3C 1L) (P)
This course teaches data-driven problem solving. Starting from installing a Python programming environment, students will learn reading data, producing graphs, hypothesis testing and Bayesian statistics with hands-on programming experience. The course is also a stepping stone to more advanced subjects, such as machine learning and AI. Although no prior programming experience is required, there is a substantial programming component to the course.

Prerequisite: STAT 1793 or STAT 2593 or STAT 2263 or BA 1605 or PSYC 2901.
CS2714Text Analytics (Cross-Listed: DA 2714) (O)3 ch (3C)
Introduction to the analysis of textual data with a foundation on natural language processing and computational linguistics. Students will learn to develop information extraction pipelines and evaluate performance.

Prerequisites: DA 2704, CS 1083, CS 1103
CS2803Logic Design4 ch (3C 2L*)

Switching algebra and its application in analysis and synthesis of combinational and clocked sequential circuits; minimization and realization methods. Universal logic gates, error detection and correction, register and counter operations, and memory systems. Note: Credit will not be given for both ECE 2214 and CS 2803.

Prerequisite: CS 1003 or CS 1073.

CS2998Programming Project4 ch (1S)

This individual study course provides an opportunity for students to learn programming languages that are not otherwise part of their degree program. The students first teach themselves a programming language, approved by the department, and then develop a program using this language. This is done under the supervision of a faculty member. A presentation of the program developed is required. NOTE: The course may not be taken for credit by BScCS or BCS students.

Prerequisite: Approval of the Department.

CS3033Software Design and Development (A)4 ch (3C)

Further coverage of the requirements analysis, software architecture and design phases started in CS2043. Focus on design principles and evaluation, advanced techniques for object-oriented analysis and design, design patterns, component-based and product-line approaches.

Prerequisite: CS 2043.

CS3113Introduction to Numerical Methods (O)3 ch (3C)

Error analysis, convergence and stability. Approximation of functions by polynomials. Numerical quadrature and differentiation. The solution of linear and non-linear equations and the solution of ordinary differential equations. Emphasizes the development of computer algorithms and stresses the influence of finite precision and arithmetic on computational results. NOTE: Credit will be granted for only one of  CE 2913, CS 3113, MATH 3414, or ECE 2412

Prerequisites: (CS 1003 or CS 1073, MATH 1013 ) or CS 2113, and MATH 1503 or MATH 2213.

CS3123High Speed Computing (O)4 ch (3C 2L*) [P]

This course will discuss the building blocks required for undertaking parallel computation on shared memory architectures. Differences between programming on shared memory multiprocessors and distributed memory processors will be discussed. Software will include performance analysis tools and message passing libraries such as OpenMP and MPI. 

Prerequisite: CS 2263.

Co-requisite: CS 3403.

CS3403Operating Systems4 ch (3C 2L*) (P)

This course examines the fundamental role of an operating system. Topics covered are: processes/threads, process management, process synchronization, CPU scheduling, storage management, I/O management, security and user interfaces. Examples are drawn from contemporary operating systems.

Prerequisites: CS 2253, (CS 2263 or CS 2617) and 70 ch completed.

CS3423Data Management (A)4 ch (3C) (P)

Discussion of selected topics at an advanced level concerning the storage and manipulation of large volumes of data outside of a conventional relational database or statistical package. Covers select NoSQL technologies.

Prerequisites: CS 1103 and 70 ch completed. CS 2704 is recommended.

CS3553Introduction to Bioinformatics (Cross-Listed:BIOL 3553) 4 ch (3C)

Even before the completion of the Human Genome Sequencing Project biomedical databases have stored massive amounts of DNA and protein sequence information that have been analysed and reused in biomedical studies. Today the underlying technologies and analytical tools supporting genomic data analysis make up the field known as Bioinformatics. This course will introduce core topics and tools in genomics and bioinformatics explained from a practical perspective. Students taking this course will receive hands on training in many of the following areas of study: Genome Sequencing techniques, Gene Prediction, Sequence Alignment, Sequence Databases, Genome and Protein Structure Annotation, Bioinformatic Visualization Techniques, Gene Ontology, Analysis of Scientific Literature, Biomedical Text Mining, Workflow Management Systems, Bioinformatics Web Services.

Prerequisite: 60 credit hours completed in a BSc (Biology, Marine Biology, Environmental Biology, or Biology-Psychology) or in a BScCS, or permission of the instructor.
CS3619Programming Languages4 ch (3C 1T)

Structure and major characteristics of programming languages; formal definition, syntax, semantics. Comparative study of principal language concepts and their treatment in imperative, functional, logic, and object-oriented languages. NOTE: Credit will be granted for only one of CS 3619 or CS 4613.

Prerequisites: CS 2333, CS 2043, (CS 2263 or CS 2617), CS 2383.

CS3769Knowledge Representation (O)3 ch (3C)
This course introduces  the processes and principles supporting the formal representation of knowledge. The course will introduce the knowledge elicitation process, formalization of knowledge in ontologies, axioms and rules and outline the logical underpinnings of these formalisms including first order logic and description logics. Students will create ontologies and learn to use reasoning engines for the purpose of deriving domain specific insights through inference and reasoning. Applications of knowledge representation techniques in support of the semantic web will be illustrated.

Prerequisites: CS 1083, CS 1103, CS 2043CS 2333CS 3773.
CS3773Topics in Web Science (O)4 ch (3C)

Web science integrates computer information sciences with multiple aspects of social sciences. Web Science is concerned with the socio-technical aspects of the World Wide Web. Understanding the web requires analysis of its architecture and applications, the people, organizations, policies and economics that are affected by it and impact it. This course will explore the history of the Web and how evolution of metadata representation standards have resulted in a smarter web. Students will primarily do a hands-on data analytics project using Open Data, Linked Data and SPARQL endpoints available on the web.

Prerequisite: 70 ch completed or permission of the instructor.

CS3813Computer Architecture and Organization4 ch (3C 2L*)

Advanced concepts in assembly language programming, functional organization of a computer system, organization of CPU, organization of I/O, interrupts, memory organization, cache and virtual memories, performance enhancements, pipelining, superscalar processors and embedded systems.  

Prerequisites: (ECE 2214 and ECE 2215) or CS 2803, and CS 2253

CS3893Computer Networking4 ch (3C)

This course provides an in-depth look at the hardware and software behind the Internet and other computer networks. Topics include OSI network architecture, communication protocols, UDP and TCP, socket programming, common application-level protocols, congestion control, routing protocols, Internet Protocol, link layer services, network security.

Prerequisite: CS 2253.

Co-requisite: (ECE 2214 and ECE 2215) or CS 2803.
CS3913Algorithmics4 ch (3C)

Continues the study of algorithms begun in CS 2383. Covers advanced techniques for analyzing recursive algorithms, examines major algorithm-design approaches including greedy, divide and conquer, dynamic programming, and graph-based approaches. Considers randomized algorithms and introduces complexity theory, including NP-completeness. One or more advanced topics will be chosen from the following areas: algorithmic problems arising in artificial intelligence, state spaces and search strategies, parallel and distributed algorithms.

Prerequisites: CS 2383 and CS 2333.

CS3983Professional Practice4 ch (3C) (W)

Covers social context of computing, professional and ethical responsibilities, risks and liabilities of computer-based systems, intellectual property, privacy and civil liberties, and professional certification by the Canadian Information Processing Society. Instructs students in the preparation of technical reports in Computer Science. Involves an independent study component resulting in a technical report, typically a survey paper. Requires preparation of a project plan that could be used for CS 4980, CS 4982, or CS 4993. Covers basic writing, oral presentation and library skills.

Prerequisite: 12 ch of CS courses at the 2000-level or higher and HUM 1021(Effective Writing I) or one course from the Faculty of Arts with 'W' designation or exemption from the BScCS Arts Core Writing Requirement.

CS4033Software Project Management and Quality Assurance (A)4 ch (3C)

Discusses the "umbrella" activities in software development: project planning and monitoring, risk management, quality assurance through reviews and testing (including reliability and safety, and test automation), and the management of technical debt. Emphasis is put on software metrics and their use in quantitative management. Introduces concepts in software process improvement.

Prerequisite: CS 2043.

CS4083Leading-Edge Technology in Software Development (O)4 ch (3C)

Selected topics in software engineering at an advanced level. Content will vary. Topics will be posted on the department website at least one month prior to the beginning of the course. One of the goals of this course is to prepare students for life-long learning, through reading papers from the literature and discussing them in class.

Prerequisite: CS 3033.
CS4093Team Software Development Project (O)4 ch (3C) (P)

The application of sound software engineering techniques to a problem in a practical setting. This course involves a relatively large software project, done in a team (with proper team management). A real "client" shall be involved, from whom the requirements have to be gathered, and to whom quality product and documentation have to be delivered. This course is normally completed during the student's final year of study. 

Prerequisites: CS 3033 and permission of instructor.

CS4103Parallel Programming with MPI (O)4 ch (3C) (P)

Explores the design and analysis of parallel algorithms on distributed and hybrid computing clusters. Development work on local and remote computing platforms with a high level computing language and message passing libraries such as OpenMP and MPI will provide the core of the course. 

Prerequisite: CS 3123.

CS4123Topics in High‐Performance Computing and Visualization (O)4 ch (3C)

Advanced level discussions chosen from current research topics in computation techniques, high-performance computing or visualization. The course will involve presentations and written reports.

 Prerequisites: CS 3123 and CS 3813.

CS4403Data Mining (O) (Cross-Listed: DA4403)4 ch (3C 1L)

Data mining (aka knowledge discovery) is an interdisciplinary area of computer science with the goal of extracting new knowledge and insights from big and complex data sets. The course introduces essential pattern recognition methodologies leveraging machine learning and rule-based techniques. Supplementary tasks involving processing, cleaning, integration, and transformation of data are also covered. An etymology of data mining is provided to help students compare and contract knowledge discovery with contemporary data analytics and decision support methodologies.

PrerequisitesCS1103CS 2704 and (STAT 2593 or STAT 2793).
CS4525Advanced Database Management Systems (A)4ch (3C 2L*)

Continues the study of databases begun in CS 1103, with a focus on the internal workings of modern relational database systems. Topics include: file systems and structures, advanced query languages, query optimization, concurrency control and recovery, security and integrity, systems for Big Data processing including the Map/Reduce framework and related Apache projects.

Prerequisites: CS 1103, CS 2383, and 70 ch completed. CS 2704 is optional but recommended.

CS4553Biomedical Informatics (O)3 ch (3C)
Biomedical informatics is the application of the science of information to problems of biomedical interest, dealing with knowledge representation and the storage, retrieval, and optimal use of data for problem solving and decision making. This course covers infrastructures and algorithms developed specifically to generate insights required at the point of care, including dedicated healthcare surveillance routines and in health research studies. Using numerous case studies, the course will outline how biomedical data generated for primary purposes is integrated for reuse with artificial intelligence techniques. Students will do data analytics projects using biomedical data sets and develop algorithms targeted for clinical decision support.

Prerequisites: CS 3553 and either DA 4403 or CS 4795.
CS4713Fundamentals of Simulation (O)4 ch (3C 1T)

Systems and model. The simulation process. Random number generation. Introduction to queues, computer modeling of discrete systems using appropriate languages, computer modeling of continuous systems, model validation and experiment planning. Case studies from a variety of disciplines.

Prerequisites: CS 1083, (CS 3113 or equivalent), (STAT 2593 or STAT 1793).

CS4783Web: Semantics, Services and Solutions (O)4 ch (3C)

This course outlines the World Wide Web and focuses on the technologies and innovations that are driving its evolution. It introduces the W3C endorsed Semantic Web technologies and looks at the migration of the syntactic web to the semantic web and subsequent generations. Key topics explored are knowledge engineering; OWL ontology reasoning; text mining and natural language processing tools; web services and workflow technology, as well as end-user interaction in web search. 

Prerequisites: CS 1083, CS 2383, CS 3773, and CS1103.

CS4795Artificial Intelligence4 ch (3C 2L*)

Introduction to intelligent agent design, problem solving using search techniques, the use of mathematical logic for knowledge representation and reasoning, decision making under uncertainty, machine learning techniques. Applications of AI to health care will be discussed.

Note: credit will not be granted for both CS 4795 and CS 4725.

Prerequisites: CS 2333 and CS 2383.
CS4843Wireless and Mobile Computing (A)4 ch (3C)

Wireless communication technology, fading and line-of-sight propagation, antennas, signal encoding, spread spectrum and wireless networking. Cellular system, cell coverage, mobile data communication, mobile IP and WAP. The course will also cover IEEE wireless standards, Bluetooth and other related topics for networking. 

Prerequisite: CS 3893.

CS4893Network Programming (A)4 ch (3C 2L*) (P)

Threads, socket programming (client & server), secure sockets, multicast sockets, protocol handlers, content handlers, RMI, Mail API and social networks. Uses Java programming language.

Prerequisites: CS 1083 and CS 3893.

CS4973Independent Study in Computer Science4 ch (1S) W

This course will provide the student with practical experience in their area of study. Under the supervision of a faculty member, the student will explore topics not available in the regular course offerings. The course may contain written assignments, written tests, or relevant work experience. A written report and oral presentation are required. Students must identify a faculty member who is willing to supervise the course and apply to the co-ordinator of the course for approval prior to the term in which they wish to undertake the work. Applications are normally approved only for students who are in their final year of the programme, and who have obtained a grade point average of at least 3.0 in work of the second and third years. 

Prerequisite: Approval of the Department.

CS4980Fourth Year Technical Report4 ch (1S*) (W)
Builds on the skills developed in CS 3983, through the preparation and presentation of a technical report. The report normally involves a design or implementation project undertaken as part of the course, and it may be expressed either as a traditional formal written document or, at the instructor's discretion, as an extended slide deck. Students are required to attend certain department and faculty talks, and they must attend sessions on writing and/or library research skills. Additional course regulations are available from the Department. NOTE: Credit will be granted for only one of CS 4980, CS 4982, CS 4983, or CS 4993.

Prerequisite: CS 3983
CS4982Technical Report4 ch (1S*) (W)

Builds on the skills developed in CS 3983, through the preparation and presentation of a technical report. The report normally involves a design or implementation project undertaken as part of the course, and it may be expressed either as a traditional formal written document or, at the instructor's discretion, as an extended slide deck. Students are required to attend certain department and faculty talks, and they must attend sessions on writing and/or library research skills. Additional course regulations are available from the Department.

A topic approved by the Department must be chosen before the term begins. Changes to the project plan developed in CS 3983 must be approved before the beginning of the term.

Note: Credit will be granted for only one of CS 4980, CS 4982, CS 4983, or CS 4993.

Prerequisite: CS 3983.

CS4993Honours Project6 ch (1S) W

The student submits a detailed proposal, schedule, progress reports and written report to the thesis coordinator with the supervisor's approval. A formal presentation of the thesis is required. Planning of the thesis is done in the term prior to the beginning of the term. Detailed guidelines are available from the Department.

Note: Credit will be granted for only one of CS 4980, CS 4982, CS 4983, or CS 4993.

Prerequisite: CS 3983.

CS4998Directed Studies in Applied Computer Science4 ch (3S)

This course permits students and faculty to explore inter-disciplinary areas of research in relation with computers in Arts, Science, and Business programs. In some cases, the faculty members will offer directed studies to groups of students. In other instances, individual students will seek this course on a one-on-one basis.

Prerequisites: Approval of the CS department and at least 90 ch completed. Recommended that students have taken a first‐ or second‐year course in CS or IT.

CS4999Directed Studies in Computer Science4 ch (3S)

This course permits Computer Science students and faculty to explore various areas of Computer Science. In some cases, the faculty members will offer directed studies to groups of students. In other instances, individual students will seek this course on a one-on-one basis. 

Prerequisites: Department approval and at least 90 ch completed.