Associate in Computer Science (A.C.S.)

The Associate in Computer Science (A.C.S.) degree is a pre-professional curriculum designed to prepare students for transfer to a four-year college or university that offers a BS or BA degree in computer science. In contrast, Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degrees in computer science ready students for more immediate employment in specialized, practical fields.

The required and elective computer science, math and science courses in this degree are typical of requirements for the first two years of a four-year degree program that follows guidelines established by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).

These ACM-compliant degree programs provide the theoretical foundation and programming experience that form the basis of academic computer science.

Academic four-year computer science degrees address essential skills future software developers need for computer programming, network design and database management.

Individual degree requirements vary at each four-year college or university. Students should check with the transfer school and meet with an advisor or counselor to ensure selection of the right classes for transfer credit. By design, A.C.S. degree electives are sufficiently flexible to accommodate a wide range of transfer options.