Honours for the BScCS requires that students choose their electives to include more advanced courses, an honours thesis and have a higher GPA than the basic BScCS degree. Students completing the honours option will be better prepared for graduate school.

With proper degree planning, adding the honours option will not delay graduation. In fact, there is a provision in the UNB masters in CS to allow approved honours students to begin work toward their masters while completing their honours requirements, which reduces the time necessary to achieve a masters in CS.

The benefits of hands-on work experience in computing, as well as the earned income, are available to interested BScCS students.

This is done via a pilot program offered in conjunction with the co-op office of the Faculty of Business at UNB Saint John. Our students can take part in the same job and interview preparation workshops as the business students and the business co-op office collects requests from employers for CS students and coordinates interviews.

The department is currently considering whether to request that the co-op designation become an official option printed on students' degrees, rather than merely having co-op work terms noted on the students' transcripts.

The full four year BScCS degree began in Saint John around the year 2000, but UNB Saint John students continue to have the traditional option of starting the Fredericton BCS (Bachelor of Computer Science) degree in Saint John and then transferring to the Fredericton campus for degree completion.

For many Saint John area students, this has been a more economical way to earn the BCS degree. The differences between the BScCS and BCS are relatively small and largely exist at the level of the optional specializations offered by the two campuses.

To allow students in the BCS to switch easily to BScCS, or vice versa, our department has ensured that the courses taken in the first two years of both degrees are almost the same. Instructors on both campuses compare notes and typically choose the same textbooks (and topics covered), in order to achieve a smooth transition for students who choose to move between the two main UNB campuses in their first two years.

We also have a certificate in computing that contains some of the more practically oriented lower-level courses. It is appropriate for students who are uncertain whether they want to pursue a full BScCS, or for students who may not currently meet the entrance requirements for the BScCS. See the calendar section on the certificate in computing for details.

Finally, we have a minor in CS for students in other degree programs, including BA, BSc and BBA. Please refer to the online calendar sections for details on the Minor in CS.