Western Carolina University

Transfer Guide

Western Carolina University
Computer Science, BS

Transfer Guide for Associate in Science

2025-2026

Delivery Method: On-Campus

Program Admission Notes:

Transfer students should apply to Western Carolina University at applynow.wcu.edu. A minimum 2.2 GPA is required for consideration, however, this does not guarantee admission. We recommend that you aim for an average cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above on 12+ hours of college credit for competitiveness with other incoming transfer applicants.

Please note that admission to the institution does not guarantee admission to specific programs, and some programs do require a supplemental application. Check the program website at WCU.edu for supplemental application details and instructions, or reach out to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at 828.227.7317.

Contact:

Advising Center
transferadvising@wcu.edu

Revised: April, 2025

College Level Foreign Language Requirements:

No foreign language requirement for this program.

Major-Specific Course Recommendations:

Students are encouraged to build the North Carolina Community College (NCCC) course recommendations below into the associate degree to best prepare for the intended university and major.

Recommended NCCC Course Credit
Hours		 University Equivalent Associate Degree
Requirement Fulfilled		 University Requirement Fulfilled
BIO 111: General Biology I
OR
CHM 151: General Chemistry I, PHY 151: College Physics I, or PHY 251: General Physics 1 		4 University Equivalencies UGETC Natural Sciences Required Course, General Education
BIO 112: General Biology II
OR
CHM 152: General Chemistry II, PHY 152: College Physics II, or PHY 252: General Physics II 		4 University Equivalencies UGETC Natural Sciences Required Course, General Education
MAT 271: Calculus I 4 MATH 153: Calculus I Additional General Education Courses Required Course, General Education
MAT 272: Calculus II 4 MATH 255: Calculus II Additional General Education Courses Required Course, General Education
MAT 252: Statistical Methods II 4 MATH 270: Statistical Methods I & MATH 19A: Lower Level Electives Elective/Pre-Major Courses Required Course
MAT 171: Precalculus Algebra 4 MATH 130: Precalculus I & MATH 19A: Lower Level Electives UGETC Math Suggested Course, General Education
MAT 172: Precalculus Trigonometry 4 MATH 146: Precalculus II UGETC Math Suggested Course, General Education
CSC 151: JAVA Programming 3 CS 150: Prob Solving/Program I Elective/Pre-Major Courses Suggested Course
CSC 251: Advanced JAVA Programming 3 CS 19A: Lower Level Elective Elective/Pre-Major Courses Suggested Course

Remaining Associate Degree Requirements:

In addition to major-specific course recommendations above, students should work with a community college advisor to select additional community college courses to fulfill the remaining associate degree requirements identified below.

Recommended NCCC Course Credit
Hours		 University Equivalent Associate Degree
Requirement Fulfilled		 University Requirement Fulfilled
ENG 111: Writing and Inquiry 3 ENGL 101: Writing and Rhetoric English Composition General Education
ENG 112: Writing/Research in the Disc 3 ENGL 202: Writing and Critical Inquiry English Composition General Education
COM 231: Public Speaking 3 COMM 201: Foundations of Communication UGETC Humanities/Fine Arts General Education
Student Choice/No Preference (Approved Course Options) 3 University Equivalencies UGETC Humanities/Fine Arts General Education
Student Choice/No Preference (Approved Course Options) 6 University Equivalencies UGETC Social/Behavioral Sciences General Education
Student Choice/No Preference (Approved Course Options) 3 University Equivalencies Additional General Education Courses General Education
ACA 122: College Transfer Success 1 ELEC 19A: Lower Level Electives Academic Transition Elective
Student Choice/No Preference (Approved Course Options) 4 University Equivalencies Elective/Pre-Major Courses Elective

Additional Information From Western Carolina University:

All students start off as Pre-Computer Science.

Students must be aware that if the 8 credit hours of Natural Sciences required for the major are not taken to meet Liberal Studies requirements, they will still need to be completed for the BS Computer Science degree.

*Computer Science is unlikely to be completed in a 4 year time span.

**If you cannot take CSC 151 & 251 OR CSC 121 & 221, plan for more time at WCU.

Note: All CS majors will complete the requirement for a minor in Mathematics but is not added to the degree automatically. The minor must be added through the Registrar's Office.

Remaining Bachelor’s Degree Requirements at University:

University Course Credit
Hours		 University Course Notes
Pre-Computer Science Major Requirements 8

A grade of C or higher is required for CS 151 as part of completing the prerequisites for the major.

  • CS 150 - Problem Solving and Programming II Credits: 4 (CSC 121: Python Planning and CSC 221: Advanced Python Planning or CSC 151: JAVA Programming and CSC 251: Advanced JAVA Programming)
  • CS 151 - Problem Solving and Programming II Credits: 4
Additional Required Computer Science and Mathematics Courses 40

A grade of C (2.00) or higher is required for CS 351 and CS 253 to satisfy the requirements for the major.

  • CS 253 - Software Development Credits: 3
  • CS 260 - Computer Organization Credits: 3
  • CS 351 - Data Structures and Algorithms Credits: 4
  • CS 352 - Organization of Programming Languages Credits: 3
  • CS 353 - Professional Ethics in Computing Credits: 2
  • CS 364 - Software Engineering Credits: 3
  • CS 370 - Operating Systems Credits: 3
  • CS 453 - Database Systems Credits: 3
  • CS 465 - Computer Networking Credits: 3
  • CS 466 - Information Security I Credits: 3
  • CS 495 - Capstone I Credits: 2
  • CS 496 - Capstone II Credits: 2
  • MATH 250 - Introduction to Logic and Proof Credits: 3
  • MATH 310 - Discrete Structures Credits: 3
Computer Science Electives 6

Six additional hours selected from Computer Science courses numbered 300 or above or from the courses listed below. At least three hours must be from Computer Science courses.

  • MATH 441 - Introduction to Numerical Analysis Credits: 3
  • MATH 450 - Linear Optimization Credits: 3
  • MATH 475 - Statistical Machine Learning Credits: 3
General Electives 30

To complete 120 hours, students may need to take additional General Electives (the number depends on how many Liberal Studies courses also count toward the major).