CS + Animal Sciences

Computer Science + Animal Sciences, BS
for the degree of Bachelor of Science Major in 
Computer Science + Animal Sciences

Students majoring in CS + Animal Sciences will be well-positioned to apply CS to advance animal health and behavior, food production, nutrition, animal biology, and environmental concerns. For example, this could include mining data from remote sensors to detect and treat health problems in large herds or analyzing genomic information to improve disease resistance.

The CS + Animal Sciences blended bachelor's degree is a partnership between the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science in The Grainger College of Engineering and the Department of Animal Sciences in the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences. As part of the computing community at Illinois, you will benefit from being part of a top-five-ranked Computer Science program with world-class faculty and research. Learn more about the School's Rankings and Statistics.

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Degree Requirements

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Course Catalog

College of ACES

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FAQ

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CS Student Life

With 800+ student organizations and many CS Student Groups, there's a community for everyone at Illinois.Student Organizations

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Undergraduate Research

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Research Opportunities

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Career Services

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Career Information

Curriculum Map

The curriculum sequence mapped below is a sample sequence. Students will work with an academic advisor to achieve educational goals specific to their needs and preparation.

  • Course prerequisite chain
  • Immediate prerequisite
  • Credit or concurrent registration required
  • Concurrent registration required
  • Postrequisite course sequence
Computer Science + Animal Sciences Curriculum Map
First YearSecond YearThird YearFourth Year
Fall First YearSpring First YearFall Second YearSpring Second YearFall Third YearSpring Third YearFall Fourth YearSpring Fourth Year
CS 124 (3)
Basic concepts in computing and fundamental techniques for solving computational problems. Intended as a first course for computer science majors and others with a deep interest in computing. Course Information: Credit is not given for both CS 124 and CS 125. Prerequisite: Three years of high school mathematics or MATH 112.
CS 100 (1)1
Introduction to Computer Science as a field and career for incoming first year and external transfer students in the computer science majors. Overview of the field and specific examples of problem areas and methods of solution.
MATH 221 (4)2
First course in calculus and analytic geometry for students with some calculus background; basic techniques of differentiation and integration with applications including curve sketching; antidifferentation, the Riemann integral, fundamental theorem, exponential and trigonometric functions. Course Information: Credit is not given for both MATH 221 and either MATH 220 or MATH 234. Prerequisite: An adequate ALEKS placement score as described at http://math.illinois.edu/ALEKS/ and either one year of high school calculus or a minimum score of 2 on the AB Calculus AP exam. Class Schedule Information: Students must register for one discussion and one lecture section beginning with the same letter. Engineering students must obtain a dean's approval to drop this course after the second week of instruction.
ANSC 100 (4)
Survey of beef and dairy cattle, companion animals, horses, poultry, sheep, and swine. Includes the importance of product technology and the basic principles of nutrition, genetics, physiology, and behavior as they apply to breeding, selection, feeding, and management. Lecture and lab. Class Schedule Information: Students must register for one lab and one lecture section.
RHET 105 (4)3
Introduction in research-based writing and the construction of academic, argumentative essays that use primary and secondary sources as evidence. This course fulfills the Campus Composition I general education requirement. Course Information: Credit is not given for both RHET 105 and any of these other Comp I courses: RHET 101, RHET 102, CMN 111 or CMN 112. Class Schedule Information: Students whose second language is English should take an English placement test through the Division of English as an International Language, before signing up for rhetoric. Engineering students must obtain a dean's approval to drop this course after the second week of instruction.
CS 128 (3)
Continuation of CS 124. More advanced concepts in computing and techniques and approaches for solving computational problems. Course Information: Prerequisite: CS 124 or CS 125.
CS 173 (3)
Discrete mathematical structures frequently encountered in the study of Computer Science. Sets, propositions, Boolean algebra, induction, recursion, relations, functions, and graphs. Course Information: Credit is not given for both CS 173 and MATH 213. Prerequisite: One of CS 124, CS 125, ECE 220; one of MATH 220, MATH 221.
MATH 231 (3)
Second course in calculus and analytic geometry: techniques of integration, conic sections, polar coordinates, and infinite series. Course Information: Prerequisite: MATH 220 or MATH 221. Class Schedule Information: Students must register for one discussion and one lecture section beginning with the same letter in Fall and Spring terms only. Engineering students must obtain a dean's approval to drop this course after the second week of instruction.
CHEM 102 (3)
For students who have some prior knowledge of chemistry. Principles governing atomic structure, bonding, states of matter, stoichiometry, and chemical equilibrium. Course Information: Credit is not given for both CHEM 102 and CHEM 202. CHEM 102 and CHEM 103 are approved for General Education credit only as a sequence. Both courses must be completed to receive Natural Science and Technology credit. Prerequisite: Credit in or exemption from MATH 112; one year of high school chemistry or equivalent. All students enrolled in CHEM 102 should also enroll in CHEM 103. Class Schedule Information: Students must register for a combination of one lecture and one quiz section beginning with the same letter.
CHEM 103 (1)
Laboratory studies to accompany CHEM 102. Course Information: Additional fees may apply. See Class Schedule. Credit is not given for both CHEM 103 and CHEM 203. CHEM 102 and CHEM 103 are approved for General Education credit only as a sequence. Both courses must be completed to receive Natural Science and Technology credit. Prerequisite: Credit or concurrent registration in CHEM 102 is required. Class Schedule Information: CHEM 103 is the laboratory course that accompanies CHEM 102. Engineering students must obtain a dean's approval to drop this course after the second week of instruction.
CMN 101 (3)3
Preparation and presentation of short informative and persuasive speeches; emphasis on the selection and organization of material, methods of securing interest and attention, and the elements of delivery. Course Information: Credit is not given for both CMN 101 and either CMN 111 or CMN 112.
CS 225 (4)
Data abstractions: elementary data structures (lists, stacks, queues, and trees) and their implementation using an object-oriented programming language. Solutions to a variety of computational problems such as search on graphs and trees. Elementary analysis of algorithms. Course Information: Credit is not given for CS 277 if credit for CS 225 has been earned. Prerequisite: CS 126 or CS 128 or ECE 220; One of CS 173, MATH 213, MATH 347, MATH 412 or MATH 413. Class Schedule Information: Students must register for one lecture-discussion and one lecture section.
CS 222 (1)
Design and implementation of novel software solutions. Problem identification and definition; idea generation and evaluation; and software implementation, testing, and deployment. Emphasizes software development best practices?including framework selection, code review, documentation, appropriate library usage, project management, continuous integration and testing, and teamwork. Course Information: Prerequisite: CS 128; credit or concurrent registration in CS 225. Restricted to majors in Computer Science undergraduate curricula only.
CHEM 104 (3)
Lecture and discussions. Chemistry of materials, including organic and biological substances, chemical energetics and equilibrium, chemical kinetics, and electrochemistry. Course Information: Credit is not given for both CHEM 104 and CHEM 204. Prerequisite: CHEM 102 or CHEM 202 or advanced placement credit for one semester of college-level chemistry. Class Schedule Information: All students enrolled in CHEM 104 should also enroll in CHEM 105. Students must register for a combination of one lecture and one quiz section beginning with the same letter. Engineering students must obtain a dean's approval to drop this course after the second week of instruction. CHEM 104 and CHEM 105 are approved for General Education credit only as a sequence. Both courses must be completed to receive Natural Science and Technology credit.
CHEM 105 (1)
Laboratory studies to accompany CHEM 104. Course Information: Additional fees may apply. See Class Schedule. Credit is not given for both CHEM 105 and CHEM 205. Prerequisite: CHEM 102 and CHEM 103; credit or concurrent registration in CHEM 104 is required. Class Schedule Information: CHEM 105 is the laboratory course that accompanies CHEM 104. Engineering students must obtain a dean's approval to drop this course after the second week of instruction. CHEM 104 and CHEM 105 are approved for General Education credit only as a sequence. Both courses must be completed to receive Natural Science and Technology credit.
ANSC 222 (3)
Provides an introductory background in basic and fundamental principles of animal anatomy and physiology. The major organ systems (muscle, skeletal, neural, endocrine, cardiovascular, respiratory, and renal) will be presented with an emphasis on comparative anatomy, integrated function, and specific homeostatic mechanisms. Course Information: Prerequisite: ANSC 100.
ANSC 221 (3)
Provides an introductory background in basic aspects of cell biology, physiology, and genetics. Topics addressed include cell structure, cell organelles, and different types of cells, protein synthesis and gene expression, chromosome structure, basic mechanisms of chromosome replication, basic principles of quantitative and population genetics, and an introduction to genomics and proteomics. Course Information: Prerequisite: ANSC 100, CHEM 102 and 103 or concurrent enrollment.
ANSC 398 (1)
Student-directed experiential learning on special topics directly pertaining to subject matter in animal sciences. Students are required to complete a Memorandum of Agreement prior to enrolling in this course. Course Information: Additional fees may apply. See Class Schedule. Approved for Letter and S/U grading. May be repeated up to 5 hours per semester, up to a maximum of 12 total hours. Independent Study courses are limited to 12 hours total applying to a degree in ACES.
CS 233 (4)6
Fundamentals of computer architecture: digital logic design, working up from the logic gate level to understand the function of a simple computer; machine-level programming to understand implementation of high-level languages; performance models of modern computer architectures to enable performance optimization of software; hardware primitives for parallelism and security. Course Information: Prerequisite: CS 125 or CS 128; CS 173 or MATH 213; credit or concurrent enrollment in CS 225.
ANSC 223 (3)
Provides an introductory background in the fundamental principles of animal nutrition and how nutrition impacts animal well-being and performance. Students will develop comprehensive knowledge in gastrointestinal and digestive anatomy and physiology, nutrient function and requirements, and energy utilization in various species. Specific topics include different classes and properties of nutrients, differences in digestive mechanisms in monogastric vs. ruminant animals, and how carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, minerals, and vitamins contribute to the nutrient requirements of animals. Course Information: Prerequisite: ANSC 100, ANSC 221, and CHEM 104 and CHEM 105.
ANSC 224 (4)
Study of the basic principles of reproduction, lactation, growth, and hormonal regulation in animals as well as humans, including cell growth and differentiation, processes of reproduction, biotechnological methods of reproductive control, manipulation, performance enhancement of lactation and growth. Course Information: Prerequisite: ANSC 100, ANSC 221.
CS 341 (4)6
Basics of system programming, including POSIX processes, process control, inter-process communication, synchronization, signals, simple memory management, file I/O and directories, shell programming, socket network programming, RPC programming in distributed systems, basic security mechanisms, and standard tools for systems programming such as debugging tools. Course Information: Credit is not given for both CS 341 and either CS 241 or ECE 391. Prerequisite: CS 225 and CS 233. Class Schedule Information: Students must register for one lecture and one discussion section.
MATH 257 (3)4
Introductory course incorporating linear algebra concepts with computational tools, with real world applications to science, engineering and data science. Topics include linear equations, matrix operations, vector spaces, linear transformations, eigenvalues, eigenvectors, inner products and norms, orthogonality, linear regression, equilibrium, linear dynamical systems and the singular value decomposition. Course Information: Credit is not given for both MATH 257 and any of MATH 125, MATH 225, MATH 227, MATH 415 or ASRM 406. Prerequisite: MATH 220 or MATH 221; CS 101 or equivalent programming experience. Class Schedule Information: Students must register for a lecture, a lab, and a discussion section.
CS 374 (4)
Analysis of algorithms, major paradigms of algorithm design including recursive algorithms, divide-and-conquer algorithms, dynamic programming, greedy algorithms, and graph algorithms. Formal models of computation including finite automata and Turing machines. Limitations of computation arising from fundamental notions of algorithm and from complexity-theoretic constraints. Reductions, undecidability and NP-completeness. Course Information: Same as ECE 374. Prerequisite: One of CS 173, MATH 213; CS 225.
CS 361 (3)
Introduction to probability theory and statistics with applications to computer science. Topics include: visualizing datasets, summarizing data, basic descriptive statistics, conditional probability, independence, Bayes theorem, random variables, joint and conditional distributions, expectation, variance and covariance, central limit theorem. Markov inequality, Chebyshev inequality, law of large numbers, Markov chains, simulation, the PageRank algorithm, populations and sampling, sample mean, standard error, maximum likelihood estimation, Bayes estimation, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, linear regression, principal component analysis, classification, and decision trees. Course Information: Same as STAT 361. Credit is not given for both CS 361 and ECE 313. Prerequisite: MATH 220 or MATH 221; credit or concurrent registration in one of MATH 225, MATH 257, MATH 415, MATH 416 or ASRM 406. For majors only.
CS 421 (3-4)8
Structure of programming languages and their implementation. Basic language design principles; abstract data types; functional languages; type systems; object-oriented languages. Basics of lexing, parsing, syntax-directed translation, semantic analysis, and code generation. Course Information: 3 undergraduate hours. 3 or 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: One of CS 233, CS 240 or CS 340; CS 374; one of MATH 225, MATH 257, MATH 415, MATH 416, ASRM 406, BIOE 210.
ANSC 498 (2)
Introduction to the theoretical basis of and skills associated with leadership, inquiry, and collaborative learning. Capstone experience in integrating knowledge, practicing skills, and applying theory through collaborative projects that address current issues in animal sciences. Projects relate to the impact of animals and animal use on humans and societal issues facing the world today. Course Information: 2 undergraduate hours. No graduate credit. Prerequisite: ANSC 298. Restricted to Animal Sciences major(s). Restricted to students with Senior class standing.
ECON 102 (3)5
Introduction to the functions of individual decision-makers, both consumers and producers, within the larger economic system. Primary emphasis on the nature and functions of product markets, the theory of the firm under varying conditions of competition and monopoly, and the role of government in prompting efficiency in the economy. Course Information: Credit is not given for ECON 102 and ACE 100.
16 hours 16 hours 16 hours 16-17 hours 14-17 hours 13 hours 13-17 hours 13-15 hours

Notes

Before reviewing the links, students should find their effective Academic Catalog Year. When clicking any links referenced below that take students to the Academic Catalog Year pages, they should be mindful of which Academic Catalog year is displayed.

  1. This optional course is highly recommended for freshmen, who may use it to help meet free elective requirements.
  2. MATH 220 may be substituted. MATH 220 is appropriate for students with no background in calculus.
  3. RHET 105 and CMN 101 (or an alternative Composition I sequence) should be taken in the first year, according to the student's UIN (Take RHET 105 in the Spring and CMN 101 in the Fall if UIN is Odd). Composition I guidelines can be found in the catalog.
  4. MATH 225 may be substituted.
  5. ACE 100 may be substituted.
  6. CS 340 and two (2) CS technical electives (400 level CS courses) can be use to substiute the CS 233 and CS 341 requirements. The 2 technical electives must be distinct from courses used to satisfy other major requirements and can replace Free Electives.
  7. General education: Students must complete the Campus General Education requirements including the campus general education language requirement.
  8. CS 357 may be substituted.

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