Curriculum

As a J.D. Edwards Honors Program student, you can major in either computer science with a minor in business or one of seven business areas with a minor in computer science. Alternatively, you may prefer to major in computer engineering, industrial engineering, electrical engineering or math, while also earning minors in computer science and business. Upon graduation, you might further develop your management insights by enrolling in our accelerated, one-year MBA program.

As an undergraduate student in the J.D. Edwards Honors Program, you benefit from a four-year core curriculum consisting of honors computer science, business and management topics. Additionally, since leadership, collaboration and communication skills will be critical to your future success, the Program also emphasizes development of these abilities throughout your core courses.

The core curriculum focuses on system development, including generalized business systems and management of technology firms. You will learn:

programming in C++ and Java, algorithms, computer and network architecture, data structures, software architecture and engineering; accounting, economics, finance, business operations, information systems, advanced decision support methods, management of technology-based global organizations; and leadership, team management, and professional communications skills.

All J.D. Edwards Honors Program students benefit from a multidisciplinary, team-based project approach that integrates computer science, business and professional skill topics in daily, two-hour block classes; this provides you with meaningful, cross-disciplinary learning experiences. This unique learning opportunity is enhanced by the Kauffman Center’s living and learning community. The Kauffman Center also enables you to engage in collaborative project work via its student residences, faculty offices, project work areas, meeting rooms, and both wireless and wired Internet services.

The Program faculty is composed of University faculty members from the colleges of Arts & Sciences and Business Administration, industry professionals, and visiting faculty from other universities. The Program faculty work to effectively integrate computer science and businsess content throughout the core curriculum.

Freshman Year

Freshman year coursework introduces students to the fundamentals of computer science and business. Business topics are selected from the disciplines of management, operations, system development, economics, financial accounting, and corporate finance.

Computer science topics include problem solving with object-oriented programming, graphical user interfaces, data structures, algorithms and databases. Software engineering principles and techniques such as analysis and design with UML, software configuration management, and coding standards are introduced.

Sophomore Year

Sophomore year business sequence focuses on system development in support of management decision-making. The emphasis of the sequence is on enlarging the scope and depth of management methodologies. Topics include management accounting, resource optimization, task scheduling, decision making under uncertainty, and information systems.

Computer science topics include the design and analysis of data structures and algorithms, dynamic programming, computer organization, and operating system principles. Software engineering principles and processes such as defensive programming and design evaluation are introduced. Students develop moderate-scale business information systems.