College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Computer Science & Software Engineering

How to Graduate

Below is a summary of all the requirements for graduation. Be warned that this document is not official in the sense that the Bulletin takes precedence over anything stated here.

Total Credit Requirement - 120 credits

You must pass at least 120 credits with a 2.00 GPA or higher. If you complete a second degree, you must complete an additional 30 hours. In addition, the last 45 hours must be done at Butler (as opposed to transfer credit; this applies primarily to transfer students, and not to dual-degree engineering degrees). All credits earned fulfilling other requirements count towards the 120 total.

Major Requirements - varies

The computer science major is 50 credit hours (38 credits of CSSE courses, and 12 credits of Mathematics courses).

The software engineering major is 60 credit hours (47 credits of CSSE courses and 13 credits of Mathematics courses).

Minor Requirements - varies

A minor is not required for graduation. (Many CSSE students choose to obtain a minor in Business, Mathematics, or a foreign language.)

Core Requirements - 27 credits

For details, see the core webpage at /core/.

  • First Year Seminar (FYS): 2 semesters (6 credits)
  • Speech: This is met if you take two semesters of FYS; if you get transfer or AP credit for FYS, you may be required to take SH102 (2 credits)
  • Physical Well Being (PWB): (1 credit)
  • Global and Historical Studies (GHS): (6 credits)
  • Division 1. Text and Ideas (TI) (3 credits)
  • Division 2. Perspectives in the Creative Arts (PCA) (3 credits)
  • Division 3. The Social World (SW) (3 credits)
  • Division 4. The Natural World (NW) (5 credits)
  • Division 5. Analytical Reasoning (AR)
    Note that this is fulfilled by the major coursework (MA106 and CS151).
  • Indianapolis Community Requirement (ICR)
    This is satisfied by EPICS, which is required.
  • Writing Across the Curriculum (W)
    This is satisfied by CS485 Computer Ethics, which is required.
  • Butler Cultural Requirement: you must attend 8 officially designated cultural events (an average of one per semester).

Computer Literacy Requirement

This requirement is moot for CS majors.

LAS Language Requirement - 6+ credits

All students must complete at least 6 credit hours at the 200 or 300 level in a foreign language. If you had some foreign language in high school, take a placement exam (you have nothing to lose). If your native language is not English, then you can be exempted from this requirement; ask your advisor for details.

LAS 300-Level Requirement

All students must complete at least 40 credit hours of courses at the 300 level or higher. All courses for your major or minor programs count toward this total.