CSU Fort Collins · B.S. Computer Science · Curriculum Analysis

§ 01

## Aggregate shape of the degree.

Across 95,760 valid completion plans constrained to begin with CS150B, CS164, and MATH156, the curriculum settles into a remarkably tight envelope: eight semesters, 120 credits, six-term critical path. Variation enters through elective choices, not structural alternatives.

Median Complexity
186pts
IQR 180–199. The Heileman–Slim complexity score sums delay + blocking across all courses.
Critical-Path Length
6terms
Of 8 total semesters; CS150B → CS164 → CS165 → CS253 → CS314 → CS414.
Plan Population
95,760
Distinct valid course plans. CV across complexity = 0.06, indicating tight clustering.
Total Credits
119.84avg
Hits 120 in 65 % of plans; 1–credit shortfall when accumulating gen-ed credits exactly.

### Plan Complexity

Distribution across the 25-plan sample · IQR / whiskers / median

### Longest Delay (terms)

Time from first course to last for the longest dependency chain

§ 02

## Course-level metrics.

Median complexity, delay, and blocking factor per course across all sampled plans. Blocking counts how many downstream courses each course gates — the structural cost of failure. Sortable; click any column header.

Filter:

Code▲▼ | Title▲▼ | Cr▲▼ | Complexity▲▼ | Delay▲▼ | Blocking▲▼ | In Plans▲▼
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---

§ 03

## The bottleneck courses.

Ten courses block at least one downstream course in the median plan. Five of them dominate the curriculum graph: failing any of these in their target semester pushes graduation by a full year.

RANK 01 · Highest blocking
CS150B
Culture and Coding: Python
Blocking14.0 Complexity20.0 Delay5.7
RANK 02
CS164
CS1 — Computational Thinking
Blocking13.0 Complexity19.0 Delay5.7
RANK 03
CS165
CS2 — Data Structures
Blocking10.0 Complexity16.0 Delay5.7
RANK 04
MATH127
Precalculus
Blocking7.3 Complexity12.0 Delay4.8
RANK 05
MATH156
Math for Computational Science I
Blocking5.2 Complexity10.0 Delay4.8
RANK 06
CS214
Software Development
Blocking4.1 Complexity10.0 Delay5.8
RANK 07
CS253
Software Dev. with C++
Blocking3.8 Complexity10.0 Delay5.7
RANK 08
CS220
Discrete Structures
Blocking2.8 Complexity8.0 Delay4.8
§ 04

## Shortest vs longest paths.

Both endpoints of the plan-complexity range satisfy all degree requirements, hit 120 credits, and finish in 8 terms — but their critical paths are entirely different. Hover any course to see its dependency chain.

PLAN · SHORTEST PATH · COMPLEXITY 166

### The traditional software engineering route.

Critical path runs through CS253 → CS314 → CS414, choosing the C++ track and the OO-design capstone. Lower complexity comes from picking electives that sit at the end of dependency chains.

`CS150B`→`CS164`→`CS165`→`CS253`→`CS314`→`CS414`
Low (1–5)
Medium (6–15)
High (16+)
Prerequisite
Corequisite
Critical path
Semester 1
19
CS150B
Culture and Coding: Python
10
MATH127
Precalculus
3
MATH117
College Algebra in Context I
0
ELEC_04
ELEC_04
0
ELEC_08S
ELEC_08S
1
GEOL150
Dynamic Earth
Semester 2
18
CS164
CS1--Computational Thinking with Java
8
MATH156
Mathematics for Computational Science I
2
STAT301
Introduction to Applied Statistical Methods
1
FE01
FE01
Semester 3
15
CS165
CS2--Data Structures
7
CS250
Computer Systems Foundations
5
CS220
Discrete Structures and the Applications
1
FE02
FE02
Semester 4
11
CS253
Software Development with C++
6
CS370
Operating Systems
6
DSCI369
Linear Algebra for Data Science
4
CS312
Modern Web Applications
Semester 5
7
CS314
Software Engineering
5
CS356
Systems Security
5
CS410
Introduction to Computer Graphics
5
CS464
Principles of Human-Computer Interaction
Semester 6
6
CS414
Object-Oriented Design
4
CS320
Algorithms--Theory and Practice
0
ELEC_02
ELEC_02
0
ELEC_06
ELEC_06
1
HP01
HP01
Semester 7
1
AC01
AC01
1
BZ120
Principles of Plant Biology
0
ELEC_03
ELEC_03
0
ELEC_07
ELEC_07
1
SB01
SB01
Semester 8
1
AW01
AW01
1
CS201
Ethical Computing Systems
0
ELEC_01
ELEC_01
0
ELEC_05
ELEC_05
1
FE03S
FE03S
PLAN · LONGEST PATH · COMPLEXITY 204

### The systems-heavy cybersecurity route.

Picks CS270 (Computer Organization) over CS250, then chains through CS370 → CS356 → CS456. Every choice maximises blocking factors of upstream courses — this is what the curriculum graph looks like when a student chooses the architectural depth path.

`CS150B`→`CS164`→`CS270`→`CS370`→`CS356`→`CS456`
Low (1–5)
Medium (6–15)
High (16+)
Prerequisite
Corequisite
Critical path
Semester 1
20
CS150B
Culture and Coding: Python
13
MATH127
Precalculus
7
MATH117
College Algebra in Context I
0
ELEC_03
ELEC_03
0
ELEC_06
ELEC_06
Semester 2
19
CS164
CS1--Computational Thinking with Java
11
MATH156
Mathematics for Computational Science I
6
STAT301
Introduction to Applied Statistical Methods
0
ELEC_07S
ELEC_07S
1
HP01
HP01
Semester 3
16
CS165
CS2--Data Structures
10
CS270
Computer Organization
9
CS220
Discrete Structures and the Applications
1
FE01
FE01
Semester 4
10
CS253
Software Development with C++
9
CS370
Operating Systems
8
DSCI369
Linear Algebra for Data Science
6
CS345
Machine Learning Foundations and Practice
Semester 5
7
CS356
Systems Security
7
CS320
Algorithms--Theory and Practice
5
CS310H
Design Thinking Toolbox: Mixed Reality Design
5
CS314
Software Engineering
1
FE02
FE02
Semester 6
6
CS456
Modern CyberSecurity
5
CS435
Introduction to Big Data
5
CS440
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
1
FE03S
FE03S
Semester 7
1
AC01
AC01
1
BZ120
Principles of Plant Biology
0
ELEC_02
ELEC_02
0
ELEC_05
ELEC_05
1
SB01
SB01
Semester 8
1
AW01
AW01
1
CS201
Ethical Computing Systems
0
ELEC_01
ELEC_01
0
ELEC_04
ELEC_04
1
GEOL150
Dynamic Earth
§ 05

## Who finishes this degree.

IPEDS completion data for CIP 11.0101 (Computer & Information Sciences, General), bachelor's primary major, AY 2022–2024. Total completers grew from 184 to 215 (+17 %). The parity score is the group's share of CS completions divided by its share of all CSU completions: 1.0 is parity, above 1 is over-represented, below 1 is under-represented relative to the campus baseline.

### Completions by Gender

CSU CS bachelor's · counts per academic year

### Completions by Race / Ethnicity

CSU CS bachelor's · 2024 distribution

### Parity Scores · 3-Year Trend

Each line is a group's representation ratio vs. campus baseline. 1.0 = parity (dashed).

§ 06

## Strengths, concerns, and what the literature says.

Read the curriculum and the demographics against the published evidence on broadening participation in computing (BPC). Findings are framed through the lens of education research and equity.

STRENGTH · PEDAGOGY

### The "Culture & Coding" on-ramp.

CS150B (Culture and Coding: Python) is a prior-experience–neutral on-ramp that explicitly contextualises programming through cultural and ethical themes. It carries an AUCC-3B humanities attribution and is sequenced before CS164. This design directly addresses the documented "lack of prior experience" barrier that disproportionately turns women and underrepresented minorities away from CS1 at large research universities [Babeş-Vroman & Nguyen 2020].

Sequencing matters: research at large public R1s shows the gender gap widens immediately after CS1, in part because many women enrol in CS1 undecided about the major [Babeş-Vroman & Nguyen 2020]. A culturally responsive on-ramp before the gating CS1 is a literature-aligned intervention.

CONCERN · STRUCTURAL

### Twin CS150B/CS164 blocking factors.

CS150B and CS164 have median blocking factors of 14 and 13 — together they gate every downstream CS course. A single C-minus in either pushes graduation a full year, and the prerequisite specifically requires `CS150B [B]` for CS164 entry. The structural cost of failure is therefore very high precisely at the on-ramp.

The BPC literature is explicit on this: high-stakes early gates without robust safety nets disproportionately push out students with weaker prior preparation, and prior-preparation gaps correlate with under-represented identity in CS [Sax et al. 2017]. CSU's curriculum design helps; the grade gate works against it.

STRENGTH · TRAJECTORY

### Women's parity is rising fast.

Women's parity score climbed from 0.24 → 0.31 → 0.43 across 2022 → 2023 → 2024 — a 79 % improvement in three years. Absolute completions by women more than doubled (24 → 51) while men's completions stayed nearly flat. CSU is moving against the national trend: women's share of CS bachelor's has hovered around 20–22 % nationally for two decades [Sax et al. 2017].

The gap from 0.43 to 1.00 (campus parity) remains substantial, but the trajectory is the kind of signal that BPC research associates with deliberate departmental intervention rather than passive growth [NSF BPC].

CONCERN · INTERSECTIONAL

### Black students are thinning.

Black completers fell from 3 in 2022 to 2 in 2024 — counts too low to draw firm conclusions, but the parity score dropped from 0.87 to 0.52 against a campus baseline that itself shows declining Black representation. Hispanic/Latino parity recovered from 0.53 (2023) to 0.83 (2024), but remains below 1.0.

Intersectional effects are visible: in 2024, Black women earned 1 CS degree out of CSU's 215; Hispanic women earned 11. The literature is unambiguous that programs which broaden participation address race and gender jointly — single-axis interventions repeatedly fail intersectionally marginalised students [Williams et al. 2023].

STRENGTH · CURRICULAR FLEXIBILITY

### Many valid paths.

95,760 distinct valid completion plans is unusually high for a CS curriculum, driven by 19 capstone options, a generous Technology Focus pool, a minor/second-major alternative, and parallel Group A/B/C intro sequences. This flexibility is itself a retention lever: students who can find a personal narrative in the major persist at higher rates [Sax et al. 2018].

The breadth of capstone options (graphics, HCI, bioinformatics, ML, distributed systems, blockchain, OOD…) lets a student craft a track that matches their identity and interests instead of being routed through a single canonical fourth-year sequence.

CONCERN · ALGORITHMS CHOKEPOINT

### CS320 is structurally fragile.

CS320 (Algorithms) requires four concurrent strands: CS220 + CS165 + a calculus course + a linear-algebra course. Any one delay cascades into CS320 and gates the 400-level CS400 capstones (CS420 / CS425 / CS440 / CS445 / CS454 / CS475 all depend on it).

This is the kind of "and-junction" prerequisite that BPC researchers flag as a equity hazard — students who arrive less prepared (in any one strand) compound delays that students with stronger preparation never see [Sax et al. 2017]. Targeted advising and supplementary instruction at this exact node would have outsized retention impact.

§ 07

## References & sources.

All peer-reviewed sources cited in §06 are listed below with direct links. Underlying degree data is from the CSU 2025–2026 general catalog; demographic data is from the U.S. Department of Education's IPEDS database (CIP code 11.0101, bachelor's primary major, AY 2022–2024).

1. Babeş-Vroman, M. & Nguyen, T. D. (2020). Gender Diversity in Computer Science at a Large Research University. arXiv preprint arXiv:2004.13760. Published version in ACM Transactions on Computing Education (TOCE), Vol. 22, Issue 2 (2022). arxiv.org/abs/2004.13760
   dl.acm.org/doi/full/10.1145/3471572
2. Sax, L. J., Blaney, J. M., Lehman, K. J., Rodriguez, S. L., George, K. L., & Zavala, C. (2017). Sense of Belonging in Computing: The Role of Introductory Courses for Women and Underrepresented Minority Students — Department Chairs in Promoting Diversity. Working paper, BRAID Research. Hosted via Johns Hopkins University CS reading seminar. cs.jhu.edu/~misha/.../Sax17.pdf
3. Sax, L. J., Lehman, K. J., Jacobs, J. A., Kanny, M. A., Lim, G., Monje-Paulson, L., & Zimmerman, H. B. (2018). Sense of Belonging in Computing: The Role of Introductory Courses for Women and Underrepresented Minority Students. Social Sciences, 7(8), 122. mdpi.com/2076-0760/7/8/122
4. Williams, K. L., Dillon, E., Carter, S., Jones, J., & Melchior, S. (2023). CS=Me: Exploring Factors that Shape Black Women's CS Identity at the Intersections of Race and Gender. ACM Transactions on Computing Education (just accepted, December 2023). doi.org/10.1145/3631715
5. National Science Foundation (ongoing). Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) program. NSF Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE). nsf.gov/funding/initiatives/broadening-participation-computing
6. U.S. Department of Education (2022–2024). Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Completions Survey. CIP code 11.0101 (Computer and Information Sciences, General), bachelor's degree completions, primary major. Colorado State University–Fort Collins (UNITID 126818). nces.ed.gov/ipeds/use-the-data
7. Colorado State University (2025). General Catalog 2025–2026: Computer Science Major, Computer Science Concentration. College of Natural Sciences. Curriculum source for this analysis. catalog.colostate.edu/.../computer-science-concentration/
8. Heileman, G. L., Slim, A., Hickman, M., & Abdallah, C. T. (2018). Curricular Analytics: A Framework for Quantifying the Impact of Curricular Reforms and Pedagogical Innovations. Methodology behind the complexity, delay, and blocking metrics used in §02 and §03. arxiv.org/abs/1811.09676