Computers play a major role in shaping the information or the knowledge age. They are also becoming essential in almost all activities of human life. Furthermore, with the decline in the price of computer hardware, nations, organizations and individuals that couldn’t afford to have computers some years back can now afford to acquire them. However, the acquisition of the hardware is just one step towards computerization. The most important step is to be able to use them properly.

This necessitates for a high number of skilled computer scientists who will develop the necessary applications for the computers, who will administer the computer systems and who will decide on computer system acquisitions of the organizations and all automation processes in general.

Institutions, enterprises, organizations and companies in all sectors, public and private, are directly or indirectly being affected by the overwhelming information flow around the world. The effect goes down to small businesses and even to individuals. Every such unit should be equipped with tools that enable it to survive in such a dynamic world. Ethiopia is no exception and we must get ready to cope up with the influence of the knowledge age in our day‑to‑day life.

A curriculum in Computer Science must be designed in such a way that it addresses the current needs of the country. Currently, the country has no sufficient number of competent computer professionals in the various fields of Computer Science. Various Governmental and other organizations have the desire to use modern information technology. However, there is an acute shortage of technical staff.

1.     Program Objectives

The primary objective of the program is to produce a high-quality graduate with an entrepreneurial and problem-solving mind-set.  The specific objectives of the program are:

  • Provide an in-depth understanding of the fundamental principles and techniques of Computer Science.
  • Develop Computer Science concepts and definitions, and to extend and generalize them to new situations.
  • Educating and training students for the very dynamic and rapidly changing science and technology market.
  • Educating and training students to become life-long learners by providing them with a sound base in computer science, basic sciences as well as general education.
  • Make students understand the connections between Computer Science and other disciplines, and being able to recognize Computer Science ideas embedded in other contexts.
  • Develop the fundamental concepts of Computer Science modelling and how to apply Computer Science to real-world situations. 
  • Motivating students to become innovators who can respond very positively to the challenges and opportunities presented by new ideas and technologies.
  • Laying a strong foundation for, and instilling confidence in students who may want to pursue post-graduate studies later in life.

2.     Rationale of the Program

Computer Science is an exciting, challenging and dynamic discipline. Computers form an integral part of every aspect of society and modern life. New computing technologies are introduced at an enormous rate and the Computer Science field develops and changes continually and rapidly. Consequently Computer Science has evolved into a dynamic and challenging field of study.

Students in the course of their degree are exposed to the theoretical foundations in all areas of the field, gain an understanding of the principles that underlie development of systems, apply their knowledge on real life projects and acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to cope with the astonishing rate of change of the specific discipline.

The curriculum is in compliance with the already established standards proposed by international Computer Societies. Graduates are well equipped to successfully follow fulfilling career paths in many diverse areas of business and academia.

3.     Professional Profile

Through document analysis on different research organization websites in the field of computer science and based on other universities’ computer science programs, it has been found professionals in the field of computer science do have knowledge and skills in software design and implementation, devising new ways of to use computers, developing effective ways to solve computing problems, generating new knowledge through research as in bioinformatics and intelligent systems, presenting findings clearly ,and using computers for the betterment of society.

Computer Science professional must have

  • A high-level understanding of computing systems as a whole. This understanding must go beyond the implementation details of the various components to encompass an appreciation for the structure of computer systems and the processes involved in their construction and analysis.
  • Thorough understanding of the balance between theory and practice and the essential link between them not only the theoretical underpinnings of the discipline but also how that theory influences practice
  • A solid foundation that allows and encourages them to maintain their skills as the field evolves.

Program Requirement

Admission Requirement

An applicant must have successfully complete the Natural Science stream freshman courses of first year first semester and Engineering and Technology band common course of first year second semester as set by Ministry of Education(MoE).

Duration of the Study

The duration of the study for the regular BSc program in Computer Science is 4 years.

Graduate Requirement

Every candidate for BSc Degree in Computer Science must fulfill the following requirements for   graduation:

  1. Minimum cumulative Grade Point Requirement for graduation is 2.00.
    1. The required Compulsory, Elective, Supportive and Common Courses with their respective total ECTS, CrHr, and number of courses for graduation with the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Computer Science is indicated below in Table 2.

            Table 2: Total Required Courses

NoCourse CategoryNo. of coursesCr. Hrs.ECTS
1Compulsory3089148
2Elective2610
3Supportive72135
4Common133256
Total52148249
  1. Educational visit: educational tours will help inspire the next generation of computer scientists by showing them the practical application of the subject in an exciting and informative way. Each batch of students are expected to visit a minimum of 2 popular companies/organizations in the field.

Medium of Instruction

The medium of instruction for the program is English.

Degree Nomenclature

English:           Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science 

Amharic:         የሳይንስ ባችለር ዲግሪ በኮምፒውተር ሳይንስ

Teaching/Learning and Assessment Methodology

Class Size

Class Size is as Per Arsi University Legislation.

Mode of Delivery

All courses should be delivered on a semester basis and face-to-face teaching.

Method of Teaching

The teaching learning process in this program mainly follows the principle of Active learning. The students are engaged in assignments, quizzes, tutorials, laboratories, project demonstrations, lectures and filed trip/ industrial visit.Assessment and Evaluation

Cognitive Abilities: Cognitive abilities are assessed by a combination of written examinations and continuous assessment, including marked essays, class tests and computer programming problems.

Practical Abilities: Practical Abilities are assessed mostly by continuous assessment. Some of practical abilities are assessed as part of group project module.

Transferable skills: some skills, like the use of software tools and ability to communicate orally and in written form are directly assessed, in assignments or projects, other skills are not directly assessed but their effective use will enhance the students’ overall performance.

Evaluation will be done based on the midterm exam, assignments, laboratory sessions demonstrations, Project work, final exam and different continues assessments.

Attendance Policy

     The Attendance Policy is as Per Arsi University Legislation.

Grading System

      The grading system is as Per Arsi University Legislation.