PSU > College of Computer and
Information Sciences (CCIS)
Message from the Dean
On behalf of the University Administration,
Faculty, Staff and Students we welcome you
to the College of Computer and Information
Sciences webpage. As one of the pillars of
the University, the College diligently seeks
to excite, challenge and inspire its
students with rich practical and cutting
edge scientific experiences.
To that end,
the College continues to replace its
computing resources with state of the art
facilities that enable students access on an
anytime anywhere basis.
The College also added two new laboratories: one
in the area of Networking Security and the other
in the area of Unified Communication Systems.
Our Administration is moving slowly but
carefully towards providing the College with
what it takes to convert it into a smart one.
Concurrently, the College is enhancing pedagogy
to further improve the skills of its students
who are in high demand by the local and national
industries and governments.
Our faculty members are dynamic and ready to
make necessary changes on the road of
prosperity. Our primary job is teaching and we
take it seriously not because we have to, but
because we love to.
Our strategy for the period 2008-2013 is to
achieve four objectives identified as follows:
1. Smart Education: The College is moving to
position itself as a leader in shifting from
instructor centered to learner centered
educational philosophy in a smart environment
that is indusive to learning
2. Collaborative Research: Group research is not
only encourages, it is also rewarded, especially
if it is in an interdisciplinary subject.
3. Industrial Partnership: The College has
established industrial partnership with
internationally known industrial giants in the
areas of software and hardware. Programs of
student exchanges and faculty summer activities
with top universities in the word are underway.
With the help of our industrial partners and the
local industries, the College is carefully
tailoring its program to the needs of the
country and the region.
4. Excellent Teachers: Faculty members in the
College are excellent teachers and only
excellent candidates or those with potential to
become as such are added.
These objectives require four pillars to lean
on:
1. Dedicated students who are serious, creative,
disciplined, futurist and ambition.
2. Faculty members who are dynamic characters,
outstanding leaders, master purveyors of
knowledge, and competent facilitators.
3. Wise Administrators who are supportive,
inciting, non bureaucratic and ready to reward
creativity
4. Industrial and governmental partnerships
which help with internships, participate in
drawing the roadmap for the College, involve
faculty with research and hire our students.
Fortunately the University enjoys numerous
supports from its Board of Trustees and the
Government. This makes achieving its goals just
a matter of time.
We hope you will become involved in the College
– whether as a student, an alumnus, a donor, an
industry partner, or as a volunteer. Please join
me in being part of a bold new future for the
College of Computer and Information Sciences at
Prince Sultan University.
Dean, CCIS
Introduction
The College of Computer and Information Sciences
at PSU offers two undergraduate programs:
Computer Science (CS) and Information Systems
(IS). The expected duration of each program is
four years. Entry into these two programs is
possible only after the successful completion of
the courses in the orientation year. The main
goal of the orientation year is to improve the
student’s oral and written experience in the
English language, to strengthen the student’s
mathematical skills and to introduce the student
to basic computer knowledge and operation.
The Computer Science and Information Systems
programs were developed taking into account the
needs of the local community, the
interdisciplinary nature of the subjects and the
breath-taking speed of development in these
fields. In addition the contents and structures
of many programs in the United States, Canada
and the UK are taken into account, as well as
the recommendations of leading international
bodies such as:
- Association for Computer Machinery (ACM).
- Association of Information Systems (AIS).
- Association of Information Technology
Professionals (AITP).
- Computer Science Accreditation Commission (CSAC).
- Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE).
The two programs ensure the scientific study of
each subject area. They enable the student to
acquire the necessary professional skills in his
chosen subject. Within the framework of the
degree courses, the student is given the freedom
to design his own tailor-made study program in a
specific area of his chosen major. The program
also allows the student to follow a more general
approach within his major.
College Mission
As a participant in the academic mission of the
PSU, the College of Computer and Information
Sciences is committed to producing a distinctive
class of high-quality graduates. These graduates
will possess a sound academic background in the
fundamental and necessary skills, which will
enable them to solve contemporary societal
problems of an interdisciplinary nature and to
disseminate the acquired knowledge to others in
order to improve computer education and
practice.
The department is additionally committed to
fostering intellectual excellence, emphasizing
knowledge that is relevant to technology and the
community and society at large, upholding high
ethical standards and preparing the student for
a fulfilling career in industry, government,
academia and for advanced graduate studies. A
student in the department can therefore look
forward professionally to employment in an
industrial or financial firm, a governmental
agency, or a secondary college, or a university.
Admission to the College
Admission into the College of Computer and
Information Sciences depends on, (a)
satisfactory performance in the orientation year
and, (b) other conditions that may be set by the
College from time to time.
Academic Majors:
1. COMPUTER SCIENCE (CS)
2. INFORMATION SYSTEMS (IS)
1. B.S. in Computer Science (CS)
Introduction Computer science (CS) is a rapidly changing
field. The ideas and research results emanating
from it are swiftly transformed into practice.
Thus the program in computer science offers not
only technical instruction on the frontier of
new developments but also provides students with
a broad education that covers the core areas of
computer science. This ensures a foundation for
continued and sustainable career growth in the
computing profession for our students.
This curriculum in Computer Science is
deliberately oriented towards giving the
students education in the broad area of computer
science from which the student can acquire the
necessary skills and experience needed to solve
real-world practical problems. In addition,
students are given the freedom to create their
own computer science study program in either
breadth or depth so as to enable them to pursue
their strengths and interests depending upon
their future career plans. In our attempt to
produce students who are self-reliant,
self-learning, and creative, all our elective
courses have been designed without scheduled
tutorial classes. The curriculum places strong
emphasis on practical skills in computer
programming, problem solving, abstraction and
modeling, and the design and development of
software and algorithms. Consequently most of
the courses are complemented by practical
exercises which, (except for some first-year
courses which have closed labs), are done on an
unscheduled basis.
Objectives This curriculum has been designed to be
academically strong and flexible to allow the
student to pursue either breadth or depth in all
aspects of computer science during the course of
his study, depending on his interests and future
career or plans. The main objective of the
course is therefore to prepare graduates for a
fulfilling career in computer science. Hence,
the objectives are to develop in students:
- Communication skills, ability to learn and
ability to work individually or within teams.
- A knowledge of the humanities and social
sciences, computer-related mathematics and
physical sciences.
- Algorithmic reasoning and development
methodologies.
- An understanding of the underlying concepts of
computer hardware and computer software systems,
database management and how computers interact
with users and the rest of society.
The curriculum covers more abstract fields in
artificial intelligence and the theoretical
framework of computer science. Moreover, without
some sort of exposure to real-life work
experience, students will not be fully prepared
to fit into the work environment in the Kingdom.
Therefore, one of the objectives of the program
is to provide students with an opportunity to
gain practical experience before graduation.
Career Opportunities The rapid growth and widespread acceptance
of computing science in public, private and
corporate business areas has led to new and
interesting opportunities for graduates in
computer science. Job opportunities are
plentiful and salaries are generally high. Many
graduates in computer science can have career
growth into positions such as:
- Software engineers.
- Systems analysts / programmers.
- Project leaders.
- Marketers of computer software or hardware.
- Database/network administrators.
- Establishing their own firms, or going on to
complete second degrees to pursue research and /
or teaching careers.
Graduation Requirements:
The College of Computer and Information Sciences
offers a flexible curriculum that leads to a
Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science.
Students seeking a degree in this field are
required to take a minimum of 134 semester hours
from the framework of courses that is prescribed
by the department. The expected duration of the
program is eight semesters.
2. B.S. in Information Systems (IS) Introduction
The Information Systems (IS) specialization is
one of two programs offered by the Department of
Computer and Information Sciences at PSU. This
program offers a Bachelor of Science degree in
Information Systems. The main goal of the IS
program is to produce college graduates who are
capable of excelling in the information systems
department, or other functional departments, of
a business or government organization.
The graduating student’s background knowledge
will include the technical, business and
communication skills necessary to succeed in the
professional world. Program concentration will
be on the development of theoretical and
technical knowledge which will provide the
student with the capabilities to conduct
information systems analysis, design and
development through the use of modern
development tools. The graduate’s business
background will provide the basic business
knowledge that enables the understanding of the
daily operations of a business organization and
hence the organization’s appropriate needs for
information systems. Communication skills will
develop the student’s ability to effectively
communicate and negotiate with the different
entities of the business organization and the
community.
Objectives The objectives of this program are:
- To provide basic education in the field of
information systems through formal instruction
and practical training in order to develop a
real understanding of information technology and
the organizational system.
- To develop the student’s interpersonal and
communication skills
- To develop the student’s ability to work
individually and as a team member,
- To teach the fundamental skills and tools
required for the design, development,
integration and management of information
systems.
Career Opportunities Types of positions that the IS graduate can
hold include:
- Programmer.
- Systems / business / database analyst.
- Software engineer.
- Applications developer and network
administrator.
- Pursuing higher education in information
systems, information technology, operations
research, computer science, or business
administration.
- Setting up a consulting firm.
Graduation Requirements: The Department of Computer and Information
Sciences offers a flexible curriculum that leads
to a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer
Science. Students seeking a degree in this field
are required to take a minimum of 134 semester
hours from the framework of courses that is
prescribed by the department. The expected
duration of the program is eight semesters.
