Some South Carolinians choose to begin their career in software development by earning a two-year degree in programming from one of the state's technical colleges. That degree qualifies graduates for entry-level programming jobs at many companies around the state. But some positions request a higher level of training, particularly occupations leading to management positions. Thus, some students wish to earn a four-year software development degree soon after completing their two-year programming degree. Also, four-year degree holders have a higher average salary.
Winthrop University's Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Software Development (ASWD) degree is intended for students that have completed their Associate in Applied Science in Computer Technology - Programming Specialization (AAS.CPT.PROG) at a South Carolina technical college. ASWD students should be able to finish their degree at Winthrop in two years - two fall semesters and two spring semesters.
The ASWD degree program was approved by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education in September 2020.
Acceptance into the ASWD program is limited to students that have completed the AAS.CPT.PROG degree from a South Carolina technical college. Additional admissions criteria can be found on Winthrop's Transfer Information web page.
Almost all of the courses required for the AAS Programming degree will count directly toward the requirements of the ASWD degree. The following table is a sample set of courses taken by a possible AAS Programming student, and how those courses would transfer to Winthrop. Note that this is a sample. The degree requirements for the ASWD degree might change slightly. Also, the AAS Programming degree requirements might also change, and can vary slightly between SC technical colleges. York Tech's curriculum is used in this example.
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| COL 101 | ACAD 101 | 1 | GenEd Foundation |
| ENG 101 | WRIT 101 | 3 | GenEd Foundation |
| ENG 160 | WRIT 199 | 3 | needed for HXCT 301 |
| HSS 205 | GSTC 299 | 3 | general elective |
| SPC 205 | SPCH 205 | 3 | general elective |
| MAT 110 | MATH 151 | 3 | prereq for MATH 105 & MATH 261 |
| MAT 165 | MATH 141 | 3 | stats prereq for CSCI 466 / quant reasoning requirement |
| ECO 210 | ECON 216 | 3 | social science |
| CPT 170 | CSCI 101 | 3 | ASWD core |
| CPT 242 | CSCI 355 | 3 | ASWD core |
| IST 188 & 168 | CSCI 199 | 6 | general electives |
| any ten CPT or IST numbered 2XX |
CSCI 299 | 30 | ASWD core |
The following is a sample course plan to complete courses at Winthrop.
| First Fall | First Spring | |||
| HXCT 301 Human Exp & Critical Thinking | 3 | Physical Education | 1 | |
| MATH 261 Discrete Math | 3 | MATH 105 Applied Calculus | 3 | |
| CSCI 466 Networking | 3 | CSCI 311 Computer Architecture | 4 | |
| Humanity | 3 | CSCI 365 Information Security | 3 | |
| Social Science | 3 | CSCI elective | 3 | |
| 15 | 14 | |||
| Second Fall | Second Spring | |||
| Lab Science | 4 | Global Perspective | 3 | |
| Humanity | 3 | CSCI elective | 3 | |
| Historical Perspective | 3 | CSCI 327 Social Implications | 3 | |
| CSCI elective | 3 | CSCI 411 Operating Systems | 3 | |
| CSCI 475 Sw Eng I | 3 | CSCI 476 Sw Eng II | 3 | |
| 16 | 15 | |||
ASWD students select at least three upper-division CSCI elective courses. Possible
electives include:
• CSCI 440 Computer Graphics
• CSCI 441 Web Application Design
• CSCI 451 Mobile App Development
• CSCI 460 Machine Learning
• CSCI 477 Software Project Management
• CSCI 491 Internship in Computer Science
• CSCI 570 Parallel Computing
York Technical College's Catalogs - requirements for their AAS Programming degree
Winthrop University's Catalogs - detailed requirements for the ASWD degree
Academic Pathways - Winthrop and York Tech bridge program
