About Applied Software Development

Program Focus

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.

 

Admission Criteria

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.

 

Curriculum

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.

Tech College

Winthrop Equivalent

Credit Hours

Application to ASWD

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

 

Related Information

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

Applied Software Development Guided Pathway PDF