Program Details Computer Science AAS-T (I-BEST)

This program is not accepting any new enrollments.

Winter 2027 is the last quarter RTC will be offering Computer Science AAS-T classes.

We are no longer accepting new Computer Science students starting in Spring 2025.

Here is a general overview of what your classes will look like following each quarter. To see which materials are needed for your courses, click this bookstore link and enter the course information.

You also may be interested in the Computer Science AAS Degree.

General Overview

As of Spring Quarter 2025 RTC will be discontinuing the Computer Science Program. We will continue to allow current CSI students to finish their program. We will no longer be accepting new students into the CSI Program.

How long is the program?

6 quarters (22 months) with 92 total credits

When do classes meet? Mornings and early afternoons with some online options.

Are summer classes required? Yes, to graduate on time.

In this program, you will learn to design, develop, and test client-server applications. You also will practice more advanced database tasks before completing a capstone project or an internship. This is the applied transfer degree, which is the best preparation for an applied bachelor's program like the BAS in Application Development.

What does a computer programmer do?

What is the average salary?

$139,160 annually in the Seattle-Bellevue-Tacoma area. Most computer programmers earn at least $82,530; there is a wide salary range. Jobs with higher pay often require a bachelor's degree.

Who can I contact with questions?

Overall Materials Needed:

Functioning, recent Windows laptop or computer, not an Apple or Chromebook (you must be able to install software)
USB drive (thumb drive)
Webcam
Headset with microphone
Working internet connection
Textbooks for classes (price may vary depending on if general education classes need them)

Materials Warning

Some materials on this page are listed as TBD, which means that the materials have yet to be determined. Please consult your instructor on what textbooks or materials are required for the class. If you rent a textbook, make sure you return it by the deadline. If you purchase a textbook, you can sell it back to the RTC bookstore -- but make sure that you won't need the book again for classes in the future!

Key Course Icons (learn more)

green means the class has expensive materials red means the class has lots of assignments purple means the class has a lot of technical vocabulary orange means the class has complex content blue means the class moves at a fast pace gold means that this is the most challenging quarter in the whole program

Fall 2024

Quarter 1 Classes

Description: This quarter introduces you to information technology careers. This quarter has three classes, including English. What are your placement options for ENGL&101?

You may wait to take your social science class in the summer after Quarter 3 and enroll in just 12 credits this quarter. Please talk with an adviser before you choose this option, to make sure that financial aid will cover summer.

Quarter 1 Course Information
Course ID	Course Name	Materials	Credits
COL 101	College Success	NO	2
IT 101	Fundamentals of Information Technology	NO	5
ENGL& 101	English Composition	varies by section	5
ANTH& 106	American Mosaic or other social science class	varies by class	5
Estimated Tuition and Fees: $2,313

Quarter 2 Classes

Description: You will create simple applications with object-oriented programming and use HTML and CSS for web design. Please consult your adviser about the best math class for your goals; you can learn more about math placement here.

Prerequisite note: You cannot take CSI 120 or CSI 140 until you earn a 2.0 or higher in IT 101.

Quarter 2 Course Information
Course ID	Course Name	Materials	Credits
CSI 120	Computer Programming I	NO	5
CSI 140	Web Development I	varies	5
AMATH 190	Financial Algebra or MATH& 107 Math in Society or MATH&146 Introduction to Statistics	NO	5
Estimated Tuition and Fees: $2,165

Quarter 3 Classes

Description: coming soon!

Prerequisite note: You cannot take CSI 122 until you earn a 2.0 or higher in CSI 120, and you cannot take CSI 142 until you earn a 2.0 or higher in CSI 140.

It's time to apply for the IT Fundamentals certificate! What is this certificate?

Quarter 3 Course Information
Course ID	Course Name	Materials	Credits
CSI 122	Computer Programming II	NO	5
CSI 142	Web Development II	varies	5
MATH& 107 or 146	Math in Society or Introduction to Statistics or a General Education elective if you completed transfer math in Quarter 2	YES	5
Estimated Tuition and Fees: $2,165

Quarter 4 Classes

Description: coming soon!

Prerequisite notes: You cannot take CSI 224 until you earn a 2.0 or higher in CSI 122. You cannot take CSI 230 until you earn a 2.0 or higher in CSI 122. You cannot take CSI 244 until you earn a 2.0 or higher in CSI 142.

Quarter 4 Course Information
Course ID	Course Name	Materials	Credits
CSI 224	Computer Programming III	NO	5
CSI 230	Database Development I	NO	5
CSI 244	Web Development III	NO	5
Estimated Tuition and Fees: $2,215

Quarter 5 Classes

Description: coming soon!

Prerequisite notes: You cannot take CSI 226 until you earn a 2.0 or higher in CSI 224. You cannot take CSI 234 until you earn a 2.0 or higher in CSI 230. You cannot take CSI 246 until you earn a 2.0 or higher in CSI 244.

Quarter 5 Course Information
Course ID	Course Name	Materials	Credits
CSI 226	Computer Programming IV	varies	5
CSI 234	Database Development II	NO	5
CSI 246	Web Development IV	NO	5
Estimated Tuition and Fees: $2,215

Quarter 6 Classes

Description: In your final quarter, you explore structures and algorithms. You also create a functional computer science project, or learn about game development, or work as an intern.

For CSI 294, you must find an internship and get it approved by program faculty. The internship requires a minimum of 165 work hours.

Prerequisite note: You cannot take CSI 248 until you earn a 2.0 or higher in CSI 226, and you cannot take CSI 255 until you earn a 2.0 or higher in CSI 224.

It's time to apply for your degree!

Quarter 6 Course Information
Course ID	Course Name	Materials	Credits
CSI 248 or CSI 255 or CSI 294	Cross Platform Development or Game Development or Internship	NO	5
CSI 260	Introduction to Data Structures & Algorithms	NO	5
HIST 110	Survey of American History or any transfer-level General Education class (not COMP or AMATH)	varies	5
Estimated Tuition and Fees: $2,165

Grand Total Estimate for Your Computer Science AAS-T Degree: $13,238

Continue your education! You can enroll in RTC's Application Development BAS (no longer accepting new students). Western Governors University also has pathways from your AAS-T degree to their bachelor degrees in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Software Development, and more.

I started before fall 2023

Quarter 1 Classes

Description: This quarter introduces you to computer programming and networking. This quarter has four classes, including one social science class. You may wait to take your social science class in the summer after Quarter 3 and enroll in just 12 credits this quarter. Please talk with an adviser about this option first!

Quarter 1 Course Information
Course ID	Course Name	Materials	Credits
COL 101	College Success	NO	2
CNT 156 (replaced by IT 101)	CompTIA A+ Core I / Bits and Bytes of Cloud Computing	NO	5
CSI 120	Computer Programming I	NO	5
ANTH& 106	American Mosaic or other social science class	varies by class	5
Estimated Tuition and Fees: $2,313

Quarter 2 Classes

Description: You will create simple applications with object-oriented programming and also design databases using SQL. This quarter has two computer science classes and your required transfer English class. Click here to learn more about ENGL&101 placement options.

Prerequisite note: You cannot take CSI 122 until you earn a 2.0 or higher in CSI 120.

Quarter 2 Course Information
Course ID	Course Name	Materials	Credits
CSI 122	Computer Programming II	NO	5
CSI 130 (replaced by CSI 230)	Database Design (Database Development I)	YES	5
ENGL& 101	English Composition	varies by section	5
Estimated Tuition and Fees: $2,165

Quarter 3 Classes

Description: You will use HTML and CSS for web design and develop more advanced applications with object-oriented programming. This quarter has two computer science classes and one transfer math class, which requires placement, a pre-requisite, or a co-requisite. Learn more about math placement.

Prerequisite note: You cannot take CSI 124 until you earn a 2.0 or higher in CSI 122.

It's time to apply for your IT Fundamentals certificate!What is this certificate?

Quarter 3 Course Information
Course ID	Course Name	Materials	Credits
CSI 124 (replaced by CSI 224)	Computer Programming III	NO	5
CSI 140	Front-End Web Dev / Web Development I	varies	5
MATH& 107	Math in Society or other transfer mathematics class	varies by class	5
Estimated Tuition and Fees: $2,165

Quarter 4 Classes

Description: You continue refining skills in object-oriented programming while also learning multi-threaded applications, distributed applications, and asynchronous programming. This quarter has two computer science classes and one elective from Cloud Network Technology (CNT) or general education. If you plan to apply to a BAS program, take general education this quarter instead of CNT (class options listed at the bottom of this page).

Prerequisite notes: You cannot take CSI 226 until you earn a 2.0 or higher in CSI 124. You cannot take CSI 234 until you earn a 2.0 or higher in CSI 130.

Quarter 4 Course Information
Course ID	Course Name	Materials	Credits
CSI 226	Computer Programming IV	NO	5
CSI 234	Applied Database Development	NO	5
---	General Education elective (recommended for BAS preparation) or CNT class (you must meet any prerequisite requirements)	varies by class	5
Estimated Tuition and Fees: $2,215

Quarter 5 Classes

Description: In this quarter, students continue refining their skills in object-oriented programming while also learning both multi-threaded applications and distributed applications. Students will also develop an understanding of asynchronous programming. This quarter has two computer science classes and one elective from any general education area.

Prerequisite notes: You cannot take CSI 242 until you earn a 2.0 or higher in CSI 140. You cannot take CSI 260 until you earn a 2.0 or higher in CSI 226.

Quarter 5 Course Information
Course ID	Course Name	Materials	Credits
CSI 242 (replaced by CSI 142)	Client-Side Scripting (Web Development II)	varies	5
CSI 260	Introduction to Data Structures & Algorithms	NO	5
---	General Education elective from humanities, social science, or natural science	varies by class	5
Estimated Tuition and Fees: $2,215

Quarter 6 Classes

Description: In your final quarter, you create a functional computer science project and/or work as an intern. In the old program, you had three options for your computer science classes:

take CSI 250 (5 credits) and CSI 293 (5 credits), or
take CSI 250 (5 credits) and CSI 294 (5 credits, with 165 intern work hours required), or
take CSI 294 (10 credits, with 330 intern work hours required)

Starting in fall 2023, you have different options:

instead of CSI 250, take CSI 244 Web Development III
instead of CSI 293, take CSI 248 Cross Platform Development or CSI 255 Game Development or CSI 294 Internship

For CSI 294, you must find an internship and get it approved by the program faculty.

This quarter has two computer science classes and one elective from Cloud Network Technology (CNT) or general education. If you plan to apply to a BAS program, take general education this quarter instead of CNT (class options are listed in the third tab).

Prerequisite note: You cannot take CSI 250 until you earn a 2.0 or higher in CSI 242. You may need special permission to enroll in CSI 248 or CSI 255.

It's time to apply for your degree and graduation!

Quarter 6 Course Information
Course ID	Course Name	Materials	Credits
CSI 250 (replaced by CSI 244)	Rich Internet Applications (Web Development III)	NO	5
CSI 293 (not offered after spring 2023)	Capstone Design and Development Project (take CSI 248 or CSI 255 or CSI 294 instead)	NO	5
---	General Education elective (recommended for BAS preparation) or CNT class (you must meet any prerequisite requirements)	varies by class	5
Estimated Tuition and Fees: $2,165

Grand Total Estimated Costs: $13,238

Continue your education! You can enroll in RTC's Application Development BAS (no longer accepting new students). Western Governors University also has pathways from your AAS-T degree to their bachelor degrees in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Software Development, and more.

Crosswalk for old to new classes

Here is a list of all of the old CSI classes and their new versions starting in fall 2023. This should help you find the correct classes when you register.

If the old and new classes are the same, you will see "no change" on the right side.

crosswalk of old and new CSI classes
Requirements before fall 2023	Classes starting in fall 2023
CSI 120 Computer Programming I	no change
CSI 122 Computer Programming II	no change
CSI 124 Computer Programming III	CSI 224 Computer Programming III
CSI 130 Database Design	CSI 230 Database Development
CSI 140 Front-End Web Development	CSI 140 Web Development I
CSI 226 Computer Programming IV	no change
CSI 234 Applied Database Development	CSI 234 Database Development II
CSI 242 Client-Side Scripting	CSI 142 Web Development II
CSI 250 Rich Internet Applications	CSI 244 Web Development III
CSI 260 Introduction to Data Structures and Algorithms	no change
CSI 293 Capstone Design	CSI 248 Cross Platform Development or CSI 255 Game Development
CSI 294 Co-op Education / Internship	no change
CNT 156 Bits and Bytes of Cloud Computing	IT 101 Fundamentals of Computing

Cloud and Cybersecurity Electives

You get to select 15 credits of electives for your AAS-T degree if you started before fall 2023.

You will select 10 credits of electives if you started the Computer Science program in fall 2023 or later.

Note: AMATH 190 will count for 5 credits of electives if you take this math class before you complete transfer math.

You can choose classes from any of the five General Education areas: this is very strongly recommended if you plan to apply to the BAS in Application Development, because that degree requires 60 credits of general education.

You also can use one or more classes from CNT, the other associate program in the Information Technology area of study. If you switched from CNT to CSI, you may have some electives completed already.

Cloud Network Technology Classes (CNT)

All classes are 5 credits each. You must follow the prerequisite requirements; if you do not have the prerequisite class, you cannot enroll in that CNT option.

CNT 160 Foundations and Operations of Cloud Computing (prerequisite = IT 101, which you took in Quarter 1)
- formerly called Core Networking and Cloud Computing
CNT 140 Routing and Switching I (prerequisite = IT 101)
- formerly CNT 240
CNT 150 Routing and Switching II (prerequisites = IT 101 and CNT 140)
- formerly CNT 250
CNT 254 Network Infrastructure (prerequisite = CNT 160)
CNT 256 Cloud Solutions Architect
- formerly called AWS Cloud Foundations
CNT 259 Secure Enterprise Networks (multiple prerequisites)
CNT 262 Introduction to Databases with SQL (no prerequisites)
CNT 263 CompTIA Linux+ (no prerequisites)

Cybersecurity Analyst Classes (CYA)

All classes are 5 credits each. You must follow the prerequisite requirements; if you do not have the prerequisite class, you cannot enroll in that CYA option.

CYA 110 Cybersecurity Fundamentals I
CYA 111 Introduction to Cybersecurity
CYA 140 Cybersecurity Fundamentals II (prerequisite = CYA 110)
CYA 141 Linux Fundamentals for Cybersecurity
CYA 220 Security+ (prerequisite = CYA 140 or CNT 160)
CYA 205 Securing the Internet of Things
CYA 210 Security, Compliance, and Identity

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