New science program for those interested in computer science and math
Students applying for admission to CEGEP in the Fall of 2024 have a new option at Dawson in science.
The College plans to offer 70 seats in a new-to-Dawson pre-university program entitled Science, Computer Science and Mathematics (program code 200.C1).
Students will benefit from taking classes together as part of a learning community. They will also enjoy a number of extracurriculars at Dawson, such as math competitions, robotics and more. There are faculty members at Dawson with active research programs that align with the competencies that the program will develop.
“This program is uniquely designed to appeal to students who are seeking university education and are passionate about Computer Science or Mathematics,” said Ben Seamone, Science Program Coordinator and member of the new program development committee.
Science, Computer Science and Mathematics (SCSM) is very similar to the popular Science pre-University program, but with a greater emphasis on Mathematics and Computer science. To make more room for those disciplines, there is less breadth across the sciences in SCSM.
There are four courses in computer science, including an Integrative Project course, where students will design and carry out a project which applies their programming skills to problems in the sciences.
What are the differences between the new SCSM program and the familiar Science program?
- Both programs have eight competencies/courses in common: four math, three physics, one chemistry.
- SCSM students take four 75-hour Computer Science Courses, while Science students take one 45-hour Computer Science Course (possibility of taking two more option courses)
- SCSM students take one extra 75-hour Math course (Discrete Math) while Science students take one extra Chemistry and two extra Biology courses
- SCSM students have no option courses while Science students have two option courses.
What is the difference between the new SCSM program and Computer Science?
The main difference is that SCSM is a two-year program that prepares students to pursue university studies in various science fields (engineering, computer science, mathematics, etc), while Computer Science Technology is a three-year program that prepares students to work immediately after graduation (software developer, web developer, quality assurance tester).
What else should you know?
For students considering applying to SCSM at Dawson, they should know that a university program may require courses not included in this program since there is no biology and limited chemistry. Students should take care to check the admissions requirements of university programs that interest them. Many programs will admit students with 200.C1 with the condition that the student make up any missing CEGEP courses as part of the program.
The deadline to apply is March 1, 2024.
More info: https://www.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/science-computer-science-mathematics
