The pathway below represents an efficient and effective course taking sequence for this program. Individual circumstances might require some changes to this pathway. It is always recommended that you meet with an academic counselor to develop a personalized educational plan.
The courses have been intentionally placed and should be prioritized in
the order
in which they appear. If you are unable to take all the courses in
a semester, you
should prioritize enrolling in the courses in the order below.
Some courses have
been noted as “Appropriate for Intersession” 
. Should you need (or want) to take
classes
in the summer and/or winter intersessions,
the program recommends these courses as appropriate for the condensed
schedule of
the intersessions.
Some pathways combine a “Certificate of Achievement” and an “Associate
Degree”. If
you are pursuing only the Certificate of Achievement, you are only
required to take
the courses marked “Program Requirement” 
.
All pathways include at least one “Gateway Course” 
which introduces you to the program and/or field of study and helps you
decide if you want to continue with this Academic and Career Path.
Most Associate degrees (though not Associate Degrees for Transfer)
require satisfying the SMC Global Citizenship requirement. If the Program
Requirements do not include a “Global Citizenship course” 
, be sure to select a General Education course that also satisfies Global Citizenship.
Effective Fall 2023
This program helps students develop skills to design interactive and responsive websites and apps. Web developers need to be knowledgeable on a variety of technologies such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, programming languages, Web Frameworks, cloud hosting, networking, database management, and cybersecurity. They are chiefly responsible for code implementation and maintenance of web applications at both the front-end and back-end. Web developers are instrumental in the success of an organization's online presence.
Upon completion of the program, students will:
- Upon completion of this program, students will design and develop full stack web apps as well as provide the code to make websites interactive or allow users to interact with back-end applications and databases.
Icon Key
-
Gateway Course
-
Program Requirement
-
General Education -
Appropriate for
Intersession
-
Available Online -
Global Citizenship
Semester 1
15-17 Units
This is a beginning course intended for students who plan to take additional computer science courses. The course covers an introduction to programming concepts such as designing, coding and testing. Other concepts such as computer hardware, operating systems, compilers and databases are also discussed. The Internet and an introduction to cybersecurity and cloud computing are also included.
should be taken in the intersession PRIOR to first semester if needed as advisory for other CS courses
This course offers a broad introduction to networking concepts and analyzes different network architectures. Introductory topics include network topologies, media and signaling, protocols, addressing, and distributed networks. The varied ways to connect computers are explored as are the resulting architectures. The course explores subnetting, both physical and virtual and internetworks are constructed in the lab. Server programs are introduced to demonstrate their signature socket-API structure. Specific real-world services such as the apache web server, BIND name server, NFS and Samba file system servers, DHCP address server, and others are discussed.
- Skills Advisory: One programming course.
SMC GE Area IV-B Course 3-5 units
SMC GE Area IV-A Course 3 units
This course provides an exploration of intellectual, psychological, social and physical factors that impact lifelong learning, well-being and success. Topics include motivation and self-efficacy; critical thinking, academic integrity and active study strategies; health issues and lifestyle choices; relating to others as a global citizen; written and oral communication; time management; career exploration; and educational planning.
- E - Lifelong Understanding and Self-Development
Semester 2
15 Units
This course introduces modern database concepts while emphasizing the relational database model. Topics include design methodologies, normalization of tables to reduce redundancies, supertypes and subtypes to reduce nulls, data integrity, referential integrity, and using locks and other techniques for concurrency control in a multi-user database. Factors that should be balanced during the design of a database are described. To document databases, entity relationship diagrams, relational schemas, and data dictionaries are described. Principles are applied by performing exercises using MySQL or other database management system. SQL and other languages are used to create and fill tables, retrieve data, and manipulate it by stored programs.
- Skills Advisory: CS 3
This course introduces the Python programming language. Students will learn how to write programs dealing in a wide range of application domains. Topics covered include the language syntax, IDE, control flow, strings, I/O, classes and regular expressions. Students may use either a PC (Windows) or a Mac (Linux) to complete their programming assignments.
- Skills Advisory: CS 3
- Area IV-B: Language and Rationality (Group B) Option 2
Server-side Web programming allows programmers to create content and process data supplied in Web forms to create websites. These applications process data submitted from Web forms and access backend databases to dynamically generate Web pages. Students will design and write web pages using ASP 2.0 (Active Server Pages), Visual Studio. NET and the C# programming language.
- Skills Advisory: CS 33
- Area IV-B: Language and Rationality (Group B) Option 2
This course teaches how to design and write applications that extend Web servers. These applications process data submitted from Web forms and access backend databases to dynamically generate Web pages. This course covers the Java Servlets and JavaServer Pages (JSP) server-side technologies.
- Skills Advisory: CS 55 and
- Skills Advisory: CS 81
- Area IV-B: Language and Rationality (Group B) Option 2
This course teaches how to design and write applications utilizing Ruby on Rails, an open-source web application framework based on the Ruby programming language. In this course, students will create applications that gather information from a web server, query databases and render results.
- Skills Advisory: CS 60 and
- Skills Advisory: CS 80 and
- Skills Advisory: CS 15 or
- Skills Advisory: CS 52 or
- Skills Advisory: CS 53A or
- Skills Advisory: CS 55
- Area IV-B: Language and Rationality (Group B) Option 2
This course teaches how to design and write applications that extend Web servers. These applications process data submitted from Web forms and access back-end databases to dynamically generate Web pages. This course covers the PHP server-side technology. PHP, which stands for "PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor" is a widely-used, Open Source, general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for Web development and can be embedded into HTML.
- Skills Advisory: CS 81
- Area IV-B: Language and Rationality (Group B) Option 2
This course covers the basic technologies used to program Web-based applications. Topics include: HTML5, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), XML and JavaScript, along with a basic survey of the latest extensions on JS.
- Skills Advisory: CS 3
- Area IV-B: Language and Rationality (Group B) Option 2
SMC GE Area II-A Course 3 units
Semester 3
15 Units
In this introductory course students will learn how to defend and protect critical computer assets from various security threats including computer worms and viruses. This course will describe fundamental techniques and principles for modeling and analyzing security. Students will learn how to express security requirements, translate requirements into policies, implement mechanisms that enforce policy, and ensure that these policies are effective. Current industry best practices for safeguarding computer resources will be discussed. Various case studies will outline the typical way that security failures get exploited by attackers and how these attacks can be discovered, understood, and countered.
- Skills Advisory: CS 3 and
- Skills Advisory: CS 70
In this course, students will learn the principles and techniques of network forensics investigation and the use of available forensics tools in the list of the International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists (IACIS) certification. This course explores security incidents and intrusions, including identifying and categorizing incidents, responding to incidents, using log analysis, analyzing network traffic, applying various tools, and creating an incident response team. Students will also learn about ethical implications of computer forensics reporting and the laws regarding computer evidence.
- Skills Advisory: CS 73A
This course provides an in-depth understanding of how to protect IT infrastructure. The course combines ethical hacking methodologies with the hands-on application of security tools to secure computer and other digital systems. Students are introduced to common countermeasures that effectively reduce and/or mitigate attacks. In addition, the course covers what an ethical hacker is and how important it is to protect data from cyber attacks. Students will review TCP/IP concepts and practice footprinting, scanning, enumeration, exploitation, and social engineering.
- Skills Advisory: CS 73A
Technology, through the use of cellphones, tablets, desktops and embedded systems, surrounds us everywhere and is a part of our daily life. With the ubiquity of device use, and global-scale data transfers, users are vulnerable to the temptations of cyber-criminals. In this course, students learn how to use technology safely. The course also introduces basic concepts of cybersecurity and explores careers in this field. This course is intended for any non-major student who wants to be a savvy user in the world today.
This course focuses on protecting the confidentiality, integrity and availability of computing systems and data.Students learn how Amazon Web Service (AWS) uses redundant and layered controls, continuous validation and testing, and a substantial amount of automation to ensure the underlying infrastructure is continuously monitored and protected. Students examine the AWS Shared Responsibility Model and access the AWS Management Console to learn more about security tools and features provided by the AWS platform.
- Prerequisite: CS 79A
This introductory programming course teaches the fundamentals of computer programming with the JavaScript language, the standard for client-side Web programming. It offers a thorough treatment of programming concepts with programs that yield visible or audible results in Web pages and Web-based applications. It shows how to use Core and Client-Side JavaScript and the Document Object Model to build interactive, high-performance Web sites.
- Skills Advisory: CS 80
- Area IV-B: Language and Rationality (Group B) Option 2
This course introduces cloud computing which shifts information systems from on-premises computing infrastructure to highly scalable internet architectures. The course provides a solid foundation of cloud computing technologies and provides students with the understanding required to effectively evaluate and assess the business and technical benefits of cloud computing and cloud applications. Students analyze a variety of cloud services (storage, servers and software applications) and cloud providers. Case studies will be used to examine various industry cloud practices and applications. The course also surveys cloud careers and discusses industry demand for cloud skills.
- Prerequisite: CS 3
ENGL 2 recommended for transfer options
See the full list: SMC GE Area III Course
Elective Course 3 units
Semester 4
15 Units
This course introduces students to Salesforce, the industry-leading customer relationship management system. Topics include: data model and navigation; setting up company profiles, user interface and security. Students will create customized records, manage data, run reports, navigate system apps and other applications including personalizing the program to suit various business needs.
- Skills Advisory: CIS 1 or
- Skills Advisory: CS 3
This course covers how to create applications using the Salesforce platform services and tools. Topics include designing and managing data models, configuring application security, designing user interfaces and customizing the application for mobile user and Lightning users. It also focuses on VisualForce to develop custom applications that make use of the Model-View-Controller paradigm by coding in Apex, using Lightning Components and the Salesforce Object Query Language (SOQL).
- Skills Advisory: CS 77A
- Skills Advisory: CS 55
- Area IV-B: Language and Rationality (Group B) Option 2
This course addresses cloud database management which supports a number of different approaches for storing data. In the course, students define, operate and scale both SQL and noSQL data storage solutions. This course considers factors that should be balanced during the design of a storage solution. Principles are applied by performing exercises using Amazon RDS and SQL to create and fill tables, retrieve and manipulate data. Object-based APIs are used to serialize objects to Amazon DynamoDB for noSQL solutions. Topics include automated backups, transaction logs, restoration and retention.
- Prerequisite: CS 79A
In this course, students explore how cloud computing systems are built using a common set of core technologies, algorithms, and design principles centered around distributed systems. Students will use the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Management Console to provision, load-balance and scale their applications using the Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) and the AWS Elastic Beanstalk. The course discusses, from a developer perspective, the most important reasons for using AWS and examines the underlying design principles of scalable cloud applications.
- Prerequisite: CS 79A and
- Prerequisite: CS 55 or
- Prerequisite: CS 87A or
- Prerequisite: CS 83R or
- Prerequisite: CS 85
In this advanced course, students will learn how to use the AWS Well-Architected framework that has been developed as a guideline to cloud architects to implement the most secure, high-performing, resilient and efficient infrastructure possible for their applications. Using case studies and class projects, students will apply the five pillars of operational excellence, security, reliability, performance efficiency and cost optimization on AWS architected infrastructures.
- Skills Advisory: CS 79C and
- Skills Advisory: CS 79D
In this course, students will learn to deploy relational and non-relational databases in Azure. Students will define, operate and scale both SQL and noSQL data storage solutions. Principles are applied by performing exercises using the Azure SQL Database service as well as Azure Storage Explorer. Students will store, manage and analyze data in all the different storage options offered in Azure including blob storage, file storage, table storage, queue storage, Cognos DB and Azure Data Lakes.
- Skills Advisory: CS 79A
- Skills Advisory: CS 79Z
In this course, students will gain the skillset needed to implement Infrastructure as a Service on the Azure cloud platform. The course will cover how to assess and plan a cloud migration from on premises infrastructure to Azure. Students will learn how to manage Azure resources, including deployment and configuration of virtual machines, virtual networks, storage accounts, and Azure active directory services to manage user and groups. Students will also learn how to manage a pool of nodes using batch jobs.
- Skills Advisory: CS 79A
WordPress is the world’s most popular Content Management System (CMS) platform, powering personal blogs, some of the largest community/society websites, eCommerce web stores and fan sites built with cutting edge technology. This course provides students with the knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience to create, enhance, and maintain a successful WordPress site. Students learn the necessary skills to install WordPress, design, and build a WordPress website, create and sustain a blog, populate the site with content aggregation, and build a content management system. Students will be able to edit the site, integrate analytics, optimize for Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and build for multiple contributors. The design and integration of WordPress themes, widgets, and plugins will be emphasized.
- Skills Advisory: CIS 50