Computer Science Undergraduate Short Guide

Introduction

Welcome to the Computer Science Undergraduate Short Guide. This contains the most important information for computer science majors, and provides links to more detailed information and resources. All computer science undergraduates should be familiar with the information here.

APAS reports

Your APAS report, available through the University One Stop page, lists all the degree requirements and tracks your progress towards fulfilling them. Learn how to read this report, and check with an advisor if you have any questions.

Advising

Advising for lower division students is done through the college. Advising for upper division students is done by the department. The CSE Department has three main means of advising:

CS advisors are available for phone, e-mail, or walk-in advising in the CS main office.
The CSE Department sponsors an “Advising Day” each semester around the start of registration for the following semester. This event consists of presentations on popular topics, such as the upper division emphasis, as well as additional time for students to ask questions and discuss items with advisors. Watch for announcements of this online and in the EE/CS building.

Additionally, the university has a number of advising-related websites and offices. See the University One Stop page.

Upper division CS students are not required to meet with advisors prior to registering. However, they are required to meet with them to get their upper division emphasis and math elective approved before applying for graduation. CS students are also strongly encouraged to meet with advisors upon being accepted into upper division, as well as at any other time they have advising questions.

The Upper Division Emphasis and the Math Elective

The upper division emphasis is the portion of the CS degree requirements that allows students to explore a subarea or subareas of computer science in depth. The B.A. upper division emphasis consists of 9 credits of CSci 4xxx or 5xxx approved classes. The B.S. consists of 17 credits; at least 9 of these must be approved CSci 4xxx or 5xxx classes, and some or all of the remaining 8 credits may be in a related field.

The emphasis allows numerous options within some general constraints. For this reason whether a particular set of classes is acceptable may be complicated. To learn more about emphasis possibilities and rules, read the relevant section of the “Upper Division Emphasis” section of the CS Undergraduate Guide, attend the presentation on the emphasis during the CS Advising Day, and/or discuss the emphasis during a walk-in meeting with a CS advisor. Students should pay particular attention to the rules about which classes can be used as part of the emphasis, and should check with a CS advisor before taking any class they are unsure about.

Because of the many possibilities and constraints, starting in Fall 2006 all IT CS students must see a CS advisor and get approval for their upper division emphasis classes. This will ensure the emphasis classes will show up correctly on the student's APAS. Students should meet with an advisor to get this approval once they have a reasonably firm idea of what classes they will take for their emphasis, and at latest by the start of their last semester.

The upper division math elective is a requirement for IT CS students. Ideally, the math elective will complement a student's emphasis --- for example, for students interested in computer graphics the Math 4242 advanced linear algebra class would work well due to the role of linear algebra in graphics. Most, but not all Math 4xxx or 5xxx course are acceptable for the math elective; however, students should check with a CS advisor before taking any course they are unsure about. Note: (i) multivariable calculus is no longer accepted for the math elective, (ii) the math elective cannot be used as part of the upper division emphasis credits, (iii) the math elective must be approved by a CS advisor in order for it to show up correctly on your APAS report. Additional information on the math elective is in the “Advanced Math Elective” subsection of the CS Undergraduate Guide.

Course information

The department course webpage and University One Stop page contain additional information about CS (and other) courses.

Opportunities

A Computer Science degree involves more than taking a set of required classes. The CS degree allows a number of free electives (required credits that have no constraints on them). Much computer science work is interdisciplinary; therefore, students are encouraged to use these credits to learn about other fields, for example by getting a minor.

In-class learning is only part of the university experience, so students are strongly encouraged to participate in other opportunities the university offers. These include student clubs, undergraduate research projects, learning abroad experiences, honors programs, undergraduate TA work, scholarships, etc. See Academic Information, Announcements, Events, Resources, and the undergraduate FAQ.

Applying for graduation

The One Stop graduation page lists steps for applying for graduation. Do not miss the application deadline, which is usually during the first week of the semester in which you plan to graduate.

CLA has both Fall and Spring commencement ceremonies; IT has Spring ceremonies (IT students graduating in Fall may attend the ceremony in the Spring). Contact your college office to sign up, or for more information.