Receiving Credit for Work Done Elsewhere

Some students entering the University will have already done work which can be applied to the computer science requirements. This work may be completed in high school, at another college or university, or through private study. Exemption from computer science requirements may be granted by the Undergraduate Program Director, according to guidelines that are described below. Exemption from university general education requirements can only be granted by the Office of Transfer Affairs.

The most common exemptions are for the introductory Java programming sequence, CMPSCI 121, 123 and 187. (CMPSCI 123 is also known as CMPSCI 191B.) CMPSCI 121 is the introductory course intended for students with little or no prior programming experience. Students with significant high-school background in Java or C++ programming may elect to skip 121 and go directly to 123. Students with Advanced Placement scores of 3, 4, or 5 on the A Computer Science exam may skip 123 and receive 3 credits for it. Students with Advanced Placement scores of 4 or 5 on the AB Computer Science exam may skip both 123 and 187 and receive 7 credits for them. Such students will normally start with CMPSCI 201. Some students may elect to start with 187 on the basis of high-school work without the Advanced Placement exam. In all cases, a student beginning above CMPSCI 121 should consult with both a CMPSCI academic advisor and with their prospective instructor. Placement tests will be given at the beginning of each course to help students judge their level of preparation.

Some students will be able to demonstrate competence in the material of other courses, such as CmpSci 201, Architecture and Assembly Language. Exemption for requirements such as these may be granted by the Undergraduate Program Director in consultation with the faculty. Similarly, transfer students should have their records evaluated by the Undergraduate Program Director to determine which of the computer science requirements they may have filled.

Exemption from courses in other departments required by computer science is generally granted at the discretion of the other department involved. Math students who start with a more advanced calculus course (Math 132 or Math 233) and receive a C or better are given graduation credit for the calculus courses skipped (Math 131, Math 132), unless they have already received credit for the same courses through other means. The Computer Science Department will accept these credits as the equivalent of the required math courses. Similarly, students given credit for Science courses which are deemed by the relevant department to be equivalent to the required courses lists above will be viewed as having met the science requirement.

Finally, the ability to type is one skill which carries no college credit but, which is indispensable for computer science majors. So: if you can't type, take a course and learn how.