Students often ask for advice about planning their schedules. What
courses are appropriate depends on many factors: the student's
background and interests, scheduling conflicts, etc. The best
approach is to work closely with the Computer Science faculty, choosing
courses with the advice of an advisor. But, for sample purposes,
some typical programs are shown below. These samples satisfy the basic 80-unit major. Two additional courses are required for the two Options, "Network and Data Communications", and "Software Engineering".
Table 1 shows a typical program for an average student, beginning freshman year with calculus. Students who think they should begin with a mathematics course at a higher or lower level should consult with the Mathematics and Computer Science Student Center and/or with a Computer Science advisor.
The introductory programming class CS 1160 has no formal prerequisites; you may take it as your first CS class. However, if you have little or no computer experience, you are advised to begin with CS 1020. It will teach you how to use the computer, how to enter your homework onto the computer, how to save your files, etc. CS 1020 is not required for the C.S. major, but it contains useful material and will count toward graduation.
A student who has had one class in BASIC at a community college (or elsewhere) would probably begin with CS 1160 since it is taught in C++, which is considerably different. A student with one class in C may take CS 2360 immediately, although he/she is advised to read the first sections of a text on C++ to learn how it differs from the C language.
Many students are transfer students who have completed all lower division requirements for their major at a community college. Transfer students should check their courses for equivalency with the Math/C.S. Student Center. The Center keeps lists of course equivalencies for nearby colleges; some students may need to see an advisor.
If the student has had equivalent courses for the CSUEB lower division required mathematics and computer science courses, then he may take a schedule such as the one shown in Table 2, filling in the remaining units with General Education courses and electives.
A transfer student should note several issues. First, he/she may not transfer multiple courses in various computer languages to use toward the major. It is helpful to be proficient in more than one programming language, but one should not take additional languages for their own sake. Second, no courses in applications (WordPerfect, Lotus, etc.) are transferable. Also, note that Discrete Structures and much of the Calculus sequence are prerequisites to almost all upper division C.S. courses; if you want to complete a C.S. major without delay, you should be sure to complete these before you transfer. And finally, no community college courses are exactly equivalent to CSUEB courses, and it may be necessary to see an advisor to plan a smooth transition to CSUEB.
The sample schedule shows most quarters with two upper division computer science courses. This is only practicable if the student has the time and energy to devote to such courses, and chooses carefully so that he/she does not have two very demanding courses at the same time. Be sure to inquire which courses entail heavy workloads when choosing particular electives.
A good student who wants a stronger program -- for instance, who may be considering graduate work -- might take a program as shown in Table 3. This program includes many of the theory courses. Such students should also consider taking probability, statistics, and a strong program of mathematics courses.
Students who wish to have a strong background or who are considering graduate study are encouraged to earn a double major in Computer Science and Mathematics. Many courses are common to both majors (such as the three calculus courses, linear algebra, and introductory computer science), so that the double major is possible with hours free for General Education courses and electives. Another possibility is to obtain a major in Computer Science and a minor in Mathematics.
The schedule in Table 4 is written for Option B (Applied Mathematics), but it can certainly be altered to accommodate other options. The sample schedule uses 3750/4750 and 3361/4361 for the two sequences required for the math major. This is open to variation, but both Numerical Analysis and Differential Equations are particularly useful to Computer Scientists. It uses two of CS 4245, 4170, and Stat 3401 as mathematics electives. Two mathematics courses are used for two of the three Computer Science electives (one elective must have a CS prefix).
Note that Math/CS 3750 may be "double-counted" -- i.e., counted toward both the Mathematics and Computer Science majors. Other courses that may be used as electives toward both majors are Math/CS 4750, Math/CS 4245, Math/CS 4170, Stat 3401 and Stat 3502.
Many students at CSUEB are completing their educations while managing other responsibilities. The Department and University try to pay attention to the needs of part-time and evening students.
A part-time student will generally only take one to three courses each quarter. Computer science courses are often challenging, and should probably be combined with electives for a manageable schedule.
Many part-time students are transferring from community colleges, and have completed all their lower division computer science requirements (32 units) and sixty quarter-units of general education courses. The next sample schedule (Table 5) would apply to such a student who can take two courses per quarter, who wants to finish in three years, and is willing to attend four quarters per year. Students with more than 92 transfer units can reduce the number of general electives.
A sample schedule for night students is given in Table 6. Note that
only the C.S. courses are shown; general education and elective
courses should be chosen to complete the schedule. The department will
try to maintain a rotation of evening classes that matches that shown,
but check with the department office. Also, note that classes that meet
at 4 PM (or later) may be counted as evening offerings.
Students planning their own schedules should take careful note of course prerequisites. A graphical display of necessary prerequisites is available from the Math/C.S. Student Center and is helpful in choosing courses. Also, be sure to consult the catalog.
Students should also
take note of some restrictions
on when courses are offered. Lower division required courses
and upper division core courses are generally offered every
quarter, including summer, but certain other courses are only
offered once or twice a year.