Difference between revisions of "Undergraduate Advising"

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(Constraints on Completing the CS BS)
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You can also see how each of the concentrations can be completed in 6 semesters (assuming starting CS courses in the fall) in the program plans xlsx linked above.  You can see how the last two years of the major in each concentration can be completed in two years by checking the TSAP program plans in the program plans spreadsheet.  Your exact situation may differ slightly than any of these scenarios depending on what you already have completed in terms of CS courses and math courses.
 
You can also see how each of the concentrations can be completed in 6 semesters (assuming starting CS courses in the fall) in the program plans xlsx linked above.  You can see how the last two years of the major in each concentration can be completed in two years by checking the TSAP program plans in the program plans spreadsheet.  Your exact situation may differ slightly than any of these scenarios depending on what you already have completed in terms of CS courses and math courses.
  
== 4 Year Plan of Study ==
+
Note that if a single course or prerequisite would result in delaying the completion of your degree please check with your advisor and the associate chairperson.  It may be appropriate to waive a prerequisite or petition for a substitution so that you can graduate when desiredThis is more likely to be possible the better you do in your CS courses, and of course there are no guarantees that we can accommodate the graduation timeline you would like.
{| class="wikitable"
 
|-
 
! SEMESTER !! BOTH CONCENTRATIONS !! CS CONCENTRATION !! INFO SCI CONCENTRATION
 
|-
 
| Fall year 1 || CS 151 || Math 131 ||
 
|-
 
| Spring year 1 || CS 201  || Math 132  || CS 170
 
|-
 
| Fall year 2 || CS 202, CS elective ||  ||
 
|-
 
| Spring year 2 || CS 451, CS 456, CS 303 ||  ||
 
|-
 
| Fall year 3 || CS 470 || CS 458 || CS 479
 
|-
 
| Spring year 3 || CS elective || CS 420 || CS 469, 473
 
|-
 
| Fall year 4 || CS 471 ||  || CS 457
 
|-
 
| Spring year 4 || CS 452, CS 499 || CS 421 ||
 
|}
 
 
 
== 3.5 Year Plan of Study, Beginning in Spring ==
 
 
 
SEMESTER BOTH CONCENTRATIONS CS CONCENTRATION INFO SCI CONCENTRATION
 
Spring year 1 CS 151                 Math 131
 
Fall year 2 CS 201                 Math 132        CS 170
 
Spring year 2 CS 303                                 CS 469
 
Fall year 3 CS 202                                 CS 479
 
Spring year 3 CS 456, CS 451         CS 420                 CS 473
 
Fall year 4 CS 470, CS 471, CS elective  CS 458         CS 457
 
Spring year 4 CS 452, CS 499, CS elective CS 421
 
 
 
''Starting in Spring, finishing in 6 Semesters''  It is theoretically possible to finish one semester earlier than this: move the last CS elective to Spring year 4 or Fall year 3, take remaining courses from Spring year 4 and add those to Spring year 3 (resulting in taking 13 or 15 credits of CS in Spring year 3, depending on the concentration). This is not particularly recommended.
 
 
 
== 3 Year Plan of Study ==
 
If a student does not start the CS major courses until their second year at ISU, the following is the recommended sequence to take the courses so the student can finish in 4 years. For a plan of study that included foundational studies courses (with all CS courses in the last 3 years), see the plans for the computing science and information science concentrations; these are excel files.
 
 
 
  SEMESTER      BOTH CONCENTRATIONS     CS CONCENTRATION INFO SCI CONCENTRATION
 
Fall year 1 CS 151                     Math 131
 
Spring year 1 CS 201, CS elective     Math 132         CS 170
 
Fall year 2 CS 202
 
Spring year 2 CS 303, CS 451, CS 456                 CS 469
 
Fall year 3 CS 470, CS 471, CS electives  CS 458         CS 479, 457
 
Spring year 3 CS 452, CS 499               CS 420, CS 421 CS 473
 
 
 
== 2 Year Plan of Study ==
 
For students completing an accepted "Transfer Single Articulation Pathways (TSAP)" two year program (for example, the associates degree in CS at Ivy Tech), the student will be given transfer credit CS 151, 201, 202, 303 and Math 131, 132. For these students, the CS degree can be completed within 2 years; plans are given below depending on whether the ISU portion is begun in a fall semester or spring semester.
 
 
 
Note that according to our normal transfer agreements, Ivy Tech students completing the associates in CS degree will likely also have credit for CS 457 and two CS 001 electives - meaning that the CS 457 and two CS electives in the table will already be taken care of.
 
 
 
=== Beginning in the Fall ===
 
 
 
SEMESTER      BOTH CONCENTRATIONS CS CONCENTRATION INFO SCI CONCENTRATION
 
Fall year 1 CS 470, CS elective                 CS 170
 
Spring year 1 CS 451, 456         CS 420                 CS 469
 
Fall year 2 CS 471, CS elective CS 458                 CS 479, 457
 
Spring year 2 CS 452, CS 499         CS 421                 CS 473
 
 
 
=== Beginning in the Spring ===
 
 
 
SEMESTER      BOTH CONCENTRATIONS     CS CONCENTRATION INFO SCI CONCENTRATION
 
Spring year 1 CS 451, 456                         CS 469
 
Fall year 2 CS 470, CS elective                 CS 170
 
Spring year 2 CS 452                     CS 420, 421 CS 473
 
Fall year 3 CS 471, CS elective, CS 499  CS 458         CS 479, 457
 
 
 
==Resources==
 
* Undergraduate catalog - rules and such - [https://catalog.indstate.edu/index.php?catoid=39]
 
* MySAM - the tool used to track requirements for students
 
* Registrar - keeper of the rules and records - [https://www.indstate.edu/registrar]
 
* Academic Affairs - other keeper of the rules - [https://www.indstate.edu/academic-affairs]
 
* More policies - [https://www.indstate.edu/policy-library/academic-policies]
 

Revision as of 02:43, 30 July 2020

The undergraduate programs are listed in the catalog and linked from the programs page. The present page contains advice not contained there. Check the programs page and catalog information first, and then come back here.

Who to Get Advice From

Each student has an official advisor who should approve your selection of courses. First year students normally have an advisor from the University College to make sure you are on track to complete the Foundational Studies requirements. After the first year, students are assigned an advisor in their major. Students who do not yet have a CS faculty member as an advisor should feel free to contact the CS advisors or associate chairperson to get advice and make sure you are taking the right courses.

The CS faculty who currently serve as advisors for undergraduate students are Jeff Kinne and Luke May. Students can also get unofficial advice from other CS faculty and other students. Students should feel free to ask the associate chairperson of CS for advice as well.

Other Courses and General Advice

When Offered Most classes are only offered once per year. So, for example, you cannot plan to take CS 470 in the spring. Only the beginning CS courses are offered every semester, and certain courses are only offered once every two years or as needed. See Courses for information on when courses are normally offered.

Breadth Exposure You must take all the courses from one of the concentrations. For the broadest exposure to computer science, we recommend taking a few courses from other concentrations as well.

Non-CS Courses Courses that are not required but which are useful and recommended: Math 231 Calculus III, Physics (Phys 105 and 106, or Phys 115 and 116), Electronics (ECT 160 Electronic Fundamentals, ECT 231 Digital Computer Logic, ECT 232 Digital Computer Circuits), an economics course. See the undergraduate catalog of courses for information on particular courses.

Internships/Cooperative Experiences Students are encouraged to seek internships and part-time jobs related to computer science as early as possible in your education. These experiences can greatly increase your chances of finding a good job right after graduating. Note that students who are in the US on a student visa can only be employed off campus as part of a requirement for a course (depending on your particular visa situation). Undergraduate students can enroll in CS 399; graduate students can enroll in CS 699. Contact the associate chairperson of CS for more information.

Plans of Study

The course catalog contains plans of study for each major as does MySAM after you have declared a major. To see sample plans of study for all of the different concentrations in one place, see Program_plans_CS_2020.xlsx. Note that this file contains the following plans of study, which are all separate sheets.

  • CS BS computing science concentration, 8 semester plan
  • CS BS computing science concentration, 6 semester plan (assuming foundational studies courses taken during first year but no CS).
  • CS BS computing concentration, 4 semester TSAP plan (assumes you have completed a two year computer science TSAP at Ivy Tech or other Indiana college/university, then complete the CS degree at ISU in 4 semesters)
  • CS BS data science concentration, 8 semester plan
  • CS BS data science concentration, 6 semester plan
  • CS BS data science concentration, 4 semester TSAP plan
  • CS BS information science concentration, 8 semester plan
  • CS BS information science concentration, 6 semester plan
  • CS BS information science concentration, 4 semester TSAP plan
  • Computer science master's degree plans for each of the CS MS concentrations (academic, bioinformatics, data science, professional). This is "FYI" in case you become interested in staying at ISU for an MS.
  • Computer science 4+1 plans for each of the CS MS concentrations (possible way to earn a BS in 4 years and an MS in one additional year - this is not yet approved)

Constraints on Completing the CS BS

There are two main constraints on how quickly you can finish a major - prerequisites (must case course X before Y, and Y before Z, etc.) and when courses are offered. You can see the prerequisite structure for the CS courses in ISU CS BS program and prereqs - 2020. You can see when courses are normally offered at Courses

You can also see how each of the concentrations can be completed in 6 semesters (assuming starting CS courses in the fall) in the program plans xlsx linked above. You can see how the last two years of the major in each concentration can be completed in two years by checking the TSAP program plans in the program plans spreadsheet. Your exact situation may differ slightly than any of these scenarios depending on what you already have completed in terms of CS courses and math courses.

Note that if a single course or prerequisite would result in delaying the completion of your degree please check with your advisor and the associate chairperson. It may be appropriate to waive a prerequisite or petition for a substitution so that you can graduate when desired. This is more likely to be possible the better you do in your CS courses, and of course there are no guarantees that we can accommodate the graduation timeline you would like.