This page is currently under construction...
Frequently Asked QuestionS
- How do I leave the Major / College?
-
Go and talk to an advisor from the department you want to go to (if you have an idea of where you want to go). If you think you want to stay in CEPS, you can transfer to CEPS Undeclared. If you're sure you want to leave CEPS but don't know yet what department you're going to join, you can become Liberal Arts Undeclared (provided you have had at least two years of a foreign language in high school). In any case, you need to meet with our Undergraduate Studies Coordinator to make your change official. You will also have to fill out a change of program form for the University and an exit survey for the CS department, both of which may be obtained in the CS main office.
-
-
- Back to top.
-
-
-
-
- How do I declare a minor and/or double major?
-
- Minors are up to the granting department. Some have very specific rules (e.g. Electrical Engineering) and some very loose ones. You should talk to an advisor in the minor department.
There are two different situations regarding Majors:
- Second Major: simply an annotation on diploma;
- Dual Degree: two separate diplomas/degrees.
In both cases, you have to satisfy the requirements of both majors, and there is an overlap restriction. The dual degree caries a number of extra credits requirement as well.
A Second Major/Dual Degree in Math/CS is possible. Check with the Math department to learn about their specific requirements.
-
Back to top.
-
- How do I minor in CS?
- The department recently added a minor option in computer science. Click here for more informatin. The department also offers a Minor in Computer and Information Technology.
-
-
-
- Back to top.
- Are there minimum requirements to stay in the Major / College?
- You must have a 2.0 overall, and a 2.0 in the major. For further information, go to general requirements. The university does have a 2.0 average minimum as well. If you are worried about an overall GPA below 2.0, you should check with the Dean's office.
-
- Back to top.
- How do I become "Honors in Major"?
A. Students must have a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the major.
B. Students must successfully earn 12 credits in the following three courses: 1) CS 712H Compiler Construction (4 cr.); 2) A second CS Theory course (in addition to the one required by the BS program) (4 cr.); 3) One course chosen from: CS 720H Operating System Concepts (4 cr.), CS 730H Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (4 cr.), CS 770H Computer Graphics (4 cr.), CS 775H Database Techniques (4 cr.), or another course subject to prior approval of the departmental honors committee.
C. Depending on the course, honors students will be required to perform extra assignments, projects, and/or reports, over and above those required of the other students in these courses.
D. Students must successfully complete a thesis project, CS 696H Independent Study (4 cr. or 8 cr.) The project or thesis topic must be approved by the departmental honors committee and supervised by a faculty member in the department. The student must submit a written report and give a public demonstration or presentation of the results upon completion of this course. Students are required to submit their project or thesis plan for approval by the departmental honors comitteee no later than the end of the semester prior to their commencement of CS 696H. Projects are normally expected to last for one semester (4 cr.), but upon aproval the departmental honors commitee, can be designated to last two semesters (8 cr.), in which case the third course requirement in B would be waived.
-
-
-
-
- Back to top.
-
-
Which courses should I take now?
- You should try to follow one of the department's sample schedules if possible. If there are reasons for you not to follow this schedule, you should discuss your choices with your advisor. In any case, you need to pick courses that help you fulfill the BS in Computer Science degree requirements.
-
- Back to top.
-
Is there a minimum/maximum number of courses I can take in a semester?
You need to take 12 credits a semester to be considered full time. Between 1 and 11 credits, you are considered part time. If you don't take any course, you become inactive. In that case, you may have to reapply to get back in. Note that becoming part time may involve problems relative to loans, scholarships, insurance, etc.
In terms of staying in the CS Major, you should do something each semester which advances you towards your CS degree. Generally, at a minimum, you should either take one of the Math classes or a CS class.
The maximum number of credits you can preregister for is 18. The maximum that you can actually take (by adding at beginning of semester) is 20, unless you have the Dean's permission. From 12 to 20 credits, the tuition is the same. There is a per credit add on fee above 20 credits.
-
- Back to top.
Can / should I take summer courses? Should I take science courses or Gen Eds? Do I need advisor approval?
- You can take summer courses at UNH, (see question Can I take summer classes at other schools?). You are advised to discuss taking Summer courses with your advisor even if, technically, you don't need his/her approval. You should be aware that courses tend to be more intense during the summer, since the duration is shorter. Instead of retaking a course you have failed, a possibility is to take something else over the Summer (such as a Gen Ed) in order to make the next semester lighter and to have more time to focus on courses in which you have difficulties.
-
- Back to top.
-
Can I take summer classes at other schools?
- You need to get a preapproval form from the Dean's office (or Registrar's office), and fill it out for the courses(s) you want to take. You should get all the info you can about the course (description, syllabus, book titles (chapters covered), number assignments, etc), as that is often needed to determine how the course can be counted. The procedure is then the following:
- The registrar's office determines if the course credits are transferable and usually whether the course can be used as a Gen Ed or not (they may send it to the equivalent department here for determination).
- The major department determines if the course can be used for major requirements (see Undergraduate Studies Coordinator).
- The Dean's office signs off on it, and it goes back to registrar and to you.
This means you have to decide that you want to take a summer course early (if not at UNH), but you will know if you can use the course prior to actually taking it. It is not safe to assume that a course taken somewhere else can be counted even just for credits, and it is possible that a course cannot be transferred at all. To avoid ending up taking courses that won't fill any slot, be sure to obtain preapproval first. Note that UNH-Manchester is part of UNH and courses taken there are automatically transferred. You don't need to fill a preapproval form in that case (see question Can / should I take summer courses?).
-
Back to top.
Can a course fulfill several requirements?
- A useful guideline to keep in mind is that, whatever you do, you need to obtain 128 credits at the end. For instance, writing intensive courses can fulfill two slots (e.g., our requirements and WI or Gen Ed and WI). On the other hand, a course filling a Gen Ed can NOT be used to fill our Liberal Arts elective.
-
- Back to top.
-
Is course X, section Y still open?
- You should check the open/closed list available online from the registrar's office. You are also advised to check during the semester break or during Summer when phones reopen, as a lot of seats free up.
-
- Back to top.
-
-
I'm a foreign student. Is the foreign culture requirement waived for me?
- This is not the department's responsibility. You should check with the Registrar's office. If the registrar's office didn't waive it for you, then you should fill out a petition to have it waived.
- Back to top.
-
Can any course be a free / Liberal Arts elective?
- Liberal Arts electives must be at least 3 credits, be offered by the College of Liberal Arts, and NOT be usable for group 2 or group 3 (math or science) Gen Eds. The purpose of the two free elective courses is to bring you up to 128 credits. Any combination of courses which brings you up to 128 will do.
-
-
-
-
-
- Back to top.
-
Is MATH-531 writing intensive? Is it a writing intensive course "in the Major"?
- MATH-531 counts as a writing intensive course. The writing intensive course "in the Major", however, has to be a CS course (one of the CS writing intensive electives).
-
-
-
- Back to top.
-
I got a X grade. Should I retake CS-415 / CS-415 / MATH-425 or should I try CS-416 / CS-515 / MATH-426 anyway?
- If the grade is below the CS required grade (e.g., less than a C in one of the core courses), then you MUST retake that course before you can go on to any for which it is a prerequisite. If the grade is below a B- in CS-415 or CS-416, then you might want to consider retaking it, as it will be difficult to pass the next course.
-
- Back to top.
-
Can I take CLAS-401 to fulfill Gen Ed category 8?
- No, the ONLY course that can fulfill Gen Ed 8 for a CS Major is PHIL-424. CLAS-401, as well as most anything that fits category 8, can be used as a Liberal Arts elective.
-
- Back to top.
-
Can I take ZOOL-402 to fulfill Gen Ed category 3?
- No, Gen Ed category 3 MUST be one of the given list.
-
- Back to top.
-
What if one of my Major's courses is already full and I cannot get in?
- You should always be able to get in any one of the CS core courses (especially, 415, 416 and 515). However, you might not have the choice of a particular section. In terms of CS electives, the CS department makes no guarantees as to what courses are offered when, nor does it guarantee space in any particular course.
-
- Back to top.
-
I preregistered for MATH-426, but I'm not 100% sure I'm going to pass MATH-425. What happens if I don't?
- When you get your grades, you can switch registrations at the time the registration officially opens during semester break / Summer.
-
- Back to top.
-
I have to retake CS-XXX. Can I still graduate on time?
-
- Probably yes, although the closer to your graduation semester, the harder it may be. You can take one extra course during any semester, as well as courses over the Summer.
-
- Back to top.
-
Can I use any UNH statistics course (e.g., PSYC-402) to fulfill the statistics elective?
- No, the ones from the other departments are lower level courses. You have to take MATH-644 even if you have already taken one of the other statistics courses.
-
- Back to top.
-
The university says I fulfill my group 3 requirements with 3 courses, why do I have to take 4?
- The CS department requires an additional group 3 course. This requirement was added under the guidance of the Computing Sciences Accreditation Board, the national accreditation body for Computer Science. The accreditation process also is why CS majors must choose group 3 courses from a restricted list. The accreditation body feels that CS majors should have more extensive laboratory experiences.
-
-
-
-
-
- Back to top.
-
What do I do to sign up for CS-696 (independent study)?
-
- You must find a faculty member who is willing to give you an independent study. There are two basic approaches:
- have a project in mind, talk to the faculty whose research interests are similar;
- go to a faculty member and see if he/she has a project which could be used for an independent study.
Generally, a faculty member won't give a student an independent study unless that student has taken at least one course with him/her and has proven to be a hard worker, etc. Independent studies are not guaranteed; they are always at the discretion of the faculty member.
-
- Back to top.
-
If I take two CS theory electives, will one of them count as a CS elective?
-
-
- Yes.
-
- Back to top.
-
I lost my preregistration paper / sample schedule / catalog / time and room schedule, etc. Where do I get another one?
- Preregistration papers are available from CS office (and there's one in the time and room schedule). A catalog, however, is hard to get. Most of the info in it is available on the online catalog. The time and room schedule and the CS sample schedule are also available on the web.
-
- Back to top.
-
I am hoping to graduate this semester. What do I need to do?
- You must file an intent-to-graduate form prior to the required deadline, usually the end of the 4th week of the semester.
-
- Back to top.
-
I disagree with rule X. What can I do about it?
- You can always petition the CS department / College / University, depending on what X is.
-
- Back to top.
-
Where can I find additional information?
- Check the UNH Advising Handbook for other (non college specific) information.
-
- Back to top.
|
