Undergrad FAQ
Questions about the CS major/minor
- Are there minimum requirements to stay in the major/college?
- How do I declare a minor and/or a double major?
- How do I minor in Computer Science?
- How do I become "Honors in Major"
Questions about registration
- Which courses should I take now?
- Is there a minimum or maximum number of courses I can take in a semester?
- Can one course fulfill several requirements?
- How do I find out if the course and section I want are still open?
- What if one of my major's courses is already full and I can't get in?
- What do I do to sign up for Independent Study (CS 696)?
Questions about Summer courses
Questions about Graduation
- I have to retake a CS course. Can I still graduate on time?
- I'm hoping to graduate this semester. What do I need to do?
Miscellaneous Questions
- I'm a foreign student. Is the foreign culture requirement waived for me?
- Where can I find additional information?
- Where can I find research opportunities?
Are there minimum
requirements to stay in the major/college?
You must have a GPA of
2.0 overall and a 2.0 GPA in the major. For further information go to the requirements page. The university does have a 2.0 GPA
average minimum as well. If you're worried about your GPA, you should check with
your advisor or the Dean's Office.
How do I declare a minor and/or
a double major?
Minor requirements vary. Some have very specific
rules while others don't. Talk to an advisor in the minor department to make
sure you understand the guidelines.
There are two options for declaring two majors:
Second Major:
simply an annotation on your 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 requires a number of
extra credits.
A second major/dual degree in Math/CS is possible. Check with
the Math Department to
learn about their specific requirements.
How do I minor in Computer
Science?
The department recently added a minor option in computer
science. Click here for more information. The
department also offers a Minor in Information Technology.
How do I become "Honors in
Major"?
For more information on declaring honors in major, click here.
Which courses should I take
now?
The department has created some sample Computer Science major schedules and Information Technology major schedules for general guidance. These schedules
are not set in stone, but if you wish to deviate from these schedules greatly,
we strongly encourage you to talk to an advisor to make sure you're on the right
track. In any case, you need to pick a track that will ultimately fulfill the degree requirements.
Is there a minimum/maximum number
of courses I can take in a semester?
You need to take 12 credits per
semester to be considered full time. If you take between one and 11 credits,
you're considered part time. Note that becoming part time may result in issues
with loans, scholarships, health insurance, etc. If you decide to cut back to
part-time, be sure to discuss this with your advisor. He or she will have to
work with you to create the proper course sequence.
If you take no courses during a semester, your status will be changed to inactive. In that case, you may have to reapply to the program to get readmitted. The maximum number of credits you can preregister for is 18. The maximum that you can actually take (by adding a course at the beginning of the semester) is 20, unless you have the Dean's permission. Whether you take 12 or 20 credits, your tuition will remain the same price. There is a per credit add on fee for those who take more than 20 credits.
Can one course fulfill several
requirements?
In some cases, yes. For instance, writing intensive
courses can fulfill two slots (i.e. our requirements and a WI or a GenEd and a
WI). On the other hand, a course filling a GenEd requirement can not be used to
fulfill our Liberal Arts elective. Whatever you do, keep in mind that you need
to obtain 128 credits before you can graduate.
How do I find out if the course
and section I want are 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 the summer
when Webcat reopens, as a lot of seats free up.
What if one of my major's
courses is already full and I can't get in?
You should always be
able to get into any one of the CS core courses (especially 415, 416, and 515),
however, you might not have the choice of a particular section. If you find that
one of the core CS courses is full, report this to your advisor. In terms of CS
electives, the CS Department makes no guarantees as to which courses will be
offered when; nor can we guarantee space in any particular course.
What do I do to sign up for an
Independent Study (CS 696)?
You must find a faculty member who is
willing to give you an Independent Study. There are two basic approaches:
1.
Have a project in mind; talk to faculty whose research interests are
similar.
2. 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
agree to 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.
If I take two CS theory
electives, will one of them count as a CS elective?
Yes.
Can I use any UNH statistics
course (i.e. PSYC 402) to fulfill the statistics elective?
No. The
ones from other departments are lower level courses. You have to take either
MATH 644 or MATH 539 even if you have already taken a statistics course from
another department.
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).
Can any course be a free
elective?
The purpose of the two free elective credits is to bring
you up to 128 credits. Any combination of courses which bring you up to 128 will
do.
Can any course be a liberal arts
elective?
Liberal Arts electives must be at least 3 credits, be
offered by the College of Liberal Arts, and not be a math or science course. The
only non-liberal arts courses that can be used to fill this elective are ECON
401 and 402.
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 go onto Webcat and switch your registration. You will have to do this when Webcat registration officially reopens during summer/semester break.
Can I/should I take summer
courses?
Summer courses are available at UNH Durham and UNH
Manchester. If you are falling behind in your courses, talk with your advisor to
see if taking summer courses is a viable option. Although advisor approval is
not necessary to register for summer courses, it's always a good idea to talk
with your advisor before you sign up for summer courses.
Can I take summer classes at
other schools?
You need to get a preapproval form from the Dean's
office or the Registrar's office and fill it out for the course(s) you want to
take. You should get all the info you can about the course: description,
syllabus, book titles (chapters covered), number of assignments, etc. All of
that information is needed to determine how the course can be counted.
The
procedure is then the following:
1. The Registrar's office determines if the
course credits are transferable and usually whether the course can be used as a
GenEd or not. They may send it to the equivalent UNH department for
determination.
2. The major department determines if the course can be used
for major requirements (see Undergraduate Studies Coordinator).
3. The Dean's
office signs off on the form and it goes back to the Registrar's office and to
you.
This means you have to decide that you want to take a summer course
early (if not at UNH), but you the benefit of doing is that you'll 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's
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: UNH
Manchester is part of UNH and courses taken there are automatically transferred.
You don't need a preapproval form in that case.
I have to retake a CS course. Can I
still graduate on time?
Probably, yes. Although the closer you are
to graduating, the harder it may be. You can take one extra course during any
semester, as well as courses over the summer.
I'm hoping to graduate this
semester. What do I need to do?
You must file an intent-to-graduate
form prior to the required deadline, which is usually the end of the 4th week of
the semester.
I'm a foreign student. Is the foreign
culture requirement waived for me?
You should check with the
Registrar's office. If they do not waive it for you, then you can fill out a
petition to have it waived. If the requirement is waived you will notreceive
credit for it, so you will have to pick up extra credits.
Where can I find additional
information?
For CEPS-specific information: The CEPS
Advising Handbook
For general advising information: The UNH Advising
Handbook
Other important student information: The Student
Rights, Rules and Responsibilities Handbook
Where can I find research opportunities?
The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) has developed a website to help undergraduates who are interested in summer research. For more information visit their website at http://www.cra.org/ccc/csgs.php