Computer Science Department
Prerequisite and Grade
Policies
The Computer Science Department hopes all students
are able to succeed in their computer science courses. The Department also wants to ensure that its
graduates are capable of meeting any challenges that come their way.
The Faculty of the Computer Science Department meet
frequently to discuss the relationships among curriculum topics, and the
mastery of subject matter.
Collectively, the Computer Science Faculty have developed the following
policies and procedures to ensure an optimal education for each of the
Department's students.
Computer Science majors (and minors) must pass certain important
courses with a C or better (2.0 GPA), or be required to retake the
course. Adequate performance in these
courses is essential to success as a computer scientist. The following courses must be passed with a
C or better (note that C- grades do not meet this criteria):
Receiving
any grade less than a C in any of these courses means a student must repeat the
course. For the purposes of using
a course as a prerequisite, obtaining less than a C in one of these courses is
the same as not having taken it at all.
It is the policy of the Computer Science Department to adhere strictly to the prerequisite structure established by the Faculty. Students must possess the background necessary to succeed in subsequent CS courses. Students will therefore be required to follow the prerequisites approved and published by the University.
Exceptions:
Students may request a prerequisite waiver only
under specific conditions.
All students requesting a prerequisite waiver must:
·
Obtain the explicit permission of the instructor of
the course for which they lack the prerequisite.
AND, have one of the following:
·
A 4 year Bachelors Degree from an accredited College or University
or
·
A 3.2 GPA or better in all required computer science courses taken.
Once a waiver is approved,
the student must sign a prerequisite waiver form with the Key Advisor before
the prerequisite override may be granted.
Appeals:
Students
believing they should be granted a prerequisite waiver even though they do not
meet the conditions set out above can appeal by petitioning the CS Department
Chair, in writing, giving the reason why their request should be
granted. Exceptions will be made only
in very rare cases.
Note: The Key Advisor has only limited discretion and
is not empowered to grant exceptions to rules set out by collective faculty
action.