Computer Science Advising

Every declared CS major and minor is assigned a CS faculty member as an academic advisor. (Undeclared students are assigned an advisor in their indicated area of interest.) Prior to class registration each semester, students meet with their advisor to discuss which courses the student should take.

SUMMER 2026 CS Advising Notes

  • For the first time in a while, we are planning to offer two CSCI courses in the summer:
    • CSCI 373 Introduction to ROS2 for Robot Developers, with Prof. Ken Bogert
    • CSCI 374 (cross-listed as NM 374) 3D User Interface Design, with Prof. Ken Bogert

FALL 2026 CS Advising Notes

  • We will offer two sections of CSCI 339 Topics in AI/ML:
    • CSCI 339.001 is Computer Vision. This is currently planned to be offered as a synchronous online class.
    • CSCI 339.002 is Data Science. It will be cross-listed as STAT 427 Data Science 1. This course will be similar to the version of CSCI/STAT 329 Big Data Analytics that was offered in Spring 2026, so it is not recommended for students who took 329.
  • Note that MATH 251 is offered this fall. We will continue to accept MATH 280 as a substitute for MATH 251 for the CS major (both concentrations).
  • Computer Systems concentrators:
    • it is recommended that you take CSCI 302 as soon as possible (and, therefore, its prerequisites as soon as possible, because CSCI 302 is a prerequisite for CSCI 431)
    • PHYS 231 will be offered in Summer 2026 and Spring 2027 but NOT in Fall 2026.
  • Undergraduate Research (CSCI 499): Many of the CS faculty members are actively seeking students to contribute to their research projects. Contact the individual faculty to learn more about their projects.
  • Senior Year Seminar (SYS 478): For those wanting to take Senior Year Seminar, note that CS faculty are offering two options:
    • SYS 478.001 Of Humans and Machines, with Prof. Marietta Cameron
    • SYS 478.004 Thinking Machines, Human Choices: Power and Responsibility in AI Design and Deployment, with Prof. Sarah Van Wart

General FALL CS Advising Notes

  • Planning to graduate this Fall?
    • Register early! Ensure you get in to the courses you need to graduate.
    • Verify that your plan checks all the boxes in GradPlan and verify  that your plan does not contain schedule conflicts (two courses at the same time).
  • Planning to graduate next Spring?
    • Register early to ensure you get into the courses you need.
    • Remember that some required courses are only guaranteed to be offered in the Fall–see the course description in the catalog. (CSCI 302, 333, 335, 339, 343)
      • However, we also regularly offer certain courses more often than listed (such as typically offering CSCI 333 every semester). Ask the department chair or your advisor about expected deviations from the catalog schedule.

General CS Advising Notes and FAQs

  • Data Structures (CSCI 202) (with a grade of C or better) is a prerequisite for most upper level (300+) CS courses. Most CS majors should prioritize completing and doing well in that course.
  • It is usually desirable to complete the MATH/STAT and PHYS (Computer Systems concentration) requirements as early as possible (to avoid conflicts with upper level CS courses that you want to take later). But it can be nice to save some Core Curriculum (general education) requirements for later semesters to avoid a heavy schedule with too many upper level CS courses
    • Computer Systems concentrators should take CSCI 302 as soon as possible (and, therefore, its prerequisites MATH 167, MATH 191, and MATH 251/280, as soon as possible, because CSCI 302 is a prerequisite for CSCI 431)
  • You should sketch out a rough schedule plan for each semester from now until graduation and discuss it with your advisor. Remember that some courses are offered only in the fall or only in the spring, so plan accordingly.
  • If a class you want to take is full, you should add yourself to the waitlist. Seats often open up and the department uses the sizes of waitlists to determine demand for courses.
  • For financial aid purposes, you must be enrolled in at least 12 credits for full time status. Also, federal financial aid (“CPOS”) requires you to take 12 credits of required courses (courses required for your major(s) (not minors!) or toward the 120 hour graduation requirement). Therefore, students receiving federal financial aid should plan their program of study carefully to avoid losing available aid.
  • Verify that you have the prerequisites for the courses you intend to take. Keep in mind any substitutions (such as MATH 280 instead of MATH 251) that might not have been applied–you won’t be able to register until a prerequisite override is given or the substitution appears in GradPlan.
  • Q: How many credits should I take?
    • A: This depends on the student. Most students take at least 12 credits to maintain full-time status (which is required for things such as certain financial aid and on-campus housing agreements). Most full-time students take about 15 credits (some financial aid programs, such as Access Asheville, require students to pursue 15 credit hours per semester). Taking much more than 15 credits is usually not recommended, especially if your schedule includes multiple upper-level CS courses.
  • Q: Should I take CSCI 18X and CSCI 201 simultaneously?
    • A: This depends on the student. Many students take both and do well in both. However, some students struggle in both (and sometimes decide they don’t want to study CS!), which means they don’t learn the material as well, it hurts their GPA, and it can slow their progress toward graduation if they end up withdrawing from (or failing) a course. Students who are uncertain should consider taking CSCI 18X first, before enrolling in CSCI 201.
  • Q: I have previous programming experience but I don’t have official transfer credit for intro programming–do I have to take CSCI 18X?
    • A: Not necessarily. Talk to the department chair, Prof. Kevin Sanft. Depending on your experience, we may be able to substitute an upper-level elective that is more relevant for you.