In this page:

1. What workload should I expect in CS classes?
2. What is the department policy on giving permission to take CS courses?
3. Where do I go for advising?
4. When do I come in for advising?
5. What do I do before advising?
6. How do I get permission to take a CMSC course as a CMSC major/minor?
7. Can I have an advising appointment over the phone?
8. I did not pass a major class last semester, what do I do?
9. Where can I find a sample degree plan?
10. How do I register for an independent study/research project with a faculty member?

1. What workload should I expect in CS classes?

In general we want you to plan your semester for success before it starts. Discuss expectations and course/work load with your advisor. Choosing the right number of computer science, mathematics and science courses for a semester affects your success, and the purpose of this page is to outline what we give as guidance for questions about load.

We have found that most students are successful when taking only two “technical classes” in a semester. (A student may be ready to successfully take three technical classes, provided grades in the prior semester were mainly B’s or higher.) The number of technical classes must be carefully balanced with outside responsibilities such as employment. “Being behind” is not a good reason for registering for three technical classes and too often leads to failure.

In computer science, mathematics and other science classes there are high expectations for coursework. Technical classes often require a large number of assignments, projects, quizzes and tests. Deadlines are not flexible and assignments are expected to be complete. Students find that they spend an average of three to six hours per credit hour outside class for these courses. For example students commonly report spending up to 15 to 25 hours per week on assignments for CMSC 131.

Balancing coursework with outside commitments is essential for success. Based on the experience of current and former students, first year majors should consider working at most 5 hours per week. Second year majors should consider working a maximum of 10 hours per week while upperclass students should not work more than 15 hours per week. Success comes through properly balancing work hours and course load. For example with a full-time schedule, which includes two demanding technical classes, a student should generally be working less than 15 hours per week outside of their coursework.

2. What is the department policy on giving permission to take CS courses?

Our official fine print: In the statements which follow, ‘attempt‘ is defined as any course which appears on the student’s transcript with a grade of A, B, C, D, F, S, P, W or WW; ‘pre-registration‘ is the period during the semester when current students have appointments to register for the coming semester; ‘open registration‘ is the period which begins at the end of pre-registration and ends at the end of the schedule adjustment period (which is generally 1 to 2 weeks after the start of classes).

1. All CMSC courses (except CMSC 102) require Department or College permission for registration. The listed prerequisites are strictly enforced.
2. Computer science, computer engineering, astronomy, ENSP: earth surface processes, ENSP: environmental mapping and data management, geology, mathematics, secondary mathematics education, physical sciences, and physics majors have priority in receiving permission for CMSC courses. All other majors may request course permission starting on the first day of classes by going to the CMSC Education office (1119 A. V. Williams Building).
3. A student may get course permission for no more than two 400 level CMSC courses during pre-registration. A student may get course permission for a third 400 level CMSC course during open registration. A student may have permission for at most three 400 level CMSC courses prior to the second day of classes.
4. A student may get permission for a second attempt at a 100-300 level course during either pre-registration or open registration.
5. A student may get permission for a second attempt at a 400 level course only in open registration, that is after pre-registration has ended.

* A student who has attempted a class two times already and wants to attempt the course for a third time must first consult with an advisor in the Dean’s Office. (Permission to attempt a class a third time will be granted on a case-by-case basis and may only be given in unusual circumstances.) Provided the student has the necessary repeat permission, the student may request specific course permission starting the second day of classes.

3. Where do I go for advising?

If you are are a Computer Science major who has not completed CMSC131, 132, MATH140, and MATH141: You must see Brandi Adams or Kim Ozga. When you meet with your advisor be sure to be prepared to discuss both your CMSC/MATH related courses AND your CORE classes.If you are not a CS major, then you must see Kim Ozga. All other students may see any advisor.

4. When do I come in for advising?

All CMSC majors MUST come in for advising at least once a semester before they can register for the next semester. Typically students register for spring classes in late October through early December. Students register for fall classes in late March through early May. All CMSC majors MUST be advised before they can register for classes.

You do not have to wait until your registration date to get advising. You should come in approximately 1-2 weeks BEFORE your registration date to meet with an advisor.

In order to make your registration as easy as possible, please visit the scheduling system at https://webapps.cs.umd.edu/ugrad/advising/login.php

This is the easiest way to have a thorough appointment with an advisor. You are always welcome to try to walk in to see an advisor, but he or she may not be able to give you the time that you need. Therefore, we urge you to try to find an appointment online—particularly during early registration.

Then, the instant your registration time comes around you can go online to testudo and sign up for your classes instantaneously (don’t forget that the online drop/add program might not always work properly if you are using Netscape - so if that is the case please try another browser before returning to see an advisor).

If you did not receive an email stating when your registration date is, or you have lost that email and do not remember when that date is, you can check find your appointment through testudo or else contact the Registrar’s Office (301.314.8240).

5. What do I do before advising?

Prior to meeting with any advisor you should do some preparation so that your meeting is as productive as possible. This means thinking about which courses you plan to take next semester and in future semesters. If you are unsure of which courses you want to take, look at which ones are available and read about them (or check out their class webpage if they exist). Also write down any questions you have so that you remember them when being advised. Plan out your schedule of all your classes prior to going to advising (the schedule is posted online and available in the Mitchell Building).

You should also be familiar with the university CORE requirements and the CS major requirements. The best preparation for an advising meeting is to develop a degree plan for the remainder of your semesters here.

6. How do I get permission to take a CMSC course as a CMSC major?

Several things can affect your getting permission to take a CMSC course. Here are the most common …

First, all CMSC courses require departmental permission. This means that during your advising session you MUST let an advisor “clear” the block on each CMSC course that you will take.

ALL Pre- and Co- requisites on all CMSC courses are strictly enforced. A student who does not meet the proper prerequisite/corequisite for a CMSC course is either not given permission in the first place, or is administratively dropped (e.g. if the student does not pass the prereq that was being taken at time of registration.)

Prior to preregistration, junior/senior CMSC majors will be given permission to register for at most TWO 400 level CMSC classes. Additional 400 level classes can be added later in the registration period, subject to the guidelines about sane and sensible workloads discussed above.

As a matter of routine, all permission stamps EXPIRE at the end of the open registration period, so if you plan to make any changes to your CMSC registration that point (typically the end of that given semester) you will need to see an advisor to get your CMSC stamp(s) updated/”refreshed”.

7. Can I have an advising appointment over the phone?

We’re a lot happier talking with you in person. During the fall and spring semesters advisors are generally available from 9-4, Monday through Friday. During the winter break there will be limited advising. For this reason, it is best to be advised BEFORE the end of the fall semester. During the summer please contact the office and we will make arrangements with you.

8. I did not pass a major class last semester, what do I do?

If you did not pass a major requirement last semester, it is important that you immediately adjust your classes for the next semester. Please, if you do not meet the prerequisite for a course, you should drop that course as soon as possible. Then you should come in for advising to talk with an advisor about future semesters. It is important that you come in as soon as possible because there may be a winter term course or summer course that you might take to keep you on track for graduation. Also, remember that every student only has two attempts for any given course. In addition each student can repeat a maximum of 18 repeat credits. If you need to exceed these limits, then you should go to 3400 AV Williams building and get a dean’s exception to policy form. It is generally a good idea to meet with a computer science advisor prior to submitting the dean’s exception to policy form.

9. Where can I find a sample degree plan for a CMSC major?

The sample degree plan for the CS major can be found here. Please note that this is NOT the only one way to complete the degree requirements. There are many variations to this plan. The best way to develop an individual plan is to list out the CMSC courses that you want to take. Then try to create your own plan. Bring your plan to an advisor to review. We will be able to lay out the different options for you.

10. How do I register for an independent study/research project with a faculty member?

There are four different independent study/research courses for CS majors: CMSC298, CMSC390, CMSC498 and CMSC499

CMSC298 is a course which was designed for potential use as an independent student course for students at the 100-200 level and for use to teach special topics courses at the 100-200 level.

CMSC390 is a course reserved for students who participate in an honors research project (details on the honors program elsewhere on this site.) Note that in order to register for CMSC390 you must meet the requirements for admission into the departmental honors program.

CMSC498 is a course for students who wish to independently study an established body of material under direction of a Computer Science Department faculty member. It is NOT a way to take another of our existing courses at a non-regular time. It is NOT credit for programming or a way to escape taking a real class of substance. However it IS a chance for students already doing well in our established courses to expand the breadth of topics you are able to study during our career at College Park. A program of study must be agreed to with your faculty mentor, and proposed to the undergraduate chairman, who will expect and critique a report at semester’s end.

CMSC499 is a course designated for students who would like to participate in a research project with a faculty member. As with 498, the proposal should be worked out in advance with the faculty mentor, but 499 is definitely for researching new topics (not just independently studying an established body of material.) As such, the undergraduate chairman is a partner in the process and will expect to see a proposal of substance to define what literature review or preliminary work has been done, to outline what research process will be used, and to identify specific deliverables. The department gets a research report of the project as part of the obligation.

Note that CMSC 390/498/499 (if taken for 3 credits) can satisfy the upper level CMSC elective requirement.

For more information regarding CMSC 390 and the CMSC honors program see the following website: http://www.cs.umd.edu/Honors/
In order to sign up for CMSC 298/390/498/499, get the appropriate forms (from the office or on line at http://undergrad.cs.umd.edu/contact/useful-forms/) and bring them to the undergraudate program coordinatoor in 1119 AVW.

The following are the general requirements in order to sign up for CMSC390/498/499:

• Students have to have completed at least two or more of CMSC 311, 330 and 351. Those students who have not met this requirement should consider taking CMSC 298A which is similar to CMSC 498A but only pass/fail and intended for 1st/2nd year students.
• It is recommended that students generally have completed at least one 400-level CMSC course in the area related to the research project.
• Students must find a CMSC professor to oversee the research project prior to enrolling in the course.
• Upon finding a professor to work with, obtain the appropriate form from the undergraduate office (room 1119 AVW) or download a copy of it above, and complete the form and return it to 1119 AVW for final processing by the Undergraduate Program Coordinator. Students should discuss with the faculty member the specific criteria for determining their grade. Also, CMSC390/498A is a senior level CMSC course and as such can be as challenging (or more challenging) than a regular 400 level course (dependent upon the requirements imposed by the faculty member overseeing your project). Additionally, if you plan to use this course to meet the upper level CMSC elective requirement it is your responsibility to ensure that you have not already met that requirement with another course.
• At the end of the semester students must submit a final paper (in electronic form) to the undergraduate office.

Research projects may be ones that students create themselves (and faculty oversee) or projects that faculty members are working on and students assist.
Note: Research projects must involve a substantial academic component and are expected to go beyond the scope of a regular CMSC 400-level course.

The following are some general tips on how to go about participating in a research or independent study project:

• Think about what type of project you would like to do or in what area of computer science you would like it to be in.
• If you are unsure of what area you are interested stop by and meet with a CMSC advisor (room 1119 AVW) and discuss this with them.
• Check out the Undergraduate Research Assistant Program (URAP) webpage:
  http://www.ugresearch.umd.edu/URAP/URAP.htm
• Check out the CMSC Honors Program webpage:
  http://www.cs.umd.edu/Honors/