Departmental Exception to Policy Request

The Department of Computer Science will consider a departmental exception to policy only in rare and extraordinary circumstances that are beyond your control. *NOTE: All supporting documentation (e.g. justification statement, academic plan, instructor permission if required, etc.) must be included in order to submit the petition, which is processed by the CS Exceptions Coordinator. You will be notified via email when your request has been completed. To request a departmental exception to policy, complete this form. Exception requests are normally processed in 10-14 business days.

Choose yes if this is your first semester at UMD.
You cannot file a CS Exception to Policy at this time. Please wait until after the semester ends and grades/GPA are available on your student record.
Exception Policies

This form is to request department-level exceptions for the CS Major. If you are requesting college-level exceptions (such as a late drop, late add, request a third attempt, etc.) please visit the CMNS Exceptions to Policy page at https://cmns.umd.edu/undergraduate/advising-academic-planning/exceptions....

CS Exceptions to Policy are approved only for rare and extraordinary circumstances, and submission of this form does not guarantee exception request approval. Examples of eligible exception requests are as follows:

  1. Waive Pre/Corequisite(s) Requirement(s)
    1. Students should have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 and written instructor support. Requesting to take CMSC216 and CMSC351 concurrently requires a grade of “B-” or higher in CMSC250.
    2. Students should contact instructors for support before submitting an exception request. Students should email the instructor including the following information:
      1. Full name and UID
      2. Explicitly state your question, asking for permission to take the course, listing the course in question and the intended semester
      3. Math and CS credit history (optional attachment: unofficial transcript)
      4. Inform the instructor why you feel prepared for the course without completing the prerequisites (e.g. non-credit coursework, prior study, internship experience, etc.)
      5. Current Cumulative GPA
    3. Please note that your submission of proof of instructor approval must include the instructor’s verifiable faculty email address, and include both your specific request and their approval. We suggest downloading the email thread through Gmail as a PDF, and attaching the full conversation. Approval must be via email, and screenshots from Discord or Slack cannot be accepted.
    4. Instructor permission is needed for any 3xx or 4xx course (excluding CMSC330 and CMSC351). Please note that while instructor permission is required for a request to be considered, it is not a guarantee that a request will be granted, as other factors are also taken into consideration.
  2. Modify Upper Level Concentration Requirement
    1. Students should discuss their Upper Level Concentration Requirement substitution with their assigned advisor prior to submitting an exception request.
    2. Be prepared to provide a syllabus for the course you are requesting to include in your Upper Level Concentration.
  3. Count Different Math Course to Satisfy Major Requirement
    1. In order for the course to be considered it must at least have a prerequisite of MATH141
  4. Request a Fourth CMSC Course in One Semester
    1. Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, but a cumulative and major GPA of 3.5 or higher is preferred.
    2. Students must be successfully registered for three 3-credit CMSC courses before submitting this exception.
  5. Substitute a 300-or 400-Level CMSC Course or Graduate Level CMSC Course to Satisfy an Upper Level CMSC Major Requirement
    1. Students should discuss their major Upper-Level requirements with their assigned advisor prior to submitting an exception request.
    2. Students must review the CS Department’s course listing website at https://www.cs.umd.edu/grad/coursework#courses to verify if their graduate-level CS course is approved for area credit. If not, students should note this status in their justification statement.
    3. Students can only submit a graduate course substitution request if they are approved to take a graduate-level CMSC course for undergraduate credit.
  6. Take MATH or CMSC Course(s) at Another Institution
    1. Students should discuss their major requirements with their assigned advisor prior to submitting an exception request.
  7. Undergraduate Student Taking a CMSC Graduate Course
    1. Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 but a cumulative and major GPA of 3.5 or higher is preferred.
    2. Only two CMSC grad courses can be applied to the CS major upper level area. CMSC6xx-7xx courses can be used towards the major upper level area and CMSC8X8 (Special Topics) courses can only be used as CS elective courses.
    3. Students should contact instructors for support before submitting an exception request. Students should email the instructor from official UMD Terpmail accounts including the following information:
      1. Full name and UID
      2. Explicitly state your question asking for permissions to take the course, listing the course in question and the intended semester
      3. Math and CS credit history (optional attachment: unofficial transcript)
      4. Inform the instructor whether you have satisfied the prerequisites for the course or not, and why you feel prepared for the course if you have not taken the prerequisites
      5. Current Cumulative GPA
    4. Please note that your submission of proof of instructor approval must include the instructor’s verifiable faculty email address, and include both your specific request and their approval. We suggest downloading the email thread through Gmail as a PDF, and attaching the full conversation. Approval must be via email, and screenshots from Discord or Slack cannot be accepted.
    5. Please note: Graduate course for graduate credit requests can take up to eight weeks for CMNS to process. Please make sure you take this time frame into consideration when placing your grad course request.
  8. Use more than 6 credits of ULC coursework from a domestic college/university
    1. First bachelor’s seeking students must take at least 6 credits of UMD Upper-Level Concentration coursework.
  9. Other
    1. Students should discuss their unique exception requests with their assigned advisor prior to submission.

Ineligible Exception requests are as follows:

  1. Requesting to repeat a previously failed (lower than a “C-”) prerequisite course concurrently with a subsequent course.
    1. Example: Requesting to take CMSC351 with CMSC216 when grade of “D+” or lower was earned in CMSC216 in a previous semester.
  2. Requesting to use ENES210 or a cross-listed CMSC course in the Upper Level Concentration.
  3. Requesting to use a CMSC Upper Level Elective course as a CMSC Distributive Area requirement.
  4. Requesting to waive a prerequisite course as a first semester student.
    1. First semester students (direct admits and external transfers) must wait until their first semester grades and cumulative GPA are posted on their UMD unofficial transcript before they submit departmental exception requests.
       

If you agree to the policies above, select the [Next >>] button to continue to the exception request form.