1. They must complete CS 240, CS 302, and CS 367 (either here at UW-Madison, or via AP credit, or via transfer credit). Note that completing 367 alone counts as completing both 302 and 367.
2. They must have a GPA of 2.6 or higher in an admissible sequence of Comp Sci courses taken here at UW-Madison. The rules that define an admissible sequence are:
Note:
Students who are having difficulties interpreting or meeting the requirements for the Comp Sci major may meet with a member of the Comp Sci Undergraduate Advising Committee. Office hours for the members of this committee are posted at http://www.cs.wisc.edu/ugac/advisors.html. No appointment is required.
When you have completed the acceptance requirements, you should meet with a member of the Computer Sciences Department Undergraduate Advising Committee to declare the majotr. The office hours of the committee members can be found at http://www.cs.wisc.edu/ugac/advisors.html. Bring the following with you:
In addition to all college requirements, students majoring in Computer Sciences must complete the following courses:
The courses that can be used to fulfill this requirement are: CS 412, CS 416, 435, 513, 514, 525, 526; Math 234, 309, 319, 320, 321, 322, 331, 340, 341, 375, 376, 419, 431, 443, 461, 475, 521, 541, 542, 567, 571; Stat 309, 310, 311, 312; ECE 331. For the purposes of this requirement, Math 375 may not be combined with Math 234, 320, or 340, and CS 412 may not be combined with CS 416. The Math Department may have additional restrictions on giving credit to certain pairs of math courses.
The following classes may not be used to fulfill this requirement: CS 402, CS 550, CS 681, CS 682, CS 691, CS 692.
Some sections of CS 638 and CS 699 may be used and others may not. It is up to the instructor of each section to specify whether it can be used as a CS elective.
No course may be used to satisfy more than one requirement for the Computer Sciences major.
CS Majors may not take any CS course that is normally graded on an A-F basis as a pass/fail course.
Prerequisites The student should be aware that some of the courses listed above have prerequisite courses not specifically required for the major. It is the student's responsibility to meet prerequisite requirements, but courses taken to meet such requirements do not necessarily count towards the major.
Students enrolled in the honors program may elect to take Computer Sciences courses for honors credit. With the permission of the course instructor and the Departmental Honors Advisor, any course numbered 300--699 may be taken for Honors credit. In addition, any course numbered 700 or above carries Honors credit for undergraduate students.
Here are the requirements for obtaining a Computer Sciences Major with Honors:
Please note that a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.3 is required to earn any honors degree in the College of Letters and Science. This minimum cumulative GPA may be distinct from the minimum GPA requirement for courses in the major.
A non-Honors student can earn Distinction in the CS major either by earning at least a 3.75 GPA in the courses they use to fulfill the major requirements, or by earning at least a 3.5 GPA in those courses plus one of the following:
Students who first matriculated at a college or university before May 20, 1996, should consult their DARS report and major adviser for information regarding L&S requirements for Basic Composition and English Proficiency in the Major.
To obtain a Computer Sciences major, a student must have at least a 2.0 grade point average in each of the following four groups of courses taken on this campus: (1) all courses carried for a grade; (2) all intermediate, advanced and intermediate/advanced required courses taken for a grade; (3) all Computer Sciences courses; (4) all upper-level Computer Sciences courses.
Here, ``Computer Sciences course'' means ``any Comp Sci course, even those merely cross-listed with Computer Sciences, whether or not on the student's Comp Sci Major Course Plan, as well as any non-CS course on that Course Plan''.
All grade point averages are computed by weighting each course grade by the number of credits for the course. In this, the first grade received for a course is always counted. The grade in a repeated course is counted in (2), (3), (4) only if the first grade was an F.
In Computer Sciences, courses numbered less than 300 are elementary, 300- and 400-level courses (with the exception of CS 475) are intermediate, course numbered 500 or higher (as well as CS 475) are advanced, and courses numbered 400 or higher are upper level.
We have tried here to give an accurate description of some of the Letters & Science Major requirements. However, in spite of our best efforts, our description may be incorrect and/or outdated, hence cannot be relied upon. For an authoritative description of these, and of any other, Letters & Science Major requirements, speak to someone in the Dean's office at 70 Bascom Hall, or look into a current copy of the Bulletin of the College of Letters & Science or the Undergraduate Catalog of UW. For example, there you will find the 15-Credit Rule: At least 15 upper level required Computer Sciences credits must be earned while on campus.