Academic Requirements

Progression to the Computer Science major

Progression Standards:
Undergraduates are required to apply to the Computer Science Department for progression into the computer science major. Progression is based on demonstrated academic ability. The overall record will be evaluated for quality and seriousness of purpose.

The requirements are subject to change. Current requirements can be determined by consulting an advisor in the Undergraduate Programs Office or by contacting the Computer Science Department. Students are expected to apply during the semester in which they are completing the last of Computer Science 140, 160, and Mathematics 141.


Recent Progression Standards:
Students who have met the following criteria have been approved for progression into the major.

• Has completed Computer Science 140, 160, and Mathematics 141 at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with a GPA of 3.0 or better in these three courses and a grade of C or better in each course. Transfer students' course work will be evaluated individually.
• Has a GPA of 2.5 or better in all computer science courses taken at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, that apply to the major.
• Has not been disciplined for academic dishonesty in a computer science course or for abuse of university computing privileges.
• Has no excessive absences, withdrawals, or incompletes.

Students who meet the criteria must fill out an application available in the Computer Science Department. A student who does not meet progression requirements will not be allowed to take any upper-division computer science course that can be applied to the major.

Transfers

Transfers From Other UT Programs:
Students in other colleges or majors at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, must apply for progression to the major at the earliest possible date but ideally prior to 75 hours. As a minimum, all students must be admitted to the computer science major for at least the last 30 hours of work.

Transfers From Other Institutions:
Transfers from other institutions are generally handled the same as transfers from other University of Tennessee, Knoxville, programs. However, a prospective transfer student should consult with an advisor in the Computer Science Department to determine which courses can be accepted toward the computer science major. It should not be assumed that courses with similar names to University of Tennessee, Knoxville, courses can be accepted toward the major.

Requirements for the B.S. Degree

Following is a summary of the requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Computer Science. The main points of these requirements are summarized below, although it is the student's responsibility to read the University of Tennessee General Catalog for the exact requirements.

1. Course work to satisfy the Arts and Sciences and the University requirements.
2. Acceptance for progression to the Computer Science major.
3. Course work to satisfy the computer science major requirements.
4. Sufficient supplementary elective courses to bring the total number of credit hours to 124.
5. At least 42 hours (including course requirements listed above) of courses numbered 300 or above.

Requirements for the Computer Science Degree

Prerequisites to the major include Computer Science 102, 140, 160; Math 141-142; and a two semester laboratory science sequence (Physics 135-136 or Biology or Chemistry or a sequence approved by the Department). The major consists of Computer Science 302, 311, 360, 365 and 380; one of the two courses 340, and 370; Math 241, 251, and 300; English 355 or 360, and either an additional 15 hours (9 hours for pre-2004) of upper division Computer Science or an additional 12 hours (6 hours for pre-2004) of upper division Computer Science and Math 231.

Double Majors

Students who have strong interests in two fields may wish to consider double majors; a student must satisfy the requirements for both majors. Courses may be used to satisfy both requirements (e.g., 471 and 472 may be counted for credit for both a computer science and a mathematics major). Courses taken to fulfill distribution requirements may also be counted toward the requirements of the second major.

Within the College of Arts and Sciences, double majors are fairly straightforward to arrange; because of distribution requirements, however, students from other colleges should probably take their major from the other college and use computer science for the second major. Note that students who use computer science as a second major must also apply for acceptance into the major.

CS Minor Requirements

An undergraduate minor in computer science consists of 102, 140 and 160 plus fifteen hours of 300- or 400-level courses. A student must complete a major in some other program as well.  

Program Planning

Course Offering

The Computer Science Department tries to assist students in their long-range program planning by offering many key courses each semester. Links exist off the department home page to course offerings one semester in advance. This list is subject to change. Use it to guide your planning for the year. Most 400-level courses are based on current faculty research projects. There are usually no course offerings in summer. Fourth-year students are encouraged to take 500-level courses.

The recommended program of study at the end is to help plan your progression through the computer science major. Questions should be directed to the computer science faculty member assigned to Arts and Sciences Advising Services, 1 Alumni Memorial Building, 974-4483.

General Advice to Students

Advice for potential Computer Science majors

This section provides general suggestions for all students who are taking courses in the computer science major program. The topics include the policies and procedures of the department regarding course enrollments, admissions, retention, etc. If you have any questions, you should speak with an advisor in the department.

1. Attend the first day of class. If you must be absent the first day of class, be sure to notify the computer science office in advance.

2. If you are registered for a course and decide not to take it, drop the course before the Add Deadline to avoid receiving a ``W'' on your record.

3. Read a copy of the departmental newsletter. The newsletter contains information on courses to be taught the following semester plus general information helpful while pursuing your degree program. The newsletter is available on the departmental webpage.

4. Since majors receive permanent computing accounts and other benefits, you should apply for entrance to the major during the semester in which you complete your third entry-level course.

5. In order to pre-register for the following semester, you must receive an advising card. Pre-CS majors are advised by Arts and Sciences Advising Services, 220 Ayres Hall. Majors should contact Ms. Wallace Mayo.

6. Computer science courses are rarely, if ever, offered during the summer. You might wish to fulfill Arts and Sciences College requirements during summer semester.

Appeals

If a student feels treated unjustly by a teaching assistant and has been unable to resolve the problem, the student is referred to the GTA coordinator. If the situation is then not resolved to the student's satisfaction, the matter should be discussed with the Associate Department Head who has responsibility for student interaction.

If the problem is between a student and a faculty member from the Instructor level on up, the matter should be brought to the Associate Head who will attempt to confirm that both parties to the issue agree on the facts. If the Associate Head cannot resolve the problem, the matter will be referred to either the Undergraduate or Graduate Committee, as appropriate. The Committee's recommendation will be transmitted to the student. If the student is not satisfied, the matter can be taken to the Dean of the College and to the Dean of Student Conduct. Appeals information is available in Hilltopics.

The Department publicizes its policy regarding cheating and the proper use of computer facilities so that students will know the penalties involved. Instances of academic dishonesty will ordinarily result in a grade of F for the course. Students abusing their computer accounts will immediately and permanently lose departmental computer privileges.

Only the instructor of record may change a grade. However, the Department Head and Graduate or Undergraduate Committee may offer suggestions to the instructor concerning a grading problem. In instances where a faculty member is no longer on campus, the Department Head may take appropriate action to change a course grade if necessary.

Permanent Computer Accounts

All computer science majors are issued permanent computer accounts. The permanent accounts remain active across semester breaks, summers, co-op semesters and other interruptions of study. You will find this of enormous value in managing your academic efforts. All departmental information will be sent directly to you via your permanent account and a responsibility of being a computer science major will be to check your electronic mail at least once a week. Course work, learning new languages or computer processes, experimenting with formats and sending and receiving mail are all reasonable and expected uses of your account. Doing work for outside companies or agencies, trying to crash the system, and game-playing are not legitimate uses. Accounts will be monitored and students abusing their privileges will lose their accounts on the first occurrence; no second chances will be given. Students are expected to treat these accounts in an ethical and legal manner.

Co-op Program

A number of computer science majors now participate in the co-op program; they alternate a semester of work with a semester of school, gaining valuable professional experience to combine with their academic work. Many co-ops have received outstanding job offers upon graduation. Good opportunities for co-op applicants are available. Students who have been accepted into the major are eligible. For more information, contact the Co-op Program Office, 100 Dunford Hall, 974-5435.

Part Time Positions

Part-time positions are available for qualified students as workers in the departmental laboratories. Information is available at the departmental office. Also, some part-time positions are available with the Division of Information Infrastructure. Contact the receptionist at 200 Stokely Management Center for information. Information on other job opportunities is available on the department web site. Students may also register with the Student Employment office, 115 Student Services Building.  

Miscellaneous

Patent Bar Examination Requirements

Students planning to take the Patent Bar Examination issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office are strongly urged to review the options listed under Category B for demonstrating qualified scientific and technical training towards admission to the examination. Click here for current information on examination requirements.

Employment After Graduation

Prospects:
Students in computing have good employment prospects. Typical starting salaries in the Knoxville area for undergraduate computer science majors range from $40,000 to $55,000 per year; students with Master's degrees can start between $45,000 and $60,000. See also interesting statistics.

Students who have a second interest other than computing (such as engineering, mathematics, accounting, finance, etc.) are wise to strengthen this interest with additional coursework. Employers often look to this area for guidance in placing applicants in interesting jobs.

Preparation:
About one year before graduation, contact Career Services Office in Dunford Hall. Login to http://career.utk.edu . The one-year advance time allows time to meet with representatives of the firms in which you are especially interested. Also, meet with your advisor to get suggestions of places to apply, to get an opinion on your resume and credentials, and to get some hints on interviewing and job applications.

Graduate Study

Students with an undergraduate degree from UT might wish to go elsewhere for graduate study in order to profit from the different outlook at another institution. The holder of a master's degree will be ready to go into a programming or managerial position, while the doctorate is usually appropriate for people who will go into college teaching or into a research unit.

It is wise to begin planning for graduate school about one year before you will complete your undergraduate work. The first step is to form a tentative list of schools that are strong in the areas in which you are interested. Your advisor and other members of the computer science faculty can give you suggestions. You should then read the catalogs of those schools to narrow your choices. Write to the computer science departments of the schools in which you are most interested to obtain a departmental catalog, admission forms, and applications for assistantships or fellowships.

Graduate schools often have an application deadline, which can range from December 1 to April 30. Applications often want letters of recommendation from faculty members who know you. When you ask a person to fill out recommendations, it is helpful if you give forms or instructions for all the schools to which you will apply at one time: it is easier to fill out six forms at once than to fill out similar forms at six different times. Please allow ample time for these forms to be completed.

While fulfilling the language portion of the Arts and Sciences basic skills requirement, bear in mind that most Ph.D. and some Masters' degree programs require reading knowledge of at least one of the "scientific" languages: French, German, or Russian.

It is to your advantage to take more than the minimum number of elective computer science courses; additional courses from related departments are also helpful (examples are mathematics, technical writing, physics, industrial engineering, and electrical engineering). You should also use distribution requirements and electives to take courses that you find personally interesting or to learn more about another field.

More information about the UTK-CS Graduate Program is available here