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Home Computer Science Current Students Advising

Advising

Your academic advisor is your primary resource for helping you chart your path to your degree. You will meet with him/her at least once per semester to plan your classes for the next semester. You are not able to register for classes until you've been cleared by your advisor.

For assistance finding your advisor, please reach out to:

Undergraduate Students

Resources

  • Computer science major and minor requirements are available in the Undergraduate Catalog and our Degree Programs page.
  • The UMdegree system (accessible through the My Degree tab at my.memphis.edu, or directly at umdegree.memphis.edu) is an invaluable resource. It tracks which degree requirements you've already met and shows you the available options for outstanding requirements. A UMdegree student guide is available here.
  • The Registrar's office has a guide for how to register for classes through the myMemphis portal.

New and Transfer Students

  • In order to be a full-time student (12 or more semester hours), you must submit proof of MMR and varicella vaccinations to the Student Health Center. Please see here for more information and to upload this documentation online.
  • New freshmen must register for a New Student Orientation session. Transfer students are encouraged to register for a Transfer and Adult Student Orientation, but this is not required.
  • For transfer students, the University's Admissions office is responsible for making most transfer credit decisions. You can refer to their website to get an idea of which of your courses will likely transfer. You will need to request official transcripts from your prior school(s) before your transfer credit can be processed.
  • COMP 1900 is the first course in the computer science curriculum and is a prerequisite for almost every other major course.
    • Due to the brisk pace of COMP 1900, it is strongly recommended that you have some basic prior programming experience before taking it.  If you have never programmed before, you can take COMP 1800 before COMP 1900.  COMP 1800 will count as a free elective in the undergraduate program.
    • COMP 1900 has a co- or prerequisite of MATH 1910 (Calculus I).  Depending on your math background, you may need to take 1-3 semesters of preliminary math before enrolling in MATH 1910.  Placement into math courses is determined by your ACT/SAT math score, or by taking the ALEKS math placement exam. Details are provided here.

Declaring a CS Major or Minor

If you are a student from another major who wants to change majors to Computer Science, contact the College of Arts and Sciences office officially declare the major.

To double major in Computer Science with another major, or to add a Computer Science minor:

  • If your first major is in the College of Arts and Sciences, contact the Arts and Sciences office.
  • If your first major is in another college (Engineering, Business, Communication/Fine Arts, etc.), contact the advising office of your college.

Contact the Department's advising coordinator after you've added the major/minor to discuss your class selection.

Graduate Students

Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Alternate PIN I need to register?

If you see the Alternate PIN message, it means your advisor has not yet cleared you for registration. Contact him/her to discuss your classes and get your hold removed. Once the hold is removed, the Alternate PIN message will no longer appear.

How do I change my major?

In general, officially changing your major requires contacting the office of the college where the new major resides. If you are changing to Computer Science, this is the College of Arts and Sciences office.

What if I already have a previous bachelor's degree in something besides Computer Science?

You have two options in this case:

  • You can pursue a graduate degree in Computer Science. Note that you must have completed some fundamental CS courses before your application can be considered; see our Degree Programs page for details. You can take these courses at the UofM as a non-degree undergraduate student before applying to the graduate program.
  • You can pursue an undergraduate degree in Computer Science. You will be classified by the university as a "fifth year undergraduate" and will be exempt from most general education requirements. Note that MATH 1910 and natural sciences, although technically classified as general education, are still required for second-degree students.