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General QuestionsComputer Science (CS)- specific questions
Computer Engineering (CE)- specific questions
General Questions
Q: What is a transfer student?
A: A transfer student is one with at least 30 credits completed before coming to FAU.
Q: What is the Gordon Rule?
A: The Gordon Rule is a state law requiring students to complete, with a C or better, 6 credit-hours of mathematics
and 12 credit-hours of writing in courses involving a total of at least 24,000 words of writing.
Q: Who is responsible for making sure that CS and CE students take the courses that they
need to take?
A: The students are themselves responsible for making sure they take the courses that they need for graduation.
The advisors can help, but the students should read and become familiar with the Computer
Science and Engineering Section of the Undergraduate Catalog.
Q: Can CS and CE students be advised at the Davie and Port St. Lucie Campuses?
A: Yes. See the Undergraduate Advising page for contact information.
Q: Can a CS or CE student take required courses at a Community College?
A: They may take equivalent courses at the 2000 level or below at Community Colleges. They must fill out
a Transient Student Form and have their advisor sign it. After the advisor signs it the student should take
it to the DeanĘs office (SE 308) for another signature. Students should be careful to follow all the directions
on the top of the Transient Student Form.Students on the Davie or Port St. Lucie campuses can have Transient
Student forms signed by a CSE advisor there.
Q: Which Physics class should CS and CE students take?
A: They should take Physics for Engineers I and II (PHY 2043 and PHY 2044). These are 3-credit hours courses
especially designed for Engineering and Computer Science majors. Students might take PHY 2048 and PHY 2049 (4 credit-hours
each), but it is recommended that they take PHY 2043 and PHY 2044.
Q: Which Physics Lab should CS and CE students take?
A: They should take PHY 2048L with either PHY2043 or PHY 2048. Then they should take PHY 2049L with either PHY
2044 or PHY 2049.
Q: What is a Registration Hold?
A: Registration holds are placed on student records by different offices to prevent registration until the matter
regarding the hold has been resolved. All holds must be cleared by the issuing office prior to registration. Students
are notified of their holds, by calling FAU's Voice
Response Telephone System (OwlLink), by browsing the Owls Academic Student Information
Systems (OASIS), or at their orientation session.
Q: Where can I find out about the different kinds of registration holds?
A: The meaning of the different hold codes is explained online at
http://www.fau.edu/academic/registrar/holds.htm.
Q: What should a CS or CE student do if they have an Engineering (EG) Hold?
A: They must talk to their advisor before registering. Often an Engineering (EG) Hold indicates that a student
is on probation. It is important for the student to talk to the advisor about the consequences of not bringing
their grades up during the next term. This could result in academic suspension which means that the student could
not attend FAU during the next term. Students who have already been suspended are at risk of being dismissed from
the university, not just suspended. Freshmen and sophomore CS and CE students will have their Engineering Holds
removed at the Undergraduate Programs office. (room
GCS 212)
Q: Can a student take courses at FAU before being admitted into the CS or CE program?
A: Yes but they will need to fill out a Non-Degree Enrollment Application and a Non-Degree Residency form and submit
them to the RegistrarĘs office first. For more information call the Registrar's office at 561-297-2355 or
browse the on-line forms.
Q: Does a CS or CE student need to take the SAT test to be admitted to FAU?
A: Only students seeking admission with fewer than 60 college credits must take the SAT or the ACT. They are not
required for students who have already earned 60 credits elsewhere. Either test is accepted.
Q: If a CS or CE student is thinking of attending FAU and would like to know what credits
will be transferred from their previous school, what should they do?
A: They should apply for admission and the Admissions Office will determine which credits are acceptable for
transfer. Then the CSE department will evaluate which credits will apply to the CS or CE degree program.
Q: What should a CS or CE student do when they are ready to graduate?
A: Graduating CS or CE students are required to complete and submit an application for Degree to the Office of
the Registrar. Most of the paperwork is handled by the CSE Department. Students must submit their application and
any associated paperwork to their advisor at least a week before the University deadline, since it must
be reviewed by the advisor and another person in the CSE Department and a Graduation check list completed. The
application will then be signed by the College of Engineering Dean's Office. It is the responsibility of the student
to adhere to the deadline. Late applications will not be processed. There is no charge for applying for
graduation.
Q: What is Non-Degree Registration?
A: Non-degree registration is for students not interested in pursuing an FAU degree at this time (i.e. taking courses
for enrichment; for certification; to transfer to another university; applied too late for the upcoming term; an
applicant with no admission decision). Coursework for credit will appear on an FAU transcript. There is a
9-credit-hour maximum that may be applied at a later time to an FAU degree program.
Non-degree students must comply with state immunization and residency policies. An application for admission and
$20.00 fee are not required to enroll in this category. Non-degree registration forms and instructions are available
at the Registrar's Office on any campus, or by calling (561) 297-2355 and leaving your name and address for the
information to be mailed. The non-degree registration form is also available on the Web
(please click here).
Q: Can a CS or CE student take more than 20 credits in a semester?
A: Any undergraduate CS or CE student who wishes to register for more than 20 credit/semester hours must see their
college advisor for approval. College must stamp/sign "OK for Overload".
Q: What does a CS or CE student do if a course they want is closed?
A: First you must obtain the instructor's permission (signature on the drop/add form), then the departmental representative
must stamp the form with an "override" stamp. Individual faculty have different policies on admitting
students to a closed course and admission is at the discretion of the instructor of the course and is not guaranteed.
Override approval will not be processed without the college override stamp. Overrides must be processed in person.
In some cases, the course may have reached its room size limit (room size exceeded) - when this situation occurs,
no additional students can be enrolled in the course, even if they have an override stamp.
Q: What is the "CLAST"? Do CS or CE students have to take it?
A: CLAST stands for College Level Academic Skills Test. This is a state-mandated test of fundamental mathematical,
language and writing skills. It is normally administered toward the end of a student's sophomore year. A student
must pass three out of four sections prior to admission to the upper division (i.e. 60 semester hours). Students
who transfer with 60 or more hours will be permitted to register for ONE SEMESTER ONLY without CLAST requirements
satisfied. If such students do not pass at least 3 out of 4 sections during their first semester, they will NOT
be permitted to register for future semesters. Students may only complete up to 96 semester hours without successfully
completing all four sections of the CLAST. Students in this category will NOT BE PERMITTED TO REGISTER without
completing all four sections of the CLAST. CLAST HOLD questions should be directed to the Office of the Registrar,
(561) 297-3050. To register to take the CLAST, contact Testing at (561) 297-3160. For CLAST preparation and remediation
information, contact Multicultural Affairs at (561) 297-3959 or Undergraduate Programs at (561) 297-3064. Please
consult the academic calendar or Testing & Evaluation for test dates.
Q: Do non-degree seeking students have to follow the course prerequisites ?
A: Yes, all students regardless of class or classification are required to adhere to all stated prerequisites.
Check with the department, the Undergraduate Catalog or the
Graduate Catalog for more information.
A: They may appeal to the Academic Petitions Committee. For more information see: http://www.fau.edu/academic/registrar/howdoi.htm and http://www.fau.edu/academic/registrar/acapet.htm.
Q: What is required for a CS or CE student to graduate with honors?
A: An undergraduate student who has earned at least 45 credits at FAU must
have an FAU average of 3.50 for "Cum Laude", or
have an FAU average of 3.70 for "Magna Cum Laude", or
have an FAU average of 3.90 for "Summa Cum Laude".
An undergraduate transfer student who has taken fewer than 45 credits at FAU may qualify based on the GPA in all upper-division course work at FAU and elsewhere with a minimum of 45 credits. An undergraduate earning a second baccalaureate may qualify based on their FAU GPA in a minimum of 30 credits toward the degree. All students receiving honors designations must be recommended by the department.
Q: What does it mean when a CS or CE student gets a grade of NR in a course?
A: It means that the grade was not reported by the instructor of the course. These are often FEEDS students who
have additional time at the end of the semester before having to get their grades turned in.
Q: Can a CS or CE student add a course after the registration period is over?
A: Only in exceptional circumstances. For more information, please contact the Office of the Registrar.
Q: Where should freshmen and sophomore CS and CE students go for advising?
A: Freshmen and sophomore CS and CE students will be advised at the Undergraduate
Programs office. (room GCS 212)
Q: What course should be taken by students entering the CS and CE
programs with math deficiencies?
A: They should take the 5 credit MAC 1147 Pre-calculus algebra and trigonometry.
Q: What math course should CS and CE students take if they have not had Calculus I?
A: They should take Calculus I (MAC2311). They may take the equivalent course at a community college. At
PBCC and BCC the equivalent courses are MAC2311. If they take it at FAU they must pass a pretest. Further
info and samples of the pretest are available in the Math department or at http://www.math.fau.edu/pretest.htm.
If students do not pass the pretest they should enroll in Pre-calculus algebra and trigonometry (MAC1147).
Q: What programming course should new CS or CE students take if they have never programmed
in C or C++?
A: If they have never programmed in C or C++ they should take Intro. to Programming in C (COP2220)
They may take the equivalent course at a community college. For example the equivalent course at BCC is COP1334C.
Q: What programming course should new CS or CE students take if they have programmed in C
but not in C++?
A: If they have programmed in C but not in C++ they should take Foundations of Computer Science (COT3002)
and the Lab that goes with it (COT3002L). All CS or CE majors must take this course after an introductory
programming course in either C or C++.
Q: Can High School courses count toward a degree at FAU?
A: Students cannot, under any circumstances, be given credit for high school courses toward the bachelor's degree.
It does not matter if the course is believed to be at a level of difficulty equal to or greater than that of
the corresponding FAU course. Only courses that appear on the FAU transcript count. High school students can get
credit through Advanced Placement, CLEP, and International Baccalaureate exams.
This interpretation is based on both conventional University policy and our acccredititation requirements. In
particular CSAC and ABET require that students present a specific number of university credits in each of
several areas including math, science, and computing as part of their degree program. The program represents
both a certain level of attainment and a certain number of credits in each area. Students who
receive college credit by examination satisfy the condition of having college credit for the course.
If a student presents documentable evidence of knowledge of the material in a course, they may petition to substitute
a more advanced course in the same area. For instance if a student has never taken a college programming course
but demonstrates that they know how to program in C they may be permitted to take an additional computer
science elective in place of COP 2220. Similarly a student who can demonstrate an adequate
knowledge of calculus could substitute an additional mathematics elective rather than take calculus again.
Such substitutions must be confirmed by an approved department undergraduate petition in the student file.
Q: If a student takes a graduate (5000- or 6000-) level course as a technical elective,
can that same course be counted towards a Master or Ph.D. degree at FAU?
A: No course can be used toward two degrees. If it is used to satisfy a requirement for the BS, then it can not
be used for the Masters or PhD. If it is clearly indicated that it is not part of the BS program, then up to
9 credits taken before graduate admissiom can be transfer credits into an MS or PhD program.
Q: Can I take EGN 3935 (Intro to Web Authoring/Programming) as a technical elective?
A: No. EGN 3935 (Intro to Web Authoring/Programming) is one of the several EGN 3935 courses designed
for some selected high school students doing dual enrollments in the summer for a duration of two weeks from 9-4
daily. These courses are not open to FAU students. However, Dr. Hsu will teach a new course, COT 4930 (Intro
to Internet Computing), which is similar to EGN 3935 Intro Web Authoring/Programming, but is for CSE students,
and can be counted as a technical elective.
Q: Do courses taken at a Community College as a transient student during the summer count
towards the requirement for 9 summer credits?
A: No. Community college courses do not count toward the summer requirement. If you check
the degree requirements section in the catalog you will see that it says students first admitted to FAU with fewer
than 30 credits must earn at least 9 credits during summer term enrollment at FAU or another Florida State University
System university. That means then must take, and pass, the courses at one of the ten State universities. Community
college courses do not count.
Computer Science (CS) - specific questions
Q: If a CS student has taken Chemistry I and II before 1995 do they need to take Physics
I and II? Q: What science courses are accepted toward a CS degree?
Science Electives (2 science courses for science majors)
A: They do not need to take Physics I and II.
A: Science courses used for the computer science degree must be the standard courses taken by students majoring
in the field of study or courses for engineers. The only physics courses we accept are PHY (2043 or 2048) &
(2044 or 2049), courses that use calculus. The only general chemistry courses we accept are CHM (1041 or x045)
and x046 (x = 1 or 2). We do not give credit for CHM 1040 even though it is a prerequisite for CHM 1041.
A list of acceptable science courses in disciplines at FAU and local community colleges is shown below. When
in doubt, check to see that the course can be taken as part of the AA in the discipline or as part of the major at FAU.
Labs are not required by Computer Science but may be required by the department offering the course.
Choose from the following.
No other science courses are accepted; not astronomy, not physical science, not life sciences.
Q: Which courses satisfy the criteria for the Math elective?
A: CS students are required to take one of the following elective mathematics courses which must be passed with
a grade of "C" or better:
* Cannot be used as a Computer Science elective if used to satisfy the mathematics requirement.
The Math elective is intended to be a more advanced course than Calculus I and II. Methods of Calculus, for instance, can not be counted as a Math Elective.
Computer Engineering (CE) - specific questions
Q: Which courses qualify as technical electives for CE majors? Students must check with the CE advisor and have his approval before choosing courses from options
3 or 4.
Q: The Electrical Engineering department is offering a course called Digital Electronics-non-EE (EEL 3341). Should
I take this class or EEL 4340?
Q: Can I take a fourth technical elective in lieu of Design for Manufacturability? Do I need
to file a petition for that?
Q: What happened to Senior Project I and II?
A: If you have questions about which courses qualify as technical electives for CE majors, here are some simple
rules:
A: The EEL 3341 course is for Ocean Engineering majors. Computer Engineering majors should take EEL 4340.
A: CE students can use a fourth technical elective in lieu of Design for Manufacturability even when this class
is offered (as it will be during Fall 2001). There is no need to file a petition for that.
A: Senior Project I and II have been replaced by Engineering Design I (EGN 4410) and II (EGN 4411) (2 credits each).