Computer Science

Course Search & Program Tips

Use Schedule Builder and search for the CSCI subject to find computer science courses.
The U of M offers multiple two main undergraduate computer science degrees, a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BS). Learn about the differences here.

Reminder: Always check with your high school counselor to see which PSEO courses your high school will accept for each graduation requirement. (4 college credits is equivalent to one year of high school instruction in a subject area.)

Computer Science Course Sequences

There are two primary course sequences for introductory computer science. These should not be mixed. Check the major course requirements to see which individual courses or sequence your intended major requires or prefers.

Sequence #1

Preferred for students majoring in computer science.

CSCI 1133, Intro to Computing & Programming Concepts
CSCI 1933, Intro to Algorithms & Data Structures

Sequence #2

More commonly used towards some engineering majors.

Three options:
- AP Computer Science A passing score
- CSCI 1103, Programming in Java
- CSCI 1113, Intro to C/C++ for Scientists & Engineers
CSCI 1913, Intro to Algorithms, Data Strucures, & Programming Concepts

What if you accidentally take a mismatched sequence?

[AP CSCI A, CSCI 1103, or CSCI1113] + CSCI 1933: You can still complete the sequence with CSCI 1923, "Python as a Second Programming Language" (1 credit).
CSCI 1133 + CSCI 1913: This still completes the introductory computer science sequence, but avoid it if you can. It'll make for a less complete overall experience than following the appropriate sequences.

Hard Prerequisites

Students may not bypass the introductory computer science courses. From our computer science faculty:

"AP Computer Science (AP Comp Sci A) does not cover the materials in CSci 1913/1933. It is a common confusion among students that the language of instruction is the same as the intellectual content of the course. But after a fast introduction to Java and object-oriented programming, the majority of the time in CSci 1913/1933 is spent on fundamental concepts such as data structures (linked lists, queues, stacks, binary search trees, directed graphs), algorithm analysis, and data structure implementation that are necessary to succeed in all of the courses following it in our sequence. I have never approved a student taking one of the 2000-level courses without first taking one of CSci 1913/1933 before."

Find a course that you want to take but the section you are interested in is full or wait listed? Check out the Getting Into Closed Courses page to learn how to get into closed courses.

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