Welcome to PSU’s Department of Computer Science

1. Welcome to PSU’s Department of Computer Science Advice and answers for post baccalaureate students interested in Computer Science Warren Harrison, Department Chair Barbara Sabath, Undergraduate Advisor Rebecca Sexton, Graduate Advisor

2. Agenda: • As a post-bac, you have options! • Bachelors or Masters…what’s the difference? • Overview of Bachelor’s Degree • What can I do to prepare for a Master’s degree? • Grad Prep • New Beginnings • Planning your program of study • Admissions to the Computer Science Dept. • Using credits and experience from your past • Questions?

3. What are your options? • Second Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science • Master’s degree in Computer Science

4. Path #1 Second Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science • Broader topical coverage than master’s program • Begin any term • Must complete all undergraduate major requirements; CS credits in addition to other courses (Math, Science, etc.) • Must maintain a C or better • Completed in as little as four years

5. What makes us unique Many of our masters students do not hold Computer Science undergraduate degrees We value diverse academic backgrounds We offer pathways for students to complete the necessary coursework that prepares them for our graduate program We don’t require any prior computer science experience in order to pursue these pathways

6. Path #2 Traditional Grad Prep Track • Begin any term • Must maintain a B or better • Completed in as little as two years plus time required for masters • Path #3New Beginnings: Accelerated Grad Prep Track • Cohorts begin summer term • Highly accelerated, full-time program (16 credits/term) • Acceptance to master’s program upon completion • Completed in 9 months (July - March) plus time required for masters

7. Bachelors or Masters? Bachelor’s Degree: Master’s Degree: May be quicker Performance Area of focus • May be quicker • Performance • Broad study

8. Planning to get a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science? Must complete all undergraduate major UG requirements Including: Public Speaking (COMM 220), Technical Writing (WR 227), Calculus (MTH 251, 252, 253), Approved Lab Science, Computer Hardware (ECE 341), and other Math and Science electives

9. Undergraduate major CS Courses (72 credits total): CS 162 Introduction to Computer Science CS 163 Data Structures CS 201 Computer Systems Programming CS 202 Programming Systems CS 250, 251 Discrete Structures I & II CS 300 Elements of Software Engineering (4 credits) CS 305 Social, Ethical, and Legal Issues (2 credits) CS 311 Computational Structures (4 credits) CS 320 Programming Languages CS 333 Introduction to Operating Systems CS 350 Algorithms and Complexity CS 486 Introduction to Database Systems CS 469, 470 Software Engineering Capstone I, II Approved upper-division computer science electives (20 credits)

10. Planning to get a Master’s Degree in Computer Science? You don’t need a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science in order to do the Master’s program. We offer two options for graduate preparatory course work for non-CS degrees Grad Prep (traditional post-bac track) New Beginnings (accelerated post-bac track)

11. Traditional Grad Prep Track 15% of the graduating class of 2014-15 Begin taking classes any term Must complete (or demonstrate mastery) of most undergraduate computer science coursework: CS 162 Introduction to Computer Science CS 163 Data Structures CS 201 Computer Systems Programming CS 202 Programming Systems CS 250, 251 Discrete Structures I & II CS 300 Elements of Software Engineering CS 311 Computational Structures CS 320 Programming Languages CS 333 Introduction to Operating Systems CS 350 Algorithms and Complexity

12. Possible Grad Prep (w/masters) Schedule Year 1 – Grad Prep (lower division) Year 3 – Master’s program Fall: CS533, Grad Elective (2) Winter: CS558, Grad Elective (2) Spring: Grad Elective (3) • Fall: CS161 • Winter: CS162, CS250 • Spring: CS163, CS251, CS201 • Summer: CS202 Year 2 – Grad Prep (upper division) Year 4 – Master’s program • Fall: CS300, CS311 • Winter: CS320, CS350 • Spring: CS333, CS581 Fall: Grad Elective (3) Winter: Grad Elective (2)

13. New Beginnings • Highly accelerated • 9 month cohort (July – March) • No prior programming experience is required • 16 hours a week in class • 30+ hours a week out of class • Students are not allowed to work off campus • Not a vocational training program

14. New Beginnings • Admission to New Beginnings is required and competitive • Applicants are expected to have: • At least a year of mathematics beyond pre-calculus • An undergraduate GPA of 3.5 of better • GRE Scores are required: A Quantitative score in the 70th percentile or above and a Verbal score in the 50th percentile or above

15. Master’s Degree in Computer Science (45 credits) • Core • CS 581 Theory of Computation • CS 558 Programming Languages • CS 533 Concepts of Operating Systems • Track • Databases • Intelligent & Adaptive Systems • Languages • Security • Software Engineering • Systems • Theory • Additional courses (electives)

16. Keep in mind… Advanced courses in Computer Science build on earlier courses. You must successfully pass or demonstrate mastery (through CPL) in order to move forward in our programs. A weak preparation in one class can lead to issues throughout the rest of your programs.

17. For that reason... We enforce prerequisites!

18. Where do I begin? • We have multiple entry points to our post-bac programs for second bachelor’s and grad prep students • No prior programming experience? • Start with CS 161 • Some programming experience? • Start with CS 162 • How should I know if I am ready for CS 162? • There is a self-placement available from our office to help you determine if you should begin at CS 161 or CS 162

19. Scheduling is IMPORTANTfor many reasons • We enforce prerequisites! Consider this when planning your program of study • Departmental Admissions is required in order to complete upper division CS courses • Planning to do the master’s? You must have all grad prep courses completed before you start.

20. Departmental Admissions Grad Prep or Second Bachelor’s? Same application and deadlines. Different requirements. Admissions takes places twice a year: Fall term (July 1st deadline) and Spring term (February 1st deadline) Students begin with CS 300 and CS 311 which are only offered in the Fall and Spring All lower division CS courses should be completed and mastered by the term you are applying to Documented by grades or Credit for Prior Learning (CPL)

21. *CS 202 Programming Systems - For those who do not complete CS 202 at PSU, you will need to demonstrate that you have gained an acceptable level of proficiency in programming through one of our Proficiency Demonstrations. - This examination is part of the final if you complete the course at PSU. - Proficiency exams are scheduled in February and July each year. Plan ahead to take this as it is part of the departmental admissions requirement if you do not complete the course here.

22. Applying to the Department for Grad Prep CS courses: 162, 163, 201, 202*, 250, and 251 with a 3.0 GPA (all attempts will be considered) Must complete all Grad Prep courses with a minimum grade of a B (for department and graduate admissions) Recommended: Take the GRE while completing the lower division Grad Prep courses All A’s in the Grad Prep will not guarantee you admission to the graduate program if you do not meet with the minimum GRE scores Quantitative: 60th percentile Verbal: 25th percentile

23. Applying to the Department for a Second Bachelor’s Degree • CS courses: 162, 163, 201, 202*, 250, and 251 with an overall GPA of 2.0 (all attempts will be considered) • MTH 251 & 252 (Calculus I and II) • An approved Lab Science sequence • COMM 220 • Required courses outside of CS must be completed with a minimum grade of a C-

24. Using Credits from Your First Degree • Chances are you have taken some (perhaps many) of our required undergraduate courses, especially Math and Science. • See transferology.com to determine if your old courses will match one of our required courses: • https://transferoloy.com/school/pdx • If your school is not in transferology, you’ll need to contact the course’s home department here at PSU and see if your course is equivalent to the one taught here. • Make sure you have your syllabus, samples of your exams/homework and the course appears on your DARS report.

25. I Have Lots of Experience • There are some courses you can waive on the basis of documented professional experience. • WR 227 (Technical Writing) and/or COM220 (Public Speaking) can be waived if you can provide us with materials documenting your experience writing and/or giving presentations at work. We will evaluate these materials based on our students from these classes. • We won’t waive these courses for writing reports or giving talks in courses at school.

26. I’ve Taken Other CS Courses Elsewhere – What about those? • If the course is in transferology, you can transfer it to replace the corresponding PSU CS course. • If the course isn’t in transferology, you’ll need to take a Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) to demonstrate that you have gained (and retain) the knowledge and skills that go with that course. • CPL is available for all of our 100- and 200- level CS major courses.

27. Thank you!