Frequently Asked Questions

• Questions from people who are not currently OSU students;
• Questions from current OSU students who are not CSE/CIS majors (or pre-majors); and
• Questions from current CSE/CIS majors and pre-majors.

1. Q: I work full-time and I am interested in taking some courses to get a basic knowledge of how to use computers. How do I take courses in the department?
   Ans: Probably the simplest approach would be for you to become a continuing education student at OSU. This will allow you to take courses offered by various OSU departments including this department. But note that CIS and CSE majors get priority scheduling for courses at the 300-level and above taught by the department. Other students are admitted on a space-available basis.

2. I have been a programmer/software developer for 15 years although I do not have an undergraduate degree in CS. I would like to get such a degree. What is the fastest way of doing so?
   Ans: There probably is no guaranteed quick way of getting such a degree, but there are different approaches. It is best to set up an appointment with an advisor to discuss the options you have. Please contact the Advising Office. You may also want to consider the possibility of getting into our graduate program.

3. I am a high-school senior and have been programming in C and C++ for 5 years. I am interested in becoming a professional video game software developer. How do I go about it?
   Ans: To become a good software engineer, whether it is in the field of video games or any other kind of software, a person needs a solid grounding in key concepts in programming and computing. Those concepts and skills are learned and developed in any of our bachelor degrees in the department. Note that mathematical skills and analytical thinking abilities are essential for success in software engineering; our programs, therefore, have a fairly strong math component as well.

4. I am a high-school senior and was planning to join OSU to major in one of the programs in this department. But I hear that all the IT jobs are going overseas. Should I change my plans?
   Ans: The philosophy of most career and academic counselors is to go for your passion. If you feel that computing is your passion, then go for it. There have been many studies that suggest the IT jobs are here to stay, but perhaps in a broader sector. And with the current state of the economy, the increase in job opportunities means companies will be starting to hire, and the IT sector will not produce enough students to fill necessary jobs. Some of the fastest-growing occupations nationally by percentage are IT related: Network system, data analysts, software engineers. And in the state of Ohio, various types of IT jobs were in the top 7 out of 10 jobs that are the fastest-growing occupations by percentage. Change your plans? Only you can answer that, but if you really enjoy computing, you should definitely consider pursuing a computing degree.

5. I am a student in University of XYZ. I want to transfer to Ohio State so I can work in computer animation. What should I do?
   Ans: If you are an undergraduate student, see the admissions page. If you are a graduate student, see the graduate program page.

6. I am a high-school senior and will be joining OSU in the fall. How long will it take for me to complete my CSE (or CIS) degree?
   Ans: Depends on a number of factors such as how many credit hours you will be taking each quarter, how many/which prerequisite courses you might have to take at OSU, etc. In the past few years, the average time-to-degree for both BS CSE and BS CIS majors has been 13 to 14 quarters; BA CIS students typically take somewhat fewer quarters but the number of these students is so low that averages don't make sense.

1. I am currently an undergraduate major in XYZ Department. I want to transfer to the CIS/CSE major. What should I do?
   Ans: See the admissions page (ignoring the portions that apply to non-OSU students). Be sure to read the pages that describe the prerequisites that students must complete before applying for major status.

2. I am currently a graduate student in XYZ Department. I want to simultaneously pursue an undergraduate degree in the CSE Department. What should I do?
   Ans: It is generally not possible to simultaneously pursue a graduate degree and an undergraduate degree at OSU. If you want to pursue a graduate degree in this department, see the graduate program page.

3. I am currently a graduate/advanced undergrad student in XYZ Department. I would like to take some of the more advanced classes offered by the CSE Department. Do I really need to take all the prerequisite courses?
   Ans: Students who know the material covered in the prerequisite courses do not have to take them before taking the course in question; but do not expect the instructor to go over the material from the prerequisite course because you have not taken the course.
   Note also that CIS and CSE majors get priority scheduling for courses at the 300-level and above taught by the department. Other students are admitted on a space-available basis.
   Two courses that might be of special interest to non-majors with a strong computing background are CSE 502, 768. These two courses form the Applied Software Engineering sequence and are designed for students who don't plan to pursue a degree in computing but have a strong interest in software engineering.

1. I am planning to graduate this quarter and just discovered that I am two hours short of the required number of tech elective hours. Can these hours be waived so I can graduate?
   Ans: No, sorry. All students are required to complete all the specified requirements.

2. I have transfer credit for math courses. Can I use those as tech elective hours?
   Ans: That depends. If the credit is for advanced courses (500-level or above) in some relevant topic, and if you do not have credit for another course on the same topic, this may be possible. Talk to your faculty advisor and to one of the advisors in the Advising Office.

3. I have been programming since elementary school. Do I need to take all these intro courses?
   Ans: Most students, including those who have been programming for many years, do have to take all courses starting with 221 (201 should be taken only by students who have little or no programming experience; see placement test). Note that CSE 221-222-321 form a tightly integrated sequence, so you typically cannot jump into the middle of the sequence. A (very) few students who have taken courses equivalent to the entire sequence may be able to test out of all three courses. If you think you might be one of these students, talk to one of the advisors in the Advising Office.

4. I have done a lot of real programming in my work. Do I need to take all the beginning courses?
   Ans: All students are required to complete all the curricular requirements (but also see the previous as well as the next question and the answers).

5. I know most of the material in course CSE xxx although I have not taken an equivalent course anywhere. Can I get credit for the course? How?
   Ans: If you do know most or all of the material in a given course, you may be able to get "EM" (examination) credit for the course (please consult with the university Registrar's office) for details); also contact the faculty coordinator for the particular course (see the "course syllabi" link from the departmental homepage to see who the coordinator for the course is) about this. He or she will probably ask you to take an exam similar to a final exam for the course and then decide whether or not you should receive EM credit for the course. If you get EM credit for a course, you will not have to take that course.

6. I am a CSE/CIS major. I was planning to take "CSE xyz" this quarter. But the course is not offered this quarter, and I have to graduate at the end of this quarter, and the course is required for my program. What do I do?
   Ans: You should have planned ahead (note that the departmental course bulletin, copies of which are available outside the main office, DL 395, specifies the quarters in which each course is offered). In some cases, it may be possible to find alternate courses that may be used to substitute for the course in question, but there is no guarantee of this. Talk to your faculty advisor and to one of the advisors in the Advising Office to see if there are any suitable substitutes.

7. I am a CSE/CIS major. I was planning to take "CSE xyz" but got closed out. What should I do?
   Ans: If you registered on time (i.e., when your registration window opened), you should not have been closed out; if in fact that is what happened, talk to one of the advisors in the Advising Office. If you registered late and hence got closed out, you may have to wait until the course is offered again. You may also want to try going to class for the first few days and see if there is room and whether the instructor will let you add the class. But note that this is up to the individual instructor.

8. I am in the BS CIS program and got a D in the course "CSE xyz". The Arts & Science College told me that I cannot use this course as part of my major program since my grade was less than C-. But my friend who is in CSE who also got D in the course is able to use the course as part of his major. Why is this, and isn't this unfair?
   Ans: This is because the ASC policies are different from those of the College of Engineering. It may be unfair but there is nothing the department can do about it.

9. I am looking for a job/internship; please help!
   Ans: See the Co-op/Internships/Jobs page.

10. I am about to graduate; what do I need to do?
    Ans: See the graduation procedures page.

11. I am graduating this quarter. I have looked for my advisor but I can never find him/her. Help!
    Ans: Go to his/her office during office hours (you can find information about individual faculty member's office hours from the CSE main office (tel: 292-5813)); send the person email; or call. If after several attempts, you are not able to reach your advisor, contact the Advising Office. (But please note that most faculty members are involved with a number of activities and may take a day or two to respond to your message.)

12. I don't know who my faculty advisor is. I need to file my graduation application which needs the advisor's signature. Help!
    Ans: The Advising Office will be able to tell you who your faculty advisor is.

13. I do know who my faculty advisor is but he/she is not able to answer all the questions I have. Help!
    Ans: Talk to the Advising Office and explain what the problem is. They may be able to assign a new faculty advisor for you.

14. My question is not answered here; help!
    Ans: Contact the Advising Office.

15. I have some suggestions about the program. Who should I contact?
    Ans: Please see the feedback page.