The computer science department has established prerequisites for each course so that students will be adequately prepared for the topics covered in the course. This allows the instructor to proceed with the course in a manner that assures quality in the program.

The department strictly enforces the prerequisite policy. You should not take courses unless you satisfy the prerequisites. Otherwise, when the deficiency is detected, you will have to drop the course. All courses are checked.

Waiving a prerequisite for a course requires that the student asking for the waiver write an appeal that is voted upon by the members of the department. Appeals that request a student be allowed into a course despite having received an unsatisfactory grade (C- or below) in a prerequisite course will not be considered by the department. Appeals for other reasons will be carefully considered provided that the appeal addresses the following:

• What are the unforeseen circumstances that apply to this student’s situation that make such a waiver of a prerequisite necessary for the student to stay on track with their graduation plan? The appeal should carefully address why this student’s situation is uniquely different from that of other students. The appeal should include a detailed plan of the student’s remaining semesters before graduation and the courses that the student intends to take to meet all the requirements of the major.
• A convincing argument must be presented that the student will be able to succeed in the course for which the prerequisite is being waived. Prerequisites are intended to keep a student from getting into a course when their background knowledge and skill set is not sufficient to allow a good chance for success in the course. Hence it is incumbent upon the student to demonstrate that they have acquired the necessary knowledge and skill set by some other means than the prerequisite course.

When such an appeal is submitted, the decision as to whether or not it is granted is determined by vote of the entire department at a meeting scheduled in a timely fashion.

The College of Letters and Science and the computer science department permit students to repeat a given computer science course one time only. Note that this policy includes transfer courses. A very important consequence of this policy is that a student who does not earn a grade of C or better in certain courses that are prerequisites for a required course must withdraw from the Computer Science or Software Technology major. For example, suppose a student earns a D grade in CS 271 (Data Structures). Then s/he repeats it and earns a C- grade. Because CS 271 is a prerequisite for most 300-level courses required by the Computer Science major, he or she will not be permitted to major in Computer Science.