Computer Science Department
Registration/Enrollment Fall 2018 FAQ

Question:
I am not a computer science major but my major allows me to take CS courses. I have been denied enrollment in an upper division CS course, but I have all of the prerequisites.
Answer:
Enrollment in upper-division CS classes is restricted to majors at the beginning of each registration period. Thus, students from other majors and computer science minors will not be able to enroll in upper-division CS courses at their normal registration time. Once all CS majors have had a chance to choose their classes, registration for CS classes will be opened to everyone. We are not happy about this situation, but it has become necessary. The number of computer science majors has increased dramatically, and although we have hired new faculty members, it has not been enough to keep up with demand.We had planned to remove enrollment restrictions on April 24th. However, there have been problems with the enrollment system software so there is no current date for lifting restrictions. When we have this information, it will be posted here.Important Update:
We promised to let you know when the restrictions will be lifted and I am very happy to report that we do have a date and time when that will happen.
The major code restrictions for all CS classes at the 300 level and above will be lifted on Thursday, June 7th, between 10:00am and 10:30am. If you have been told that you will have to wait to change your major to CS until the restrictions are lifted, you can do so after 10:30am on Thursday.

Between now and the start of the Fall semester, we may be increasing class sizes and adding sections of classes, so if you are looking at a long waitlist, please know that some changes will be made. This does not guarantee that you will get into a class with long waitlist, but we encourage you to keep checking the class schedule and your webportal account for any changes.

Question:
I was enrolled in an upper division CS course, but I just received an email telling me that I was dropped. Is this a mistake? Can you explain.
Answer:

There was an error in the Enrollment Systems software. Enrollment in upper division CS courses is restricted to CS majors until all of them have had an opportunity to enroll. You should not have been able to add the class, and you have been dropped as part of the process of fixing the error. We do not have a date for lifting of restrictions on upper division CS courses, but when we do, it will be posted here. At that point all CS minors and non-CS majors will be able to add upper division CS courses (or join the wait list).
Question:
I want to take an upper-division CS elective, but the course is already full and the waitlist is very long. I really want this class, what can I do?
Answer:

Some of the most popular elective courses fill up quickly. Where possible, we are increasing the size of sections, and adding additional sections. But in many cases this is not possible. There are practical considerations that often limit us. We may not have equipment to handle larger sections, there may be no money for additional hires, and we may not be able to find qualified faculty to teach additional sections even if the budget would allow it. There are two additional options you may want to consider:

  1. Computer science majors may take one of their four electives outside the CS department with prior approval. Although we do not maintain a list of approved courses from other departments, in general many of the courses in COMPE, EE, Math, and STAT can be approved. Please email csadvise@sdsu.edu for approval once you have identified the course you want to take.
  2. There are elective courses not listed on the schedule that are offered in the Web and Mobile Applications certificate program. These courses are taught by regular CS faculty. Although designed primarily for graduate students, undergraduates are welcome to take them, and they do qualify as upper division CS electives. The downside is the cost, which is $1185 per course. We don’t encourage students to take these classes because of the added cost, but it is an option. Please see: http://ces.sdsu.edu/mobile for details, and to register.
Question:
I want to take an upper-division required CS course, but it’s already full and the waitlist is long. This class is required, and I am ready to take it.
Answer:

The waitlist does not reflect actual demand for the course. Some students will waitlist classes beyond what they actually plan to take. Also experience shows that there is usually a certain amount of natural attrition–some students will drop, other students will likely be dropped by the instructor due to missing prerequisites or failure to show up for class. Then too, it is sometimes possible for an instructor to increase the size of the section. We advise you to get on the waitlist for the classes that you need. If you are a graduating senior (December 2018 graduation) and you have been unable to get a required CS course, please advise us at once at: csadvise@sdsu.edu.
Question:
I need to take CS490, but I can’t see a way to enroll in it.
Answer:

You will be receiving an email from the department with details about enrolling in CS490. If you do not by your registration time please contact the CS office.
Question:
I am not doing well in a class and may have to retake it in the fall. However, registration is in April before final grades are posted. Classes always seem to fill up quickly. How can I re-enroll to repeat the course if all sections are full?
Answer:

You can see one of the CS advisors, or you can stop by and visit the staff at our new College of Sciences Student Success Center (4th floor of the GMCS building, room 429) to get a form that will let you retake the course. Please see: http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/success/ for more information on the new center.
Question:
I am a COMPE major and want to take an upper division course that has CS310 as a prerequisite. I have taken COMPE 260, does that count?
Answer:

No, it doesn’t. COMPE 260 is not an acceptable alternative to CS310. We have begun enforcing prerequisites, but it is up the the instructor of the course you plan to take to enforce prerequisites or not. Please check with the course instructor on this. We suggest that CS496, Data Structures for Scientists and Engineers may be an attractive option for you.