The department of Computer Science is making several program modifications to improve student outcomes, increase flexibility, and ensure that students are better prepared to succeed throughout their Computer Science education.
Note that all of these changes will come into effect for students who enter the program for the Fall 2023 term (September 2023). Students who are already in a Computer Science program are subject to the program requirements (entry, continuation, and graduation) that are active at the time their program of study is declared. Be sure to declare your program as soon as you know the path you wish to pursue. U1 students able to declare as a Computer Science Major/Honours student under the current Academic Calendar at the end of the Winter 2023 term will need to consult with a U1 Academic Advisor to verify your eligibility and determine how best to proceed.
The department of Computer Science is updating the entry requirements for the Major and Honours programs. These updates are to ensure that you have the Mathematics foundational to all Computer Science (MATH 1240) — we want to avoid you discovering you can't obtain these foundational Mathematics after entry into the program. The minimum grade requirement for MATH 1240 will be a C+ for the Major program and a B for the Honours program.
The department is also increasing the minimum entry GPA for the Major program from 2.0 to 2.5 as students having a GPA lower than 2.5 struggle to complete the Computer Science Major program. The minimum GPA of 2.5 will also be required for a student to continue in and graduate from the Major program.
The entry requirements for the Computer Science — Physics & Astronomy Joint Honours are also being updated to match the entry requirements of the individual Honours programs.
Both the Major and Honours programs will now require STAT 1150 (or STAT 2000) instead of STAT 1000 as much of Computer Science relies on a good foundation in Statistics (see Course Changes for all the courses where we will now require statistics in order to register). Further, both the Major and Honours co-op programs will now require the completion of COMP 3380 prior to the first work-term.
Any student wishing to take advantage of the new, more flexible, degree requirements presented below should consult with a Faculty of Science Academic Advisor.
For the Major program, the 18 credit hours of 3000- and 4000-level COMP courses is being broken down into more well-defined sets. The new requirements will be: 6 credit hours of additional 3000-level COMP, 6 credit hours of additional 4000-level COMP, and 6 credit hours of additional 3000- or 4000-level COMP. You should be aware that with the changes to Course prerequisites, the optimal route to graduation is for the last set of 6 credit hours to be taken at the 3000-level. This would then best be combined with the declaration of a Minor that complements your Major program (e.g., Statistics, Psychology, or Management; depending on your Computer Science interests).
For the Honours program, the 21 credit hours of 4000-level COMP courses is being reduced to 15 credit hours of 4000-level COMP courses. Along with this change will be the additional requirement of 6 credit hours of 3000- or 4000-level COMP courses. While the degree still requires 21 credit hours of additional COMP courses, 6 credit hours can now be at the 3000-level. This means that you can now meet your degree requirements while taking the 3000-level COMP electives you need to fulfill the prerequisite requirements of the 4000-level COMP courses you want to take. Note that with the change to the Honours Project course (see Course Changes for details), an Honours student choosing to complete an Honours project will now only have to register for four 4000-level COMP courses to complete that part of their degree requirements.