1. Southern Connecticut State University
  3. FAQs for CS Advisement

FAQs for CS Advisement

The Computer Science Department is committed to providing strong academic advisement to students majoring and minoring in computer science.  Advisement involves much more than just acquiring your registration PIN to register for next semesters classes. 

  • Who is my advisor? Check your degree evaluation to determine your assigned Computer Science advisor. Please note that advisors sometimes change due to retirement or sabbatical leave so at the start of every semester you should check your degree evaluation to determine your academic advisor for the current semester.  Also, while you have an assigned advisor, you can meet with any other CS faculty member who is willing to advise you.  Just be sure to let your current advisor know that you are meeting with another faculty member for advisement.
  • Can my advisor just email me my pin without a meeting?  NO!! We have a strict Department Policy that faculty cannot email a student their PIN without meeting for advisement (online or in person).  The advisement process is more than just picking out your classes for next semester.  Your advisors are valuable resources that can help you with career planning, internships, minors in other fields and research opportunities (among other things).  Use this wonderful resource to your benefit.
  • When can I register?  Registration dates are based on your current class (senior, junior, etc.).  The registration calendar as well as other important registration information  can be found here: https://inside.southernct.edu/onestop/registration/dateandtime.  Be sure to register as soon as you are able to because classes do fill up fast.  Don’t wait!!
  • CSC XXX is not offered this semester.  What do I do?  This is where advisement is critical.  Not all classes are offered every semester.  For example, CSC 421: Theory of Programming Languages is typically a Fall course.   Some classes may or may not be offered over the winter or summer sessions.  Your advisor generally knows this information and can help to plan out the courses for the next year so that you can graduate in a timely fashion. 
  • I do not like to program.  What should I do?  Talk to your advisor about this.  There is certainly more to the Computer Science field then just programming but it is critical that you KNOW HOW TO PROGRAM by the time you graduate.  If you are having significant difficulty programming and are needing to repeat courses early in the programming sequence, perhaps you should consider another major or shoot for a minor in Computer Science.  Talk to your advisor about this ASAP.
  • Do I have to have a minimum grade in my CSC courses?  Yes, in some courses you do.  All students must obtain a C or better in CSC 152, CSC 212 and CSC 229 to move onto the next courses.  If the minimum grade is not met, you will have to retake the course (preferably with a grade replacement).