Academic Advising

Get Academic Advising with Computer Science!

In order to ensure you have the best university experience, our faculty and staff provide academic advising for students who are interested in or enrolled in Computer Science courses and programs. Students are encouraged to speak with an academic advisor at least once a year to discuss course or program choices, graduation requirements, etc.

We may be able to answer your questions over an email conversation. Send your questions to our Undergraduate Assistant by email advising@cs.usask.ca. If you would prefer to have a conversation in person, request in your email to schedule an appointment with one of our advisors.
All questions concerning admissions should be directed to the Admissions Office at the University of Saskatchewan. The College of Arts and Science also provides academic advising for questions concerning general degree requirements. Find out more about what the College has to offer by visiting their website.

Navigate our online advising resources below or browse through our most popular student questions. If you can't find your answer online or have more questions, let us know and we would be happy to help you out.

Advising Sheets

Advising sheets are extremely useful when ensuring you are meeting all of your degree requirements. We advise students to keep their own copy and keep it updated. Our advising sheets can be found on our Undergraduate Degree Programs page, along with additional important information regarding each degree program.  

Information from our Undergraduate Degree Programs are intended to inform students and assist with decision-making. If any of the information published by the Department of Computer Science conflicts with that published in the University of Saskatchewan Course and Program Catalogue, then the Course and Program Catalogue shall be considered the correct and official document.

Below are some additional online clarifications and advice that may answer some of your questions.

This information is intended to provide some guidance in the selection of courses in the form of recommendations about CMPT courses, but should not be seen as describing requirements. Complete program requirements are listed on our Programs page.

In the academic year 2016-2017, the Department of Computer Science introduced three new computer science courses: CMPT 140, CMPT 141, CMPT 145.  These courses are intended for all students in any program.  It’s a single stream of courses, and your level of knowledge determines where you enter the stream.

CMPT 140: Introduction to Creative Computing

  • Has no prerequisites.
  • Is intended for students who do not have Computer Science 30.
  • Designed to be accessible to all students in all Arts & Science programs.
  • Counts as a Science credit for all Arts & Science programs.
  • Introduces basic concepts of computation, emphasizing graphics, animations, and interactive systems.
  • Students will learn the basic building blocks of software.  Students will be able to write simple Python programs, and will establish literacy in computation.
  • Leads directly to CMPT 141.

CMPT 141: Introduction to Computer Science and Programming

  • Prerequisites: Computer Science 30, or CMPT 140.
  • Is intended for students in all Arts & Science programs.
  • Counts as a Science credit for all Arts & Science programs.
  • Introduces computer science and programming using the Python language.
  • Students will be able to write programs to solve computational problems that arise in professional and academic settings.
  • Leads directly to CMPT 145 and CMPT 281.

CMPT 145: Principles of Computer Science

  • Prerequisites: CMPT 141.
  • Is intended for students in all Arts & Science programs.
  • Counts as a Science credit for all Arts & Science programs.
  • Extends CMPT 141 through additional problem solving strategies, and software design strategies.
  • Students will be able to write programs to solve advanced computational problems that arise in science, engineering, and humanities.  
  • Leads directly to CMPT 214 and CMPT 270.

The Department of Computer Science is home to several different degree programs, which can be found on our Degree Programs page.

COMPUTER SCIENCE  No matter which degree you wish to pursue under the Computer Science program, the required courses are very similar in the first two years. The main differences in the first two years have to do with the choice of mathematics courses. Students do not have to decide which Computer Science degree they wish to persue in the first two years.
APPLIED COMPUTING This interdisciplinary program trains students in computer science and an application area, allowing students to work in sectors as diverse as mining and video games, agriculture and banking. There are several application areas to choose from, including Bioinformatics, Business, Data Analytics, Geomatics, and Interactive Systems Design. 

If you are interested in any of the programs in our department, but are not sure which one you'd prefer, you may contact the Department to speak to an advisor.

If you are from the College of Arts and Science, you can consider a second degree program. Programs in Arts & Science and in other colleges of this University may be combined to enable the student to obtain more than one degree in less time than if the two programs were taken separately.

If you have a previous degree in Computer Science, you should look into a M.Sc. or a Ph.D. from our Graduate Programs. The Department of Computer Science offers thesis-based master's and doctoral programs. In general, the master's program trains graduates who will become senior technical professionals in industry or prepares students for entry into a doctoral program. The doctoral program trains graduates for careers in academic or industrial research.

If you have a degree from another institution or program, please contact an advisor from the College of Arts and Science.
Students completing the Computer Systems Technology diploma from Saskatchewan Polytechnic (previously "SIAST") can apply to enter the College of Arts and Science for further study in Computer Science. Admission must be obtained through the College of Arts and Science. This information is for students who have obtained the CST diploma in 2014 or later. Students who are considering this program should speak with an advisor. Under this agreement, students may obtain a B.Sc. 4 year, Honours or Honours (SE) degree, in just over 2 years of study. We call the arrangement "Two+Two," meaning "Two courses before two full years of study."

Completion of the Saskatchewan Polytechnic Computer Technology Program transfers 54cu to the College of Arts & Science as the following courses:
  • 24cu: CMPT 141.3, 145.3, 214.3, 270.3, 350.3, 355.3, 3XX.3 (software engineering area), 3YY.3 (computer networks area)
  • 6cu: CMPT 100.3, 281.3 (not part of the CMPT major)
  • 24cu: unspecified Arts and Science, 15cu at junior level, 9 at senior level

TWO+TWO TEMPLATE

A general suggested schedule for Saskatchewan Polytechnic (SIAST) students to complete the BSc Four Year program:

Summer Before Year One:

Term 2, July and August
CMPT 215.3
CMPT 280.3

Year One:

Term 1 Term 2
CMPT 260.3 CMPT 300-level (3cu)
MATH 110.3 MATH 264.3
CMPT 300-level (3cu) CMPT 300-level (3cu)
Social Science (3cu) Social Science (3cu)
Science (3cu) Science (3cu)

Year Two:

Term 1 Term 2
STAT 245.3 MATH Sr (3cu)
Humanities Writing (3cu) Humanities Writing (3cu)
General (3cu senior) General (3cu senior)
CMPT 400-level (3cu) CMPT 400-level
CMPT 300 or 400 level (3cu) Science (3cu)

NOTES:

  • The software engineering honours degree requires another 3cu of CMPT.
  • The regular honours degree requires another 3cu of CMPT and 3cu of Mathematics.
  • In all programs covered under this agreeement, the student must have at least 42cu of senior (200-level or higher) courses from the University of Saskatchewan.  (This is the Residency Requirement)
  • Students must consult with a Computer Science advisor prior to selecting courses.
  • This agreement only applies to students who complete one of the 4 year degrees.  It does not apply to students wishing to obtain a 3 year BSc degree.  Students who entered the program with this agreement, who wish to complete a 3 year program instead, must have their transfer credits reassessed.  Contact Computer Science advising for further information.

Students completing the Computer Systems Technology diploma from SIAST can apply to enter the College of Arts and Science for further study in Computer Science. Admission must be obtained through the College of Arts and Science.

This information is for students who have obtained the CST diploma prior to 2014. Students who are considering this program should speak with an advisor. (The current agreement dated 2014 can be found among the advising items listed on this page.)

Under this agreement, students may obtain a B.Sc. 4 year, Honours or Honours (SE) degree, in just over 2 years of study.  We call the arrangement "Two+Two," meaning "Two courses before two full years of study."

Completion of the SIAST Computer Technology Program transfers 54 cu to the College of Arts and Science as the following courses:
  • 24cu: CMPT 141.3, 145.3, 214.3, 270.3, 350.3, 355.3, 3XX.3 (software engineering area), 3YY.3 (computer networks area)
  • 3cu: CMPT 100.3 (not part of the CMPT major)
  • 3cu: COMM 104.3 (Statistics)
  • 24cu: unspecified Arts and Science, 15cu at junior level, 9 at senior level

TWO+TWO TEMPLATE

A general suggested schedule for Saskatchewan Polytechnic (SIAST) students to complete the BSc Four Year program:

Summer Before Year One:

Term 2, July and August
CMPT 215.3
CMPT 280.3

Year One:

Term 1 Term 2
CMPT 260.3 CMPT 300-level (3cu)
MATH 110.3 MATH 264.3
CMPT 300-level (3cu) CMPT 300-level (3cu)
Social Science (3cu) Social Science (3cu)
Natural Science (3cu) Natural Science (3cu)

Year Two:

Term 1 Term 2
STAT Sr, eg. COMM 207.3 (3cu) MATH Sr (3cu)
Humanities Writing (3cu) Humanities Writing (3cu)
General (3cu senior) General (3cu senior)
CMPT 400-level (3cu) CMPT 400-level
CMPT 300 or 400 level (3cu) Natural Science (3cu)

NOTES:

  • The software engineering honours degree requires another 3cu of CMPT.
  • The regular honours degree requires another 3cu of CMPT and 3cu of Mathematics.
  • In all programs covered under this agreeement, the student must have at least 42cu of senior (200-level or higher) courses from the University of Saskatchewan.  (This is the Residency Requirement)
  • Students must consult with a Computer Science advisor prior to selecting courses.
  • This agreement only applies to students who complete one of the 4 year degrees.  It does not apply to students wishing to obtain a 3 year BSc degree.  Students who entered the program with this agreement, who wish to complete a 3 year program instead, must have their transfer credits reassessed.  Contact Computer Science advising for further information.

All Computer Science students are registered under the College of Arts and Science. Read up on the different programs offered by the College of Arts and Science (including Computer Science), as well as important academic information and policies on their website.