School of

Computer
Science

Scheduling Booklet

Class of 2014
Fall 2010

2010
 Table of Contents
Contents
I. Introduction and Overview of the Process 3
II. Dictionary of Acronyms and Terms 3
III. Overall Strategy for Building a Schedule 5
IV. The Freshman Immigration Course (FIC) 5
V. The Computing @ CM (C@CM) 6
VI. The Discrete Mathematics Course 6
VII. The First-Semester Programming Course 6
VIII. Choosing a Math Course 7
IX. Choosing a Science/Engineering Course 8
X. Choosing a Humanities Course 9
XI. Taking Other Courses 9
XII. Listing of AP/IB/Cambridge Exam Credit 10
XIII. Transfer Credit Procedures 11
XIV. Sample Fall Schedules 12
XV. Hints for Reading the Schedule of Classes 12
XVI. Dual Degrees, Double Majors and Minors 13

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I. Introduction and Overview of the Process
This document will explain some of the ins and outs of registering for your fall courses. It assumes that you have read the
Facts of Life and Frequently Asked Questions document. If you have not read that document, please read it immediately
–and read it carefully. There is much to learn about college and that learning begins now. I guess the first thing you’ll learn
is that college involves lots of reading.

As an incoming SCS freshman, you will begin registering for your fall courses over the summer, even before you arrive to
CMU. Before registering, you must (1) read lots of documents, (2) fill out lots of forms, and (3) send me your
AP/IB/Cambridge (or transfer) credit. Most students will complete the first two items by the middle of July, and will send
me their AP scores by the end of July (which is typically when ETS distributes them). Once I have all your materials, I will
remove the “hold” on your registration, and you will begin registering, using OLR (CMU’s On-Line Registration system),
aided by our Tartan’s Schedule Man. This online system automates much of the pain of laying out a complicated schedule
and finding substitute courses (if a course you want to take is filled). You’ll be advised to practice with this system in a
subsequent document. Help will be available throughout the summer for all registration issues.

It will benefit you to read the documents, fill out the forms, and get me your AP/IB/Cambridge (or transfer) credit as soon
as possible: the sooner you do this, the sooner you can register, and the sooner you register, the more likely it is that you
will get most of the classes that you want. Last year over 95% of the students got all the courses they wanted; and, almost
everyone who didn’t was able to get their first alternative choice.

There is a lot of material here, and you need to become familiar with all of it. You will take approximately 40 courses as a
CS major, to earn your degree. About 1/3 of those courses are required. You choose the remaining 2/3 from various lists of
courses. You will make some of those choices this summer. Much of what follows in this document provides the
background information that you need to know to start thinking about making these choices.

Do all the work yourself. This is your job. Getting advice from parents or siblings in college is a good idea, but you should
read all the documents and fill out all the forms by yourself. All the readings are on the web and you will fill out all the
forms online. I will be sending you email almost every week. Make sure you follow the instructions mentioned in those
emails. Hint: you should read all the documents first, so you’ll know which ones contain material relevant for filling out the
forms. I advise printing all the documents and then underling the sections that are relevant to you.

II. Dictionary of Acronyms and Terms

The following acronyms and terms are used throughout this document, the college catalog, and the class schedule.
AP Advanced Placement (program or exam; like IB, but primarily for US students)
AFS Andrew File System (where you store information, managed and backed up by CMU)
Andrew The distributed computer system that we use on campus – you already have an Andrew account
AndrewID This is NOT your student number –it is the name (sequence of letters and digits) that you enter to log
into your Andrew account; it appears right before you enter your password. My AndrewID is jacobo. Your
AndrewID and password is your passport to all sorts of websites restricted to CMU students
C@CM Computing @ Carnegie Mellon (a mini-course that SCS requires our freshmen to take in the fall)
GPA Grade Point Average (also known as Quality Point Average: QPA); course grades weighted by course units
HUB The “one-stop” place for all registration and enrollment concerns located in the basement of Warner Hall,
which serves as your interface to the university. Online, see http://www.cmu.edu/hub
IB International Baccalaureate (program or exam; like AP, but primarily for foreign students)
FIC The Freshman Immigration Course (a course that SCS requires our freshmen to take in the fall; do not
confuse it with the Immigration Course for 1st year Graduate students)
ID Number, Student ID Number, and Student Number: All of these refer to what is usually your Social
Security Number; some students (such as those with no SS number) may have special CMU issued ID
numbers.
Mini-course A course that lasts for only half a semester. C@CM is a mini-course that you must take in the fall
OC Orientation Counselor: your leader during freshman Orientation Week
OLR On-Line Registration: a system you will use to register for courses during summer and Orientation Week
R On a Schedule: Thursday (Tuesday is abbreviated by T).
On a report card: indicates a failing grade (originally R stood for “repeat”)
RA Resident Assistant: an upperclassman who helps supervise a dorm floor

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Colleges within the University
The university is divided into various academic colleges and research units. The following are the 7 colleges within CMU
and some of the majors they host:
CFA College of Fine Arts (Architecture, Art, Design, Drama, and Music degrees)
CIT Carnegie Institute of Technology (Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Mechanical engineering degrees)
H&SS Humanities and Social Sciences (Economics, English, History, Information Science, Modern Languages,
Philosophy, Social and Decision Sciences, and Statistics degrees)
Heinz H. John Heinz III School of Public Management (no undergraduate degrees)
MCS Mellon College of Science (Biology, Chemistry, Math, and Physics degrees)
SCS School of Computer Science (CS degree only)
Tepper The Tepper School of Business, formerly the School of Industrial Administration (Business Administration)

Within SCS, the only department that offers an undergraduate degree is the Computer Science Department (CSD). I use
SCS, CS, and CSD interchangeably when I am talking about undergraduate courses or students. Other departments
in SCS offer undergraduate minors or graduate degrees.
Course Numbers
The first two digits in a course number are its department identifier: e.g., 15 is computer science; 21 is math; 33 is physics.
The last three digits are the course identifier. While there is no absolute rule, 100 level courses are generally for freshman,
200 level courses are generally for sophomores, etc. I advise freshman not to take a course that is numbered at or above the
middle 200s without first talking to me and the faculty member who is teaching the course. Here are some course numbers:
Department Course Number Course Name
Art 60-011 Art Elective
Biology 03-121 Modern Biology
Chemistry 09-105 Introduction to Modern Chemistry 1
Computer Science 15-110 Introduction to Programming
Economics 73-100 Principles of Economics
English 76-101 Interpretation and Argument
History 79-104 World History
Math 21-127 Concepts of Mathematics
Modern Languages 82-201 Intermediate French 1
Music 57-002 Music Elective
Physics 33-111 Physics for Science Students 1
Psychology 85-102 Introduction to Psychology
Statistics 36-217 Probability Theory and Random Processes

Units
Each course carries a certain number of “units”. You must pass courses worth at least 360 units to graduate. Your
AP/IB/Cambridge (and transfer) credits will count toward this total. What is a unit? Units are a measure of the amount of
work that is required by a course each week, in and out of class. Most courses are 9 or 12 units. For example, a 9 unit
course will require about 9 hours of work each week. To be a full time student at CMU, you must carry a minimum of 36
units each semester. If a schedule contains more than 57 units, it is considered to be “overloaded”. First semester freshman
may not overload their schedules. I recommended a load of 45 – 55 units for a first semester CS freshmen: on average, most
carry about 49 units.

If you earn a GPA of 3.00 or higher in a semester, you may overload your schedule (up to 69 units) during the following
semester. If you earn a GPA lower than 3.00 in a semester, you may not overload your schedule during the following
semester. Note that the limit for a subsequent semester does not change until after the prior semester grades are posted.
Thus, you cannot register for a course that overloads your schedule until after your grades for the prior semester are posted.
This is a bit confusing. We will discuss it more during the IC at the end of the fall semester (if you don’t remember what IC
stands for, look it up).

Lectures, Sections, and Recitations.

Courses that meet both in Lecture and Recitation have a Lecture number and Section letter. For such courses, the lectures
correspond to one large group meeting and the sections correspond to recitations that are much smaller. Please note that you
are required to attend all course meetings –it is not a case of pick and choose between Monday/Wednesday/Friday or
Tuesday/Thursday. Some courses meet just in Sections (again, specified by a letter); there is no lecture for these courses.
See section XV Hints for Reading the Schedule of Classes, for more pragmatic information on this topic.

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Mini-courses
Mini-courses run for half a semester –about 7 weeks. All of you will take at least one mini-course in the fall, C@CM.
The university has four mini-course terms, numbered 1 through 4:
 mini-1 meets the first half of the fall semester
 mini-2 meets the second half of the fall semester
 mini-3 meets the first half of the spring semester
 mini-4 meets the second half of the spring semester.

The sections of most full semester courses are identified by a single letter of the alphabet:
15-122 A
Mini courses are different. They use a letter followed by a number. The letter is similar to a section letter, while the number
(always last) identifies the mini-term in which the course is taught. So,
99-101 A1 is a mini-course that meets during the first half of the fall semester
99-102 A2 is a mini-course that meets during the second half of the fall semester.

I recommend taking mini-courses during the first half of the semester. These finish at mid-semester. Thus, you can study
for mini finals by themselves, and they are over before most of your finals occur, at the end of the semester.

III. Overall Strategy for Building a Schedule

You want to satisfy the following requirements in your first four semesters, or sooner:
 five semesters of math (two Calculus, Matrix Algebra, Discrete Mathematics, and Probability)
 four science/engineering courses (at least two from the same department), including a lab
 a freshman writing course and a CS Technical writing course
 three humanities breadth requirements

More information about some of these requirements appears later in this document. The strategy to follow in planning your
schedule is to satisfy these requirements a soon as possible, and preferably in your first four semesters. If you have already
satisfied some of these requirements, by AP/IB/Cambridge exams, or by transfer credit, or by some other approved means,
you should focus on finishing the rest of these requirements.

There are several reasons for using this strategy. These courses are requirements, and the sooner you have them finished,
the more flexibility you will have in your schedule. That flexibility in your junior and senior years may allow you to more
easily satisfy the requirements for a double major, or take extra electives in an area that interests you. Because these courses
are normally taken by freshmen and sophomores, you can get into these courses more easily now. Avoiding these courses
until your last four semesters can create a scheduling nightmare for you.

IV. The Freshman Immigration Course (FIC)

Every entering CS freshman in the previous years has taken 15-128, the Freshman Immigration Course, and you will too.
There have been no exceptions. Sophomores who transfer into CS after their freshman year still must take this course
during their first year here. You will take this course and take it as a first semester freshman. The course meets on Tuesday
afternoons from 3:00 to 4:20. Attendance is mandatory. You are not allowed to schedule overlapping courses or conflicts
with the Freshman Immigration Course. I will check your schedule and drop you from any course that overlaps or conflicts
with the FIC.

At each meeting of the FIC two events will occur:

 You will meet a different member of the faculty, including the Dean, Department Chair, and the Associate Dean for
Education; each will talk about the School or Computer Science, some area in Computer Science, and/or their research.
 You will learn a bit more about the “rules” for being a CS major, and what you must do to graduate.

Each of you has brought a definition of “Computer Science” to CMU. Most of your definitions are probably too narrow; a
few are just plain misguided. We want to broaden your definition of Computer Science, and correct it if necessary. This
course is a wonderful introduction to the myriad of faculty and research activities at CMU; I learn something new and
interesting during every lecture. So, I think you will find this an interesting and informative course on several levels. Plus, it
is a time that all SCS freshman can meet and interact. I will often make announcements to all freshmen during this course.

There are small assignments and tasks scattered throughout the semester that go towards a passing grade in the FIC, along
with your attendance. This course is graded pass/fail and carries a weight of 1 unit.

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V. The Computing @ Carnegie Mellon
C@CM will introduce you to the campus computing environment. This course is required for graduation and you must take
it and finish it during the first half of the fall semester (mini-1). This course is not difficult to pass, but it is easy to fail: you
must put forth an effort to do the work on time and take the exams when they are scheduled. The best advice I can offer you
is to do the work, pass the tests, and satisfy the requirement.

Here is a description of C@CM from the director of the program:

Computing at Carnegie Mellon (C@CM) is a 3-unit required class that ALL incoming undergraduate
students take when they arrive on campus. The course is comprised of mostly Carnegie Mellon specific
information and helps students understand what resources are available to them and what responsibilities
they have as a user in our computing community. Class is held twice/week for 50 min for 1/2 of the
semester. There is very little work required outside of class, so students are expected to attend all classes.
This course is only offered during the fall semester. There are no test-out opportunities or summer
programs. Advanced Placement Computing Courses cannot be credited/substituted for this requirement.

The courses are listed under the “Carnegie Mellon University Studies” section of the Course Schedule. The two courses
(99-101 and 99-102) all cover the same content. This course carries a weight of 3 units and is graded pass/fail.

VI. The Discrete Mathematics Course (21-127)

Almost all students take Concepts of Mathematics (21-127), unless you perform very well on the On-Line Discrete
Mathematics Exam and/or have college level transfer credit for this course, or have taken this course at CMU prior to
arriving here this fall. There are no equivalent courses in the AP/IB/Cambridge A Level programs. You should contact me
if you are interested in attempting the place out test. If you score very well, you will be excused from taking 21-127
(although some students who are excused still take this course).

VII. The First-Semester Programming Course

All students must take one programming course during their fall semester: either 15-110 or 15-122. Here is some basic
advice about your choices.

Schedule 15-110, if you have not had the equivalent of a rigorous, full year programming course in any programming
language. This course is taught in Python and it is a brand new version offered for the first time this fall.

Schedule 15-122, if you have taken a rigorous, full year programming course exemplified by scoring 4-5 on the AP/CS A
or AB exams. This is a brand new course, new in the CS curriculum. Some of this course is taught in C, the rest in a new
language developed here at CMU.

Because of the changes in the CS curriculum, scheduling any course beyond these two is not possible! Also, because
110 is the pre-requisite for 122 you cannot take both courses at the same time.

After receiving your AP/IB/Cambridge scores, I will advise you as to which course I think is appropriate for you. We
have scheduled 15-110 and the lecture for 15-122 to meet on the same day, at the same time. So, it will be easy for you to
transfer between these courses during the first few weeks of the semester, if your find that you have scheduled the wrong
course (but, easier to move down than to move up).

You can place out of 15-110 based on your AP/IB/Cambridge credits according to the table below. There is no placing out
of 15-122.

Advanced Placement Test Score Course(s) awarded

AP CS Exam A 4 or 5 15-110
AP CS Exam AB 4 or 5 15-110
Computer Studies (IB) 6 or 7 15-110
Computing (Cambridge) A or B 15-110

In addition, for those of you who never took any of the AP courses or tests, you could take the CS Placement Test on line
(I will be sending email about this) to determine which course is best for you.
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VIII. Choosing a Math Course
This section discusses the information about your mathematics requirements (outside of Discrete Mathematics). In addition,
you must take the On-Line Calculus Placement Test.

Calculus I (21-120) is named “Differential and Integral Calculus”, and Calculus II (21-122) is named “Integration,
Differential Equations, and Approximation” at CMU.

There are two courses, for students with a limited Calculus background: Integration and Differential Equations (21-121) is
the last half of Calculus I and first half of Calculus II; Calculus of Approximation (21-123) is a mini course (6 weeks only,
half a semester), which finishes the last half of Calculus II. It is offered only during the first half of a semester. Some
students will be advised to take this variant sequence.

Students who start with 21-120 in the fall will need to take 21-122 in the spring semester. And those who start with 21-121
in the fall will need to take 21-123 in the spring semester.

After you take the On-Line Calculus Placement Test, the Math department will place you in one of the following courses:
21-120, 21-121, 21-122, 21-123, or 21-259. This placement is final and even if you did take the AP/IB/Cambridge exam.
This is why the On-Line Calculus Placement Test is important. Treat it seriously.

If you have AP/IB/Cambridge (or transfer) credit for Calculus I and II, and do well on the On-Line Calculus Placement
Test, you should consider taking either 21-241 Matrix (this is a required course), or 21-259 Calculus in 3D in the fall.
Calculus in Three Dimensions (21-259) is recommended because it is a prerequisite for some of the more popular CS
electives (mostly robotics and graphics courses) and it is a nice course to have if you are considering going to graduate
school.
If you are considering a minor or double major in Mathematics, or just like it and are good at it, consider taking Analysis I
and II (21-131 and 21-132). These courses are by invitation only!
 21-131 Analysis I Fall only: 10 units
An enriched, first course in calculus which includes a greater concentration on the foundations of the subject.
Recommended for students with some prior background in calculus and who seek a deeper calculus course.
Functions, limits, continuity; the Intermediate Value Theorem; the Riemann integral; the Fundamental Theorem of
Calculus; integrability of continuous functions; the derivative and its significance; product rule, quotient rule, chain
rule; Mean Value Theorem; inverse functions. 3 hours lecture, 2 hours recitation.
 21-132 Analysis II Spring only: 10 units
A continuation of Analysis I. L’Hopital’s rule; trigonometric, logarithmic, and exponential functions; techniques of
integration; approximation by polynomials, Taylor’s theorem; sequences, series, power series; introduction to
differential equations. 3 hours lecture, 2 hours recitation. Prerequisite: 21-131, or consent of the instructor.
Important: Because this material covered in Analysis I & II repeats Calculus I and II (at a much higher level of rigor, with
more proofs) students taking these courses will not receive credit for “placing out” of Calculus I and II. In other words, you
will need to give up your earned AP Calculus credits (if any).

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IX. Choosing a Science/Engineering Course
You are required to complete four science/engineering courses for graduation. Two courses must be from the same
department. One of the four must be a laboratory course. Physics Lab (33-104) is a full 9 unit course all by itself and it
satisfies the lab requirement. Chemistry Lab (09-101) is only a 3 unit course and must be coupled with Modern Chemistry I
(09-105) to satisfy the lab requirement. Most students satisfy their lab requirements in one of these two courses (but there
are other ways, including 27-100 and 85-310, and one more in Biology. Note that neither 18-100 nor robotics courses
satisfy the lab requirement: we are looking mostly looking for science –not engineering– labs). If you have no AP credit,
you should schedule one science or engineering course each semester for your first two years at CMU. The typical fall
semester choice for a student with no AP credit is one of the following: Modern Biology (03-121), Introduction to Modern
Chemistry (09-105) along with Chemistry Lab (09-101), Physics for Science Students I (33-111), or Matter and Interaction
I (33-131).

Information about Physics from the Dean of the Mellon College of Science:
You will see that you have a choice between three introductory physics courses: Physics for Engineering Students I
(33-106), Physics for Science Students I (33-111), and a more advanced version, Matter and Interactions I (33-131). If
you have a strong interest in physics and a good high school preparation in physics, you may wish to register for the
more advanced course (33-131), which is more challenging and requires substantially more work than the other two,
including a significant amount of programming.
All three courses stress the atomic structure of matter, and the connections between microscopic and macroscopic
views of phenomena. In addition to treating classical (Newtonian) physics, important themes are the limitations of
classical physics and the need for quantum mechanics and relativity. An important emphasis is physical modeling: the
prediction and explanation of physical phenomena starting from fundamental principles, making appropriate simplifying
assumptions and approximations. Each of these courses has a course that follows it: 33-107, 33-112, and 33-132.
Who should take 33-131 Matter and Interactions I: If you score a 4 on the AP Physics C: Mechanics exam, or 700 or
greater on the Physics SAT II exam, we encourage you to take Matter and Interactions I. In addition, if you intend to
minor or double major in physics and have a 5 on the AP Physics C: Mechanics exam, we encourage you to take Matter
and Interactions I since it will be substantially different than the physics you took in high school. If you receive a 5 on
the AP Physics C: Mechanics exam and elect to take Matter and Interactions I, you will forfeit your AP credit.”

If you have AP/IB/Cambridge (or transfer) credit for Physics I and do not want to take Physics II this semester, you may
want to consider taking 33-224 Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe – a nine unit course. Or, maybe you want to take a
different science course to count next toward your requirements. If you do plan to take Physics II, I encourage you to take it
earlier rather than later.

If you have AP/IB/Cambridge (or transfer) credit for a particular science course, you will be able to take a course in a
different department or the next course in the sequence. Here a list of the science sequences based on prerequisites.

Area AP (IB) Next Course to Take

Exam score of 4 (6)
Biology 03-121 Modern Biology
Credit for 03-011 Biology Elective
Exam score of 5 (7)
03-121 Modern Biology
Credit for 03-110 General Biology
Exam score of 4 (6)
Chemistry Credit for 09-101 Chemistry Lab and 09-106 Modern Chemistry II
09-105 Modern Chemistry I
Exam score of 5 (7)
Credit for 09-101 Chemistry Lab and
09-217 Organic Chemistry
09-105 Modern Chemistry I and
09-106 Modern Chemistry II
33-112 Physics II
Exam score of 5 (7) on Physics C: Mechanics exam
Physics or
Credit for 33-111 Physics I
33-224 Stars, Galaxies, Universe
Exam score of 5 (7) on Physics C: E&M exam
33-111 Physics I
Credit for 33-112 Physics II
33-211 Physics III
Exam score of 5 (7) on both Physics C exams
or
Credit for 33-111 Physics 1 and 33-112 Physics II
33-224 Stars, Galaxies, Universe

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X. Choosing a Humanities /Fine Arts Course
You must complete a minimum of 63 units of courses (typically 7 courses of 9 units each) from H&SS or CFA to graduate.
Within these 63 units you must take one writing course and one course from each of three different breadth categories listed
below. This leaves 27 units more, to be filled by electives (which can, but do not have to, come from these same
categories).
 The English writing course is 76-101 Interpretation and Argument. Non-native English speakers must take a placement
test: depending on the results, they may have to register for Introduction to Reading and Writing (76-100) in the fall.
 Category 1: Cognition, Choice and Behavior (CCB)
 Category 2: Economic, Political, and Social Institutions (EPSI)
 Category 3: Cultural Analysis (CA)
I advise you to finish these four requirements in your first four semesters at CMU. In fact, you must take 76-101 in your
freshman year: 50% of the students will be able to take 76-101 this fall; the other 50% will take this course in the spring.
Here is a short list of courses from these categories. The courses underlined are the typical freshman choices and have the
most seats open for freshmen.
Category 1 (CCB) Category 2 (EPSI) Category 3 (CA)
Cognition, Choice and Behavior Economic, Political and Social Cultural Analysis
Institutions
80-150 Nature of Reason 73-100 Principles of Economics 57-173 Survey of Western Music
History
80-180 The Nature of Language 79-335 Drug Use and Drug policy
79-345 Roots of Rock and Roll
80-281 Language and Thought 80-135 Intro to Political
Philosophy 76-232 African-American Studies
80-270 Philosophy of Mind
80-341 Computers, Society, and 79-104 Introduction to World
85-102 Intro to Psychology Ethics History

85-261 Abnormal Psychology 88-205 Comparative Politics 79-241 African-American History I

80-100 Intro to Philosophy

A complete listing of all the courses available for each of these three categories can be found at:
http://www.csd.cs.cmu.edu/education/bscs/hss.html

If you have AP/IB/Cambridge (or transfer) credits for a course in one of these three categories, initially select a course that
satisfies a different category. Check section XII AP/IB/Cambridge Exam Credit, in this document (Section XII) for CMU’s
policy.

XI. Taking Other Courses

To take courses in modern languages or fine arts (e.g., art, design, drama, or music), you will have to contact that
department and talk to the appropriate people there. Your Orientation Counselor will be able to direct you to departmental
offices during orientation. If you live in or near Pittsburgh, you might be able to do that this summer but please note that
many of the faculty with whom you would speak are not here during the summer. You probably should wait until you
arrive on campus for Orientation Week. Some of these courses require testing, or an audition, or the presentation of a
portfolio to gain entry. You should be able to start those arrangements during Orientation Week. I cannot make these
contacts for you: face-to-face conversations frequently yield the best results. Email may or may not work depending on the
travel schedules and office schedules of the individual to whom you send mail. Many of the faculty and advisors are off
campus during the summer and return the week of Orientation.

Modern Language Test: If you are interested in taking a modern language at Carnegie Mellon, and feel that your abilities
are higher than the introductory course, online placement tests are currently available in French, Japanese, German,
Russian, and Spanish. A modern language is not required in SCS, but can be used to fulfill your Humanities & Arts
electives. Also, it is possible to minor in a foreign language.

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XII. Listing of AP, IB, and Cambridge Credit
There is a table that summarizes CMU's AP/IB/Cambridge Policy credits. The table can be found on lie at:

http://www.csd.cs.cmu.edu/education/bscs/ap_policy.html

I am requesting that YOU send me A COPY ALL YOUR SCORES (for this year, and all previous years), whether or not
you expect to be granted credit for them. Send me a fax, email me a pdf file of your official scores, or a picture of them.
The important thing is for you to send me your scores as soon as possible (even if they are not up to date). You need to do
this even if you sent your scores directly to CMU when you applied for admission!

AP/IB/Cambridge Credit for Calculus

Those who score a 5 in the AP AB Calculus test (or 7 in the IB High Level exam, or A in the Cambridge A Level exam)
receive credit for 21-120.

Those who score a 5 in the AP BC Calculus test (or 7 in the IB High Level exam, or A in the Cambridge A Level exam)
receive credit for 21-120 and 21-122.

Those who receive a 4 in either test (or 6 in the IB High Level exam or B in the Cambridge A Level exam) you receive
conditional credit: you won’t receive final credit for these courses until you have passed the next course in the sequence.
For example, if you have credit for 21-120, you are likely to sign up for 21-122 in the fall. When you pass 21-122, your
credit for 21-120 will be finalized. If you have credit for 21-121, you will receive final credit when you pass 21-121.
Finally, recall that you must also score well enough on the On-Line Calculus Placement Exam to receive CMU credit.

AP/IB/Cambridge Credit for English

English AP/IB/Cambridge credit is also conditional upon passing a designated writing course at Carnegie Mellon. So, if
you receive a 5 on the English Language and Composition AP exam and/or the English Literature and Composition
AP exam, you receive credit for 76-011 or 76-012 English General Electives. But, you still have to take 76-101 during
your freshman year.

XIII. Transfer Credit Procedures

You may have taken college courses prior to coming to CMU. To receive transfer credit you need to provide me with the
following materials:
 A transcript with a final grade for the course
 A syllabus for the course
The Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Education will decide exactly how the credit is awarded.

The transcripts that you already sent to CMU are not sent to me. So, I do need a copy for your records. So please send me a
copy. You should send me (by mail, fax, or scanning and emailing) the official documentation. The sooner the better!

Do not just send me a URL for this documentation. I have to work with 140+ sets of incoming student records and simply
do not have the resources to verify the URL and print it for you. Likewise, do not send more information than is necessary:
copy just the pertinent sections and send them. If I have any questions or doubts, or if materials are missing or insufficient,
I will contact you.

Carnegie Mellon does not accept high school courses. It doesn’t matter how rigorous they are. Only courses taken at a
college or university can be transferred for credits.

Some American high schools have programs in association with an American college or university in which students while
in high school are allowed to take college level courses. In those instances the courses may be transferable. You can tell if
this is the case because you will receive an official grade (transcript) from the American college or university (not your
high school). If this is the case, you need to send me the syllabus and the transcript as explained above.

You need to document all your transfer credits before you register. This is especially important if you plan on using a
transfer credit to satisfy a prerequisite requirement for a course you want to take this fall.

2010
How Credits Are Awarded
AP/IB/Cambridge (and transfer) credit for a course adds that course’s units to your overall completed unit total and satisfies
part(s) of your graduation requirement. For example, if you have credit for Introduction to Physics for Science Students I
(33-111), 12 units will be added to your overall completed unit total and you will have satisfied one of the four
science/engineering course requirements. The second to last page of this document is a checklist of the courses that you
must satisfy in order to graduate with a B.S. in Computer Science. You will revisit this information with your advisor,
every semester, as we chart your progress towards graduation.

There are no grades recorded for transfer credit, so they are not used for computing your grade point average or
class rank.

XIV. Sample Fall Schedules

Below are three sample schedules. Each has a brief biography of the student building the schedule.
The first student has no AP or transfer credit. He/she took a one semester computer literacy course in high school, but has
done very little programming.
15-110 Introductory Programming 10
15-128 Freshman Immigration Course 1
21-120 Differential and Integral Calculus 10
21-127 Concepts of Mathematics 9
33-111 Physics for Science Students I 12
76-101 Interpretation and Argument 9
99-101 Computing at Carnegie Mellon 3 54 units total

The second student has AP credit for Calculus AB, Physics C: Mechanics, and English. He/she has AP credit for CS AB
(scored a 4).
15-128 Freshman Immigration Course 1
15-122 Principle of Imperative Computation 10
21-127 Concepts of Mathematics 9
21-122 Integration, Differential Equations, and Approximation 9
33-112 Physics for Science Students II 12
80-100 What Philosophy Is 9
99-102 Computing at Carnegie Mellon 3 53 units total

The third student has AP credit for CS AB (scored a 5) for Calculus BC, Chemistry, and Physics C.
15-128 Freshman Immigration Course 1
15-122 Principle of Imperative Computation 10
21-127 Concepts of Mathematics 9
21-241 Matrix Algebra 9
73-100 Economic Principles 9
76-101 Interpretation and Argument 9
99-101 Computing at Carnegie Mellon 3 53 units total

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XV. Hints for Reading the Class Schedule
Like everything new, reading the Class Schedule can seem daunting, but you will soon master it. Persevere.

Recall that courses that meet both in Lecture and Recitation have a Lecture number and Section letter. For such courses,
the lectures correspond to one large group meeting and the sections correspond to recitations that are much smaller.
Typically one will meet Monday/Wednesday/Friday and the other Tuesday/Thursday. Please note that you are required to
attend all course meetings –it is not a case of pick and choose between Monday/Wednesday/Friday or Tuesday/Thursday.
Some courses meet just in Sections (again, specified by a letter); there is no lecture for these courses. Below is an
illustration of a course that meets in two lectures and 11 recitations. For it, you will be in class 5 days/week.

Number Title/Units Lec/Sec Day Begin End Room Instructor

21120 Differential & Integral Calculus
10 Lec 1 MWF 08:30AM 09:20AM PH 100 Walker
A TR 08:30AM 09:20AM WEH 8427 Instructor TBA
B TR 08:30AM 09:20AM OSC 200 Instructor TBA
C TR 09:30AM 10:20AM DH 2122 Instructor TBA
D TR 09:30AM 10:20AM PH 226B Instructor TBA
E TR 12:30PM 01:20PM DH 1217 Instructor TBA
F TR 03:30PM 04:20PM WEH 6423 Instructor TBA
Lec 2 MWF 09:30AM 10:20PM PH 100 Walker
G TR 11:30AM 12:20PM SH 220 Instructor TBA
H TR 11:30AM 12:20PM TBD Instructor TBA
I TR 12:30PM 01:20PM PH A29 Instructor TBA
J TR 01:30PM 02:20PM WEH 8427 Instructor TBA
K TR 04:30PM 05:20PM SH220 Instructor TBA
Number/Title/Units: The course number and title appear on the top line, with the number of units appearing beneath the
title. Note that the first two digits of the number correspond to its department: 15 is CS, 21 is Math, 76 is English, etc. Of
the remaining three digits, the first digit categorizes the course by level: 1 for freshman, 2 for sophomore, 3 for junior, 4 for
senior, >4 for graduate. This categorization is approximate, but most freshmen should stick with 100- or 200-level course.
This 10 unit course meets in both lecture and recitations/sections.
Lec/Sec: There are two lectures (1-2) and eleven recitations (A-K). Note that recitations are automatically associated with
the lecture above them: sections A-F are associated with lecture 1 and sections G-K are associated with lecture 2. When you
register, you register just for a recitation; when you do so, OLR automatically registers you in the associated lecture as well.
It is important to attend the lecture that corresponds to your section, as different teachers may sequence the material they
teach differently. Even the same instructor teaching two different lectures might move at a different pace.
Day: The pattern of M/W/F for lecture and T/R for recitation is very common in Mathematics and Science courses.
Being/End: Most (3-day) lectures and recitations meet for 50 minutes; you then have 10 minutes to get to your next class.
Room: PH 100 is Porter Hall 100; WEH 8427 is Wean Hall 8427. You’ll soon learn these abbreviations and find favorite
buildings/rooms. TBD means To Be Determined.
Instructor: Often the lecture is taught by a faculty member and the recitation by a graduate student (although sometimes
the lecturer will also lead one recitation). TBA means To Be Arranged.
Below is an illustration of a course that meets in sections only. So, you will be in class three days per week.
Number Title/Units Lec/Sec Day Begin End Room Instructor
03121 Modern Biology
9 A MWF 01:30PM 02:20PM DH 2315 Brown, Burkett
B MWF 02:30PM 03:20PM DH 2315 Brown, Burkett
Here you register either for section A or B. The only difference between these sections is they meet at different times. The
same faculty members are responsible for each section (or, they just haven’t decided who will teach which yet).

Miscellaneous Information
Courses whose number starts with 98 (and/or whose title starts with STUCO) are STUdent Courses: courses taught by
CMU students for other CMU students. Like PE (Physical Education) courses, are 3 units and can be taken only pass/fail.
These units count towards graduation (up to a maximum of 9 units), but they are not used to compute your grade point
average. Mostly, these courses are for fun. You may find yourself teaching such a course before you leave CMU.
Finally, if you see a course whose days are UTR, that course is given by CMU’s campus in the middle-east country of
Qatar. Obviously, do not try to register for any course meeting at the Qatar campus.

2010
XVI. Dual Degrees, Double Majors, and Minors
To graduate, every CS student must complete a minor (unless he/she is doing multiple degrees or majors; see below). A
minor typically requires about 6 courses (specified for that minor in the catalog) in another discipline. This is about half of
the number of courses needed for a major. CS students take a minimum of about 12 CS courses when they choose to do a
double major. Some students opt to do two minors.

The difference between dual degrees and double majors is a bit confusing. I’ll try to explain the difference simply (and
therefore a bit inaccurately). A second major typically requires 12 courses in that major (and there may be double-counting
restrictions). A dual degree requires everything that a second major in that discipline would require; in addition, you must
complete any courses required by the College issuing the degree (e.g., any MCS degree requires 1 Biology, 1 Chemistry,
and 2 Physics courses). Also, students pursuing a dual degree must have at least 90 units more than the minimum required
for their first degree. So, with a CS student, you'll need at least 450 total units upon graduation for a dual degree. These
units can come from any department, but it's expected that most will be from the second degree department. Because of the
extra 90 units it is likely that a dual degree will require more than 8 semesters to complete.

As stated above, every CS student is required to have a minor, typically, by taking 6 courses (the required courses to do so
are part of the normal CS curriculum). A double major requires up to 6 extra courses which are not part of the normal
curriculum. A dual degree requires up to 6 extra courses too and in addition 90 more units (approximately 10 courses
worth). The exact number of courses will depend on what you choose for your minor or double major. Some courses may
double count – they count as part of your CS requirements and in addition they count as part of the requirements for your
double major or minor. For example, a double major in Math will have some overlapping courses with the normal CS
major. On the other hand, a double major in History will have very few.

Double majors and dual degrees are not common options amongst CS students. They require time and hard work. In
general, each graduating class has a 25-30% of their students earning a double major and less than 10% earning a dual
degree. See the document linked as Undergraduate Degree Statistics 2010 for some statistics, broken down by dual
degree, double major, and minor (to see which ones are popular and which ones were done last year).

Later on during the fall semester, we will discuss in detail what steps you need to take in order to declare (choose) a minor
or a double major. There is nothing that you need to do during your first year at CMU. There are a series of courses
that, as a CS major, you need to take independent of what your minor or double major is going to be!

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