Advisee-Advisor Assignments

If you have not yet declared a concentration, you will have to go to the CAS Advising Office to obtain the registration code. If you wish to be advised by, and receive your registration code from, a Computer Science professor, please submit the Declaration or Change of Major/Minor Concentration form (CS code is 0701) to CAS and email the CS Department Secretary (csdept@cs.bu.edu). The secretary will find a Computer Science faculty advisor for you who can give in-depth advice about your interests and career plans and discuss your Computer Science degree program.

If you are unsure who your advisor is, go to www.bu.edu/studentlink, click on "Academics" and then on "Academic Advising." Your advisor, a full-time Computer Science professor, should be listed there. If not, contact the Department Secretary (csdept@cs.bu.edu) or the Director of Undergraduate Studies. If you have selected Computer Science as your minor concentration, a CS professor should be listed as your second advisor. You may chnage your advisor by filling out the Request for Change of Advisor Form, which is also available in the CS office (MCS Room 138). The new advisor must agree to take you on as an advisee and sign the form.

If you are a graduate student who does not have a Computer Science advisor, please contact the Department Secretary or the Director of Graduate Studies.

Before the Advising Meeting

Advisors will typically contact students at least two weeks before the registration start dates (available from the Registrar); contact your advisor if you do not hear from him or her by that time. To find your advisor's office, check the CS Department Directory.

You should work out a tentative course schedule for the upcoming semester ahead of the meeting, by filling a form for majors, minors, or Master's degree students. The form will help you plan your education at BU so that you will fulfill the general CAS program requirements as well as the Computer Science degree requirements by the time you graduate. It is also beneficial to work out a tentative multi-year schedule for the courses required for the CS degree, both to make sure you can graduate on time (especially since most CS courses are not offered every semester) and to help you get to the courses you are most interested in. Consider taking additional, nonrequired, CS courses that strengthen your Computer Science education. Schedules for the next semester, course home pages, and past schedules, which can give you an idea of future schedules, are available here. A full listing of all courses is in the BU Undergraduate Bulletin.

The Advising Meeting

Your advisor will go over your proposed schedule and help you spot any potential problems (although the ultimate responsibility for making sure your requirements are fulfilled lies with you). Your advisor may also be a valuable source of information on finding courses that match your interests and finding a job or continuing your education after you graduate.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the advisor will give you the Academic Advising Code (AAC) for web registration. Do not ask the staff in the CS office for your code unless you have met with your advisor. If you have to use the Registrar's registration form, then your advisor will sign it for you to take to the Registrar during the walk-in period.

If your questions were not adequately answered or if you are in any way dissatisfied with your advising meeting, please contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies.