The CS major, available for students in the College of Arts and Sciences, has the following requirements:

• Familiarity with calculus through a high school course, MA 123, or similar
• 7 background courses. Currently, this means CAS CS 111, 131, 112, 132, 210, 235, 237. However, MA 242 may be counted instead of CS 132; MA 294 may be counted instead of CS 235; MA 381 may be counted instead of CS 237. Higher-level courses may, with prior approval, be sometimes substituted for background courses.
• 4 required courses: CAS CS 320, 330, 332, 350
• 4 CS electives: any four courses numbered CAS CS 400 and above

The electives allow you to put an emphasis on a particular area of computer science if you wish. See here for possible areas of emphasis, joint programs, and resources of interest to potential majors, including student organizations and career resources.

After you declare a CS major (code 0701), be sure to sign up for our cs-ugrads mailing list, as well cs-jobs and cs-internships lists if you wish to receive job-related announcements.

You will get assigned a CS advisor who will help you with the choice of courses each registration cycle (you can change your advisor by filling out this form). The advising form lists CS major requirements and CAS requirements; fill it out before the advising meeting. We recommend declaring a major early (even if you are not entirely sure—you can always change your mind), so that you can connect with the CS community.

Course Planning

Most CS major courses have prerequisites and are offered only once a year (see our courses page for more information), so it is important to plan your schedule in advance. This page can help you do so based on when you will start:

(If you prefer, you can see here for all recommended schedules on one page.)