Advising Overview
Each student is assigned an academic advisor once they start at Seattle University. There is a three-week advising period during the middle of each quarter where students are strongly encouraged to meet with their advisors to discuss their plan for the following quarter. Students can also meet with their advisors outside of the advising period.
Student Planning
The Student Planning module at MySeattleU allows you to see your program evaluation which shows which courses you have taken, what courses you have currently registered, and what courses you need to take. It also shows your GPA, major GPA, and the number of credits you have earned so far. The module also allows you to create an academic plan where you can plan out the courses in future quarters. Here is a Getting Started guide.
IMPORTANT: Before you can register for the following quarter, you must have your academic plan approved by your advisor.
It is helpful for students to create a plan that spans multiple quarters so they can be assured to be on track for graduation. Here are some sample plans:
Each plan lays out how to complete each track with 180 credits. It is important to note that there is some flexibility in these plans and no student follows this plan exactly. There can be adjustments needed at the beginning on where students place in math. It is recommended that students start with these plans and update them as they progress through the curriculum. Advisors also have good advice on coming up with personal plans for each student.
Helpful Tips
- It is important to take courses that meet university core or major requirements. The curricula have very few "general elective" credits or extra credits that are needed to get to 180 credits. The sample plans do include general electives so students can make sure they get to 180 credits.
- It is recommended to take the introductory programming sequence (CPSC 1420-1430-2430) and the calculus sequence (MATH 1334-1335-1336) in consecutive quarters. A recommended schedule (each quarter) for first year students is a CPSC course, a calculus course, and a university core course.
- Since the initial courses are largely the same for the four different undergraduate tracks, it is not necessary to select a track right away. It is helpful to select a track in the sophomore year so the courses associated with that track can be appropriately planned.
- Science courses in physics, biology, and chemistry are divided into a 4-credit lecture course and a 1-credit lab that must be taken together in the same quarter.
- It is often necessary to have a quarter in your junior year where you are taking two required computer science courses. Based on past experience, students often find CPSC 3200, CPSC 3500, and CPSC 4100 to be the most challenging courses and it is recommended that you avoid taking these courses in the same quarter.
- The senior project is a year-long project that can only be started in fall quarter. It is necessary to complete all required 3000-level computer science courses and have a major GPA of 2.5 prior to taking project. Plans should ensure that these courses are completed prior to their senior year.
- Students thinking about study abroad should think about this early and incorporate this into their academic plan. Due to the year-long project in the senior year, students take study abroad either in their sophomore or junior years.
- Students thinking about the 5-year Fast Track BS/MS program should think about this more carefully in their junior year as it has an impact on the courses chosen during their senior year.
- Not every CS course is offered every quarter. The student resource page includes schedule information.
- The department does not offer undergraduate courses in the summer typically. Students planning to take courses in the summer should plan to take university core courses as there is typically at least one section of each UCOR course offered each summer.
- Students must apply for graduation.
