The School of Computing undergraduate academic advisors are available to answer questions regarding schedule plans, registration for computer science classes, degree requirements, or any problems the student may be experiencing in their academic progress.
The most common questions are answered below in our FAQ.
All advisors can be reached here:
Phone: 801.581.8224
Email: ugrad-help@cs.utah.edu
Make an appointment with any of our advisors!
New Students! There may be a delay in your records being transferred to our Navigate appointment system. If you cannot book an appointment using the CS/DS/SD/AI Major Advising link, use our Prospective Students link and add your uID to the comments section.
Our schedule is available two weeks in advance.
Shiva Bahamin
Office: 3421 MEB
Ann Peterson
Office: 3409 MEB
Alyssa Phillips
Office: 3417 MEB
Jordan Lane
Office: 3419 MEB
Tracy Versluis
Office: 3190 MEB
Claire Young
Office: 3423 MEB
Undergraduate Advising FAQs
Major required classes must be taken for a letter grade and will not count if they are taken as CR/NC. Major required classes are all classes listed on the degree requirement sheets, except American Institutions and the Intellectual exploration (FF*, HF, BF) courses. *Please note that for Games emphasis students, Art 1020 and DES 2615 cannot be taken as CR/NC since they are required by the major. For more CR/NC information, see this page.
I want to make an appointment with an advisor, but the scheduler is not showing any available dates?
During busy times, advising appointments can fill up fast! Appointments are available to schedule up to 2 weeks in advance. If no appointments are available, check back the following day when a new day of appointments opens, or see if another advisor has availability. If you have a quick question, you can also email ugrad-help@cs.utah.edu.
Yes! Scholarships for both the School of Computing and the College of Engineering open at the beginning of December each year and close February 1st. Scholarships are awarded for the Fall and Spring semesters of the following academic year. For more information, and to apply for scholarships during the open window, see this page.
Milestone advising appointments help ensure you are on track for graduation and taking courses that apply toward your degree. They are designed to give you an opportunity to review your academic plan with an advisor and learn about student resources. Notifications are sent to your Umail account several months before the deadline, so check your student email regularly and schedule your appointment early. Waiting until registration begins may result in limited appointment availability and could delay your ability to register for classes.
CS 2420 is the only CS class offered during summer semester. Check the Class Schedule each semester for current course offerings.
Since there aren’t many CS classes during the summer, you could work on general education courses, math/science electives, or Games classes (if you’re in the Games emphasis). A lot of students take math or physics during the summer so they don’t have to take those classes alongside time consuming CS classes. We don’t recommend taking all your general education classes during the summer, because it helps to have at least one less rigorous class each semester through graduation.
Prospective Student FAQs
Take as many math courses as you can. CS 1400 requires College Algebra (MATH 1050) as a co-requisite, and CS 1420 requires Trigonometry (MATH 1060) as a co-requisite. Being ready to start in one of these math courses (or higher) will help you make faster progress in the major. General science classes are also good preparation.
Yes, absolutely. CS 1400- Introduction to Computer Programming assumes that students have no experience with computer science concepts or programming.
The average time spent to complete a computing degree is 4.5 to 5 years, which is the same as for other engineering degrees.
Information regarding AP credit is available here: https://admissions.utah.edu/information-resources/prior-learning-credit/advanced-placement-credit/.
Make an appointment with a Kahlert School of Computing academic advisor. During your appointment, your advisor can review degree requirements, answer any questions, and help you officially declare your major. There is no separate application or admission process to declare one of these undergraduate majors.
Yes, but make sure you are also taking math and computer science classes. Due to the chain of prerequisite courses for the degree program, you should not wait to start taking these classes. You are strongly encouraged to speak with an academic advisor early to make a plan for a smooth transfer.
While students can be admitted to the University without ACT or SAT test scores, we encourage taking one of these exams if possible. Test scores may be used for direct admission to degree programs, merit scholarship consideration, and math placement.