Academic Advising | SoCS

It depends on how many credits you have. Please see: Course Selection Dates

Check the Registration Guide. WebAdvisor had an update so even returning students may need to skim the Tutorial. Add courses one at a time, starting with required CIS ones. You will need to be flexible with your section choices. You will need to "page" on WebAdvisor to see all of the section options.

Space is gradually added to CIS courses as we go through course selection. On October 17 and 18, fourth year CIS courses are opened. This is followed by third year courses, second year courses and first year courses as course selection windows continue to open. Space in the courses is manaully added in the morning. It should be up by 8 a.m. but sometimes it takes a few minutes longer. Please page on WebAdvisor, the first few sections may be full but other sections should have space.

Email Sarah and Greg: cscouns@uoguelph.ca from your University email, with your student number, course, and specific details.  Do not wait until late December to ask about a required CIS course that you need; by then it might be too late to register. Students who do not enrol by November 10 may find that their desired or required course sections are no longer available. Email now.

Add a different elective for now and check back periodically to see whether the course has more space or the restriction was removed. For restricted courses you may need to declare a minor. Add a different elective for now, and check the Minor section below. You can also try emailing the course contact about details Course Contacts. Do add a different elective while you wait. If the other elective works out during course selection you can swap them.

CIS pre-requisites are mandatory for CIS courses, it’s not a decision on our part. It applies to all students. This rule was decided on by SoCS Faculty many years ago, and the goal is to support students. Before the rule, Computing students would sometimes continue into future courses they were not prepared for and struggle in those as well until they were required to withdraw.

Pre-requisites are important for:

• Academic success in the course. CIS courses are like building blocks on top of each other, and if the foundation is shaky the blocks will tumble down sooner or later.
• Avoiding student struggles and stress. Completing the CIS pre-requisites ensure the student is well prepared for the next course. The way to show mastery of a topic is by passing the required course.

If you have learned the pre-requisite course material outside of university please connect with the professor and explain your experience and how that has prepared you for the course.

Taking 6 courses per semester is typically not recommended. The additional course load frequently leads to a lower final semester average.

To take 3.00 credits or more you need program counsellor approval and you need to meet the following criteria:

• have a 70% cumulative average OR
• this will be the final semester of your degree and you need to overload to graduate

If you meet the above criteria, the earliest date you may request permission is December 16, 2024. Email your request to cscouns@uoguelph.ca with the subject line: ‘Requesting a Credit Overload’ . Note: if the semester is your last semester and you require 6 courses to graduate, you may contact our office before this date. If you do not meet these requirements you have the option of adding the additional 0.5 credit without permission on the last day of the add period, January 10.

Bachelor of Computing students in CS or SENG need to take some electives outside of computing. There are two options.

Minors. Minors are 5.0 credits (usually 10 courses) you take over your 8 academic semesters. These give a good foundation and introduction to the subject. They also go on your transcript, and are an officially recognized credential.

The other option is an Area of Application. This is for students who find minors too restricted and want more flexibility in choosing electives. It requires 4.0 credits (normally 8 courses) in a subject other than CIS, of which 1.0 credits must be at the 3000 level or higher. It’s unofficial, and not recognized on the transcript. It does let students combine subjects into a custom learning plan, for example Math and Music. Again, spread over the eight academic semesters.

If you’re not sure what you like, try a variety of subjects in first year, then start focusing on one starting in second year.

Minors

The current list of minors can be seen here. They are subject to change. Minors are added, paused, or cancelled periodically.

LIST OF MINORS

There is an online form for this midway down this page, titled Undergraduate Schedule of Studies Change Request Form Please only use it to declare or change a minor. For everything else email cscouns@uoguelph.ca for details first.

The Calendar year is usually the same as the one for your major as shown on WebAdvisor. If the minor was not available then or has changed and you would like the new minor requirements you can declare the newer minor. 

The Undergraduate Calendar  lists the courses offered by all units on campus and contains the recommended schedule of studies for the Bachelor of Computing program. The schedule of studies is important, and you should plan your schedule early and follow it. To see Bachelor of Computing specific information visit the Bachelor of Computing Calendar. 
 
Course prerequisites are described in the calendar. The prerequisites for a course must be completed before you can register in that course. Dropping or failing a course may limit the courses in which you can register in the following semesters because the dropped/failed course is a prerequisite for later courses. If you need to deviate from the schedule of studies due to failing or dropping a course, then you should contact the SOCS Counsellor for help in planning your new schedule of studies. 
 
The SOCS Wiki contains course outlines for each semester, information on CIS*4900 and CIS*4910 courses and the forms used to register for these courses, instructions for applying to a SOCS undergraduate teaching assistant (UTA) position, and the executive members of the undergraduate student societies. 

Information for each course, such as course outlines, lecture notes, assignment information, and grades appears on either the University Courselink system or on the SOCS Moodle server. The course instructor will tell you which server is appropriate for the course. 
 
Most computing courses are worth 0.5 credits. There are several courses which have 0.75 credit weightings. This indicates that these courses are more demanding than a 0.5 credit course. These courses often involve different types of work from other courses, such as group projects, cumulative assignments, or more self-directed learning. 
 
When registering for a semester you should look at the recommended courses in the calendar. The schedules are listed in section X. Degree Programs under the Bachelor of Computing (B.Comp.). There are different schedules of study for the major in Computer Science and the major in Software Engineering. The majors with Co-op have their own schedule of study which is also listed on this page. It is important that you register for the courses that are listed in the schedule of studies as they are all required to complete your degree. There will normally be some credits in each semester that can be taken in your Area of Application or as electives. It is a good idea to start taking your Area of Application courses as soon as possible. 
 
Minors in Computing and Information Science are listed under the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree programs. 
 
All courses have a course code which usually looks something like this CIS*1300 and may sometimes look like this CIS*1300*0102. The first three or four letters indicate the discipline. All Computing courses begin with CIS. The next four numbers after the asterisk are the number of the course. Numbers that begin with a 1 are usually first year courses and those that begin with a 4 are normally fourth year courses. If there is a second asterisk and numbers at the end of the course code, then that is the lecture and lab section number of the course. In the CIS*1300*0102 example the 0102 indicates lecture section one of the course and lab section two. When a course has multiple lab times it will usually have a different section for each lab. 

The Area of Application (AoA) is an important part of your degree. You must complete an Area of Application as part of your Bachelor of Computing degree. The AoA is described in the calendar but it primarily consists of 4.0 credits from a discipline other than Computer Science with 1.0 of those credits being at the 3000 level or above. You should pick the area in which you wish to study from those described in the Undergraduate Calendar. If you are unsure which courses to take then look at the minors offered in other degrees, particularly the B.A. and B.Sc., to see what courses they recommend. Some disciplines that have traditionally been popular AoA’s for Computer Science students are Business, Psychology, Economics, Mathematics, Marketing, Physics, Statistics, and Studio Art. 
 
It is important to choose an Area of Application in your first year and begin taking the courses necessary to complete it. If you do not do this then you may not be able to complete your AoA requirements on time which can delay your graduation. Taking too many courses from different areas in your first year may limit your ability to complete the AoA on time. It is a good idea to plan which courses you will take for the AoA for each semester of your degree. 

Since the Area of Application is similar to a Minor, many students choose to complete a Minor. A Minor requires 5.0 credits where the AoA requires 4.0.  

Failing or dropping a course is not the end of the world. Talk to the SoCS Program Counsellors to find out what options are available to you if you want to drop or you fail a course. 

• Take initiative to develop your skills and networks
• Personal projects – learn a new language, create an app, Git contributions, Udemy etc.
• Register for Hackathons and online coding challenges (Code to Win, Hack the North etc)
• Get involved with clubs – GWiCS, SOCIS, GCC etc.
• Attend tech/career events – CUSEC, CS Games, Tech Showcase, P4E etc.

Familiarize yourself with Experience Guelph to see summer jobs (Career side), types of employers and jobs available in the tech sector. 
 
For more information on Co-op at Guelph, visit the Main Co-op page. 

Many students use Git to store their programming assignments for courses. This allows them to retrieve the assignments from anywhere and to show their work to employers. If you use Github to store your coursework, then you must use a private repository. If you store you work in a public repository this allows other students copy your work. If this happens then you will be identified in an academic misconduct case. Even if the other students use your work without your permission you can be penalized for making your work publicly available. 

Each instructor will have different policies for how assignments are to be submitted, how they are graded, and for late policies. Don’t assume that something that is allowed in one course will be the same in another course, even if it is the same instructor. 

If one of our services or something in the labs is not working, even if you aren’t sure if there is a problem or not then send email to help@socs.uoguelph.ca . It is better if problems are over-reported, than under-reported. This includes problems with the lab rooms themselves and disconnected or broken equipment. 

If you have an issue with Central U of Guelph services such as email, forgotten passwords, etc. then contact Central Computing Services (CCS) at ext. 58888 or 58888help@uoguelph.ca . 

If you encounter problems with unlocking doors/e-access for Reynolds or Thornborough with your student ID card then contact help@socs.uoguelph.ca 

If you have specific questions about using the system to complete an assignment, then contact your teaching assistant or instructor.

If you need to make a special request for computing resources or equipment then contact help@socs.uoguelph.ca .