Visit www.annedawson.net for more
Computer Science Education resources
Last updated: Monday 8th March 2010, 11:13
PT by AD
Which computer course should you take?
Current course offerings are here:
http://www.annedawson.net/courses.html
Course Outlines are here:
http://www.annedawson.net/available_courses.html
For SFU/UBC transfer agreements, see below.
For all other institutions, see here.
Introduction to Computers
for Arts and
Business Students
and
Computer Programming
for Science and
Computer Science Students
Please read ...
As you're no doubt aware, computer
technology changes rapidly.
The need for people who are able to
understand and
keep up with these changes is increasing.
Universities offer a selection of
degrees
covering a variety of computer technology content.
Course content can vary widely between
universities,
and new courses are offered every year...
So which course should you take at
Consider your ultimate goal.
Do you want to be a website designer?
Do you want to run your own online business?
Do you want to be a video games
programmer?
Do you want to sell flowers on the road
side?
Whichever path you choose to take
will involve computer technology in some way.
Before you select a computer science
course,
please take the following six steps:
1. Select your chosen university.
2. Select your degree subject
3. Talk to the university admission's advisor
4. Consult this website: BC Transfer Guide for details of course
transfer agreements
5. Talk to a
6. Register for the course...
Students with no previous exposure to computers may consider a
general introduction to computers and computer science provided by CSCI100,
CSCI110,
CSCI165 or CSCI120, and for business students - courses BUSI237, CSCI110
and CSCI165.
These courses are described below:
Computing Courses for Business and Arts Students
For a good general introduction to computers and their
applications, students should consider the CSCI100
course. The course provides an overview of the fundamentals of hardware and
software. There are hands-on tutorials on the use of software packages for word
processing, spreadsheet applications, databases and presentations. Students are
introduced to website design using online tutorials on HTML. There is also a
gentle introduction to computer programming. This course is suitable for
students interested in continuing their studies in business and arts subjects.
As an alternative to CSCI100,
business students should also consider course CSCI165. This course is an elementary
introduction to the Internet and multimedia used by the Internet. Students will
study the fundamental concepts and terminology of the Internet and acquire
elementary programming skills to generate well-designed web pages. There
are no prerequisites for this course; no prior computing science background is
required and all course materials are supplied online.
If you're considering further studies in business, then BUSI237 (Introduction to Computers and
Information Systems in Business) is the course for you. BUSI237 will introduce you to computers and to
business information systems, emphasizing spreadsheets, databases and website
design. The course includes group discussions on the issues involved in the
use of information systems and the Internet in business and society. Guest speakers from the local business community talk to
students about their own experiences with information technology. This course
is a hands-on tutorial and team project based course, supplemented by guided
reading and online videos. This is a popular course and space is limited, so
sign up early!
For a gentle introduction to computer programming, you should
consider taking CSCI110
(Event-driven programming in Visual Basic).
Visual Basic is often used for commercial and business applications
because the language was designed to facilitate rapid development of graphical
user interfaces (GUIs) - in other words, windows programming. To achieve the same results with other
programming languages would require considerably more effort.
Computing Courses for
Computer Science, Math, Science and Engineering Students
For those of you considering further studies in computer science,
math, engineering or science, you should consider the CSCI120 course. This course is an elementary
introduction to computers, computer science and computer programming. Students
will study the history of computers and computing. They will be exposed to a
range of user applications and programming languages. The current and future
impact of computers on society will be discussed. Students will learn the
fundamental concepts and terminology of computer science, and acquire
elementary programming skills in the Python programming language. Treatment is
informal and no prior computing background is required. Students who have
already obtained credit for CSCI100
may be able to take CSCI120 for further credit at some
institutions.
For those of you
wishing to take a degree in computer science, you may select either CSCI101
or CSCI102 as your first computer science course. The two courses
cover similar material, but CSCI101
uses the programming language C++, and CSCI102 uses Java.
Most computer
science departments are currently using either C++ or Java as the programming
language for a first level programming course.
If you take CSCI101,
you will still be able to do further studies using
Java. The two languages have much in
common, particularly at an introductory level. Many universities and colleges
are using Java as the language of choice for students programming for the first
time. In many respects Java is a simpler
language. However, most computer science degrees include a C++ (and usually a
C) component.
Most people find
the switch from C++ to Java straightforward, but the reverse is a bit more
difficult. The switch from the C language (CSCI103)
to C++ is also straightforward because the C language is a subset of C++. You
should talk to the advisor at your chosen transfer university before deciding
on which courses to take.
Computing Courses
for Math, Science and Engineering Students
For those
interested in following a career in math, science or engineering, CSCI103
(Introduction to Scientific Programming) would be the best choice. This is a
3-credit course with Math102 as co-requisite (see details below). If you've
already taken CSCI101 or CSCI102, you cannot take CSCI103
for more credit at SFU or UBC, although you may get further credit at other
institutions.
Students
transferring to Computer Science at UBC
UBC normally
limits the number of credits students can earn for 100 level computer science
courses. Their own students can take a maximum of three 100 level CPSC courses
- CPSC100, 111 and 121 (total 12 credits), and a maximum of three 200 level
CPSC courses - CPSC211, 221 and 232 (total 12 credits). Normally UBC allow transfer students to take
courses equivalent to these plus one additional 100 level course. They allow the additional course because of
differences in structure between the UBC computer science curriculum and that
of other institutions.
Transfer
agreements with UBC change every year. You should check with the admissions
advisor at UBC before deciding on which courses to take at
At 7th March 2009, the following agreements were true:
Always check the BC Transfer Guide
for the
latest transfer agreements.
Students
transferring to Computer Science at SFU
Information
for students applying for transfer to SFU
SFU currently
runs a number of first and second level 3 credit computer science courses
including:
CMPT100: Software
Packages and Programming (equivalent to CSCI100)
CMPT102: Introduction to
Scientific Programming (equivalent to CSCI103)
CMPT110:
Event-driven programming in Visual Basic (equivalent to CSCI110)
CMPT120:
Introduction to Computing Science and Programming I (CSCI120)
CMPT150:
Introduction to Computer Design (equivalent to CSCI150)
CMPT165:
Introduction to Multimedia and the Internet (equivalent to CSCI165)
CMPT125: Introduction to Computing Science and Programming II (see below)
CMPT225: Data Structures and Programming (see below)
CMPT120 is equivalent to CSCI120, the material of CMPT120 and
CMPT125 is covered in CSCI101
(or CSCI102), and the material of CMPT225 is covered in CSCI201. Note that CSCI101, CSCI102 and CSCI201 are 4
credit courses. Students who have obtained credit for CSCI100 may not take CSCI120 for further credit at SFU.
Transfer agreements with SFU change every year. You should check
with the admissions advisor at SFU before deciding on which courses to take at
At 7th March 2009, the following agreements were true:
Always check the BC Transfer Guide
for the
latest transfer agreements.
Students considering a transfer to Computing Science at SFU should
consult the Virtual Advisor.