Recruiting, Placement, and Union Jobs Courses not taught by Computer Science Department faculty are taught by the following people: Recruiting, Placement, and Union Jobs The following are academic departments whose members, either full-time or part-time, work with the CS department to recruit for or administer internships, coops, fellowships, and employment in the computer industry. (Frequently there is overlap with these departments’ areas of interest.) Also involved with these programs are faculty in other disciplines, notably Engineering (in which Computer Science and Computer Engineering are both departments). Computing Practices: The Office of Information Technology provides faculty with training in computer systems in the classroom and by working on an on-going basis with students at one of the computing labs at U.S.C. See Computing Practices. Professional and Consulting Practice: This office administers the computer consulting industry licensing program for students at U.S.C. See Professional and Consulting Practice. Admission Office: The department assists with Admission and Recruitment, especially in the areas of information systems and business information systems, as well as with the recruitment of overseas undergraduate students. (In this regard, it is strongly recommended that you see the Office of Admission if you are considering taking a class with the CS Department. Instructors can be highly helpful with making contacts for you, and the faculty is especially well-connected.) Computing Practices: All computer science majors need a semester course in Discrete Math. Most are best taken in conjunction with an Introduction to Programming in Java course. If you do not take this course, you need to take at least one more course in your major before moving into upper division. See Computing Practices. Professional and Consulting Practice: The Professional and Consulting Practice office provides the primary administrative support for the CS Department's consulting classes, the major industry seminars, and the various training programs that the department oversees. See Professional and Consulting Practice. Graduate School: Students can elect to fulfill the major (or minor) requirements by taking a series of courses offered by the graduate program. See the Grad School tab in the left hand navigation pane for a description of the courses, a course list, and enrollment details. For the list of graduate courses in the main navigation pane that appear in “M.S. in Computer Science” (for example, if you use the above link to Graduate School), follow the hyperlink to the Computing Practices section. To get the most from your departmental major or minor, you should take courses that have industry connections, meet in an active program of research, and provide interaction with faculty who have worked on the industry, at R&D labs, and in academia. For example, to be sure you have taken courses that have industry connections, see the list of courses available in the main navigation pane that have an Industry Connection link. You can get an idea of the types of courses being offered by viewing their descriptions. To get an idea of the types of courses being offered and their areas of specialization, see the course list in the left-hand navigation pane. For a list of all courses in the major, click the "Courses" link in the "Courses" list. (The list is alphabetical, which helps you see course names in order of their departmental importance.) A great way to make sure you are getting what you need is to arrange a "general advising" appointment to see a major advisor. Or, if you need more targeted help, check out the graduate classes or the undergraduate courses listed under "Student Resources" in the left-hand navigation pane, which include information about the prerequisites for a departmental major. Graduate Schools: The Computing Practices office also provides a Graduate School directory. It is similar to the undergraduate directory, but with two exceptions. First, it has fewer courses listed because some graduate courses overlap with undergraduate courses. Second, it includes graduate courses at three other graduate departments: Computer Science, Physics, and Biomedical Sciences. For a description of a typical graduate course, see the Departmental directory. To view the list of graduate courses, select the "Computing Practices" category from the left-hand navigation pane and follow the "Courses" link. Courses are classified as "Information Systems" or "Business Information Systems." If you are looking for an Information Systems course and do not find it listed, it may be outside the scope of the Computer Science department; please contact the appropriate college for help with determining whether a particular course is outside the scope of Computer Science. Computer Science has a well-established undergraduate program that enables students to take both upper-level and graduate courses while still maintaining sufficient time to complete their undergraduate degree. The curriculum is structured in two parts: core and specialized courses. Students are encouraged to take a certain number of the upper-level core courses with which they have personal or professional interest before they commit themselves to taking more courses outside of their core area. These core courses prepare students to begin graduate studies in Computer Science, to develop expertise in specialized areas of computing that are of particular interest to them, or to prepare them for employment in computer industry. These courses focus on topics that are more advanced and require more preparation, usually a rigorous level of research experience. The list of core courses available on the graduate programs page has links to information on each course. Departmental and program goals determine the structure of courses in the CS department. It is important to note that the list of courses does not imply that all of these courses are available in every term or every time they are offered. In addition to the list of core courses, the department offers a selection of electives offered in conjunction with other departments (such as Business Information Systems and Psychology). Students must complete courses such as Mathematics, Computer Science, and Logic before majoring in Computer Science, and must also satisfy specific requirements in the program each term before they will be permitted to register for a computer science course. Some of the more specialized courses are restricted to the Computer Science Major or Minor, and thus are not available for all students. For more information, visit the departmental web page on courses. In addition, it is important to remember that courses are taught by faculty from many different departments within the University. Each course taught by the Computer Science Department should be arranged for by the instructor, in consultation with the computer science faculty. For information about additional computer science faculty as well as other specialties within the department, see the departmental web page on Faculty. Note that although a student's first term as a computer science major is in Fall of the student's fourth semester (or fourth year), this is subject to approval by the department. In order to request more information about computer science courses, please visit the Departmental web page on Requesting Course Information. For questions about specific computer science courses, contact their instructors or visit the office of the departmental advising division.