Frequently Asked Questions
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All students who intend to study Computer Science at Memorial University begin a general B.A. or B.Sc. degree. To apply to become a student, please see the university's Admissions page, and please contact advice@mun.ca if you have any questions about the process.
Once you have been successfully accepted to study at Memorial then you can start taking the courses necessary to apply for entry into the Computer Science major programs.
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ENTRY INTO OUR UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS IS HIGHLY COMPETITIVE BECAUSE SPACE IN THE PROGRAMS AND COURSES IS LIMITED.
Each year hundreds of students enter Memorial with an intent to study computer science. The majority of those who apply do not gain entry into the program.
If you come to Memorial intending to complete a computer science degree then you must be prepared to study for an alternative degree if you are not accepted into a computer science program. |
There's no formal specification for a computer needed to study Computer Science, and we have machines available in our labs for students to use for coursework and projects. But for online study and collaboration you will need a computer at home, as well as things such as a webcam, headset and microphone. And our courses involve a lot of programming.
So we recommend:
- A PC with Windows 10, or a Mac with macOS 11 or higher that is comfortable running modern applications, such as the most recent versions of Microsoft Office, Visual Studio, and IDLE/BlueJ/Eclipse
- Processor: quad core Intel i5 or higher, AMD 3xxx series
- 16GB RAM
- 256GB SSD
- Webcam, plus Headset with microphone for listening to audio/video materials or participating in online activities.
A Chromebook is not recommended.
Some optional third and fourth year Computer Science courses involve the use of technologies such as Unity Engine and CUDA, and students taking those courses usually purchase their own computer capable of supporting those kinds of technology so that they can work on projects at home. However we have computers available in our labs that students can use for such projects, so it's not necessary for your own computer to be that high-level. And right now, given that technonology requirements can change rapidly in the fields of visual computing and gaming, we can't say what a good computer would be for those courses in two or three years' time.
CS Major: This is the set of courses that must be completed before you can apply to become a CS Major:
- Computer Science 1001, 1002, with an average of 65% or higher between them.
- Six credit hours in Critical Reading and Writing (CRW) courses, including at least 3 credit hours in English courses.
- Mathematics 1000 and 1001 (or 1090 and 1000).
- Six credit hours in other courses.
CS Minor: This is the set of courses that must be completed before you can apply to become a CS Minor:
Students who fulfill the eligibility requirements compete for a limited number of available spaces. See Frequently Asked Questions #7 and #8 for more details
You can apply for the major by submitting an Online application form before June 1. June 1 is the deadline for admission in fall, we do not accept late applications. Students will be notified of the outcome of their application approximately 4 to 5 weeks after the deadline.
There will be another round of admission in August (deadline September 1) for Winter admission.
No. The minimum eligibility requirements must be completed before you can apply for the major, and there is no way to complete them before the June 1st deadline. But if you complete the requirements in Spring semester then you will be eligible to apply for Winter admission, with an October 1st deadline.
The first thing to note is that you cannot apply for the CS major if you haven’t completed all the required courses.
Some students do not have all the required courses taken by either the June 1st or October 1st deadlines for application. If that applies to you then you can keep taking 1000 level CS courses, and electives, and apply to enter the program in the following year. Several of our current CS majors have done that. Remember, you need to take many non-CS electives to complete a degree, so you can still plan a full workload.
Note that 2000 level and higher COMP courses are reserved for majors and minors, which means that those students get to register for these courses first and all other students go on a wait list. A few weeks after registration opens, the reserved status is removed from these courses and any spaces remaining are filled with students who are on the waitlist. From that point forward, anyone with the required course prerequisites can register for those courses.
If you are not accepted into the CS Major then you should speak with an academic advisor about your next steps in your degree.
There are a limited number of spaces in our programs, so there is no minimum average grade that can guarantee acceptance.
In recent years we have seen a large increase in the number of students applying for entry into our programs. Many more students apply than there are spaces available, so selection is competitive, based on these selection criteria.
For 2022 applicants an 'A' average in one of the selection criteria was needed to be successful. We cannot say what score will be needed in future rounds, because it depends on the scores of others who apply, but it's likely to be at least an 'A' again.
The selection criteria may change for future years, so be sure to check back here if you are interested in applying in a later year.
In 2023 we will consider the following averages. Not all of these averages will apply to every applicant, and we will use the highest of the applicable averages for each applicant when ranking applicants.
- 1001, 1002 (entry courses)
- 1003, 2001, 2002, 2003 (remaining lab courses)
- All courses taken so far from 1001, 1002, 1003, 2001, 2002, 2003
- All Memorial courses (cumulative average)
Please note:
- If a course received a Pass/Fail grade then that course will not be used in the selection averages.
- A selection average cannot be based on a single numerical grade.
We suggest that potential Computer Science majors take these courses in their first year.
Students who started taking courses at Memorial University in 2017 or earlier are permitted to use these courses to satisfy the CRW requirement. Students who began their studies in 2018 or later must take CRW courses following current regulations.
No. The courses have large overlap, but they serve different purposes. So you must take COMP1002 for the CS Major.
MATH2320 contains content and activities aimed at Math students. It is a 2000-level course that requires MATH prerequisite courses be taken beforehand.
COMP1002 is required for completion of a CS major. It is an entry-level course with no prerequisites, designed to be taken in your first or second semester. It contains content and activities that are tailored for the needs of CS students going into later CS courses.
Not at all! You're right on track.
Many students take COMP1001 in their first semester, COMP1002 in their second semester (or the other way round) and then take COMP1003 in their second year of studies, to give themselves a balanced load.
Remember, CS students don't just take CS courses. You still need to take plenty of non-CS electives to be eligible to apply for the CS Major programs and to complete your degree.
So you can take COMP1003 at the start of your second year as part of a full course schedule. And then move on to courses such as COMP2001, COMP2002 and COMP2003 in the following semester.
The Computer Science and Math course requirements are the same for both a B. A and B. Sc. in Computer Science. If you pursue a B.Sc. you will be required to take additional courses in a variety of science subjects, if you pursue a B. A. you will be required to take additional HSS courses in a variety of subjects (including at least two courses in a language) and you will need to complete a minor (a group of courses in a particular subject).
As part of a B.Sc. you are required to do courses in at least four science subjects (regulation 4.6.2), and you are required to complete six credit hours in a science subject other than CS and math (regulation 4.3.1.c).
The subjects that can be considered science electives are Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Sciences, Economics, Geography, Mathematics and Statistics, Ocean Sciences, Physics, or Psychology.
You need to know when registration opens, when fees are due, when the semester starts and ends, the last dates to join and drop courses, and when exams are taking place.
We recommend that you bookmark this page, which lists all those important dates and deadlines, and more.
There is considerable flexibility in the programs offered at Memorial, so please see this page for how to find out what you need to do to complete your degree, and how and when to apply to graduate.
It is your responsibility to ensure that you fulfil all the requirements of your chosen program. In your sixth semester or earlier, you should request a degree audit from the Office of the Registrar to determine your program status.
No, you cannot receive a degree in more than one of the Smart Systems, Visual Computing and Gaming or Data-centric Computing streams.
However, Memorial University can add a further credentials notation if a student has completed the requirements for an additional CS major stream (for example if a student graduates with the Smart Systems then we can add a notation for the Visual Computing and Gaming, and vice versa). The further credentials notation does not change the degree awarded or the parchment received, but is a notation on the transcript under the degree awarded that the additional major requirements have been completed.
If you would like to get this notation you will need to email science_registrar@mun.ca once you have graduated with your degree and ask for verification that the requirements are completed. Once the Registrar’s Office confirms the requirements are completed then the notation will be added.
To apply for CS honours you need to complete an honours application form and email it to cs-ugradadv@mun.ca.
See here for information about the CICS program, including eligibility requirements, competitive admission, examples of work-term employers, and so on. Also see the University Calendar.
You must apply to graduate, it is not a process that happens automatically. The graduation timeline varies depending on which semester you complete your program requirements. To figure out how and when you should apply to graduate, visit the Registrar’s Offices Steps to Graduate website.