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:
- In 2023 an average of 65% or higher between both courses will be required.
- From 2024 onwards a minimum of 65% in both courses will be required.
- 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:
- Computer Science 1001, 1002:
- In 2023 an average of 65% or higher between both courses will be required.
- From 2024 onwards a minimum of 65% in both courses will be required.
- Mathematics 1000.
Students who fulfill the eligibility requirements compete for a limited number of available spaces. See Frequently Asked Questions #7 and #8 for more details
There are two rounds of admission per year, for Fall and Winter.
When applications are open you can apply for the major by submitting an online application form.
For Fall admission: Applications open on March 1st and close 11:59pm on May 31st.
For Winter admission: Applications open on August 1st and close 11:59pm on August 31st.
⚠︎ We do not accept late applications.
Students will be notified of the outcome of their application approximately 4 to 5 weeks after the deadline.
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 May 31st deadline. But if you complete the requirements in Spring semester then you will be eligible to apply for Winter admission. See the previous question for how to do that.
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 May 31st or August 31st 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.
⚠︎ 2000 level and higher COMP courses are reserved for CS majors and minors. Those courses fill with students in the CS programs. Students not accepted into a CS program are not going to be able to secure spaces in those courses.
Students who applied to enter the CS Major but were not accepted should book an appoitnment with an academic advisor about the next steps in their degree.
⚠︎ The selection criteria will change for applications submitted in 2024 and beyond, so please read carefully:
2023 (submission deadline August 31st 2023, for Winter 2024 admission): 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.
2024 onwards: Selection will be based solely on cumulative average in all courses in all subjects.
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 recent application rounds 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.
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.
Students who wish to be admitted to the Honours program must have already been accepted into the CS Major and have completed all Computer Science core courses (Computer Science 1001, 1002, 1003, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008) and obtained in these courses a grade of "B" or better, or an average of 75% or higher.
Admission is competitive and selective. Selection is based on academic performance in the courses listed above.
There are two rounds of admission per year, for Fall and Winter. When applications are open you can apply by submitting an online application form.
More information about the program can be found here.
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.