The 2003 Computer Science Curriculum

Three Kinds of Mismatch

Although the year-by-year phase-in of the new curriculum is designed to make the transition as smooth as possible, there are three kinds of mismatch that can occur.

Contents

1. Getting "ahead of the wave"
2. Being "overtaken by the wave"
3. Having a "deprecated" prerequisite

Mismatch 1: Getting "ahead of the wave"

The phase-in is planned so that new courses will appear in time for students following the new program. But students can get "ahead of the wave" (i.e., want or need a new course before it is introduced), for example by taking more than a full course load or by going to summer school. These students may start out following the new curriculum but new courses may be introduced too slowly to be available in time for them.

The following table lists every new course that will be introduced. For each new course, we have listed an old course that can be substituted for program completion. All the substitutions listed are "pre-approved" -- you do not need to get any other sort of approval to make these substitutions.

For several courses, there isn't a simple substitution, and so we have indicated that you should contact us to determine the program change that best suits your situation. Start by submitting your question using the query form. We will reply in email, or if appropriate, we will suggest an appointment with the Associate Chair. Be sure to get approval well before making your course selections.

Table 3: Substitutes for students "ahead of the wave"

New course to be introduced	Old course that is a program substitute
CSC165H	already available
CSC207H	available beginning Summer 2003.
CSC236H ( 30 Jun 03)	CSC238H
CSC240H ( 30 Jun 03)	no substitute (but CSC236H acceptable in all programs)
CSC263H	CSC378H
CSC265H	enriched section of CSC378H (as offered in 2001/02 and 2002/03)
CSC369H	CSC468H
CSC373H/375H	contact us
CSC363H	CSC364H
CSC365H	no substitute (but CSC363H acceptable in all programs)
STA247H	contact us

These substitutions are intended ONLY for students following a new program, and who are ready to take one of the new courses before it is offered for the first time.

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Mismatch 2: Being "overtaken by the wave"

The phase-in is planned so that students following the old program will be able to get all the courses they need before any disappear. But students can be "overtaken by the wave" (i.e., want or need a course that is no longer offered), for example, if they study part-time or take a year off for the PEY program. Old courses may begin to disappear before these students have had a chance to take them.

The following table lists every course that will be discontinued. For each old course, we have listed a new course that can be substituted for program completion. All the substitutions listed are "pre-approved" -- you do not need to get any other sort of approval to make these substitutions.

For several courses, there isn't a simple substitution, and so we have indicated that you should contact us to determine the program change that best suits your situation. Start by submitting your question using the query form. We will reply in email, or if appropriate, we will suggest an appointment with the Associate Chair. Be sure to get approval well before making your course selections.

These substitutions are intended ONLY for students following an old program, and who want to take one of the old courses after it has been offered for the last time.

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Mismatch 3: Having a "deprecated" prerequisite

Calendar entries for all of our courses have been revised to show the new courses as prerequisites. For example, CSC407H used to require CSC378H. It now requires CSC263H because that is where the data structures material from CSC378H will be covered. For now, CSC378H will still be accepted as a prerequisite for CSC407H. However, CSC407H will ultimately become oriented towards students who have taken CSC263H. As a result, CSC378H is shown farther down the list of prerequisites to indicate that it is the less preferred preparation. And in a few years, old prerequisites such as this will be removed from the calendar.

The table below summarizes the default rules that were used in updating our prerequisites, along with any material that a student may miss by having the less preferred preparation. If you find yourself in this situation, you will still be able to take the courses you want. You will not need any kind of special permission, but you should take responsibility for making up any material that you lack. It would be best to begin by asking the instructor whether he or she will be relying on that particular material. If so, you might take advantage of the old course website, the course text, or your friends who may have taken the course.

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