New Student Orientation and Computer Science Advising Day
Graduate Advising begins on Advising Day typically scheduled during the week before classes begin. On Advising Day, Graduate Advisors will be available to meet with students for Academic advising.
If you are a current or newly admitted graduate student seeking for advice, please email the department during the Summer/Winter at csgrad@sfsu.edu.
Advising Schedules
New Students
Schedule meetings with advisors on the Computer Science Master's Programs Canvas page. All new students must attend the first Graduate Seminar during their first term. Seminar information will be sent to your SFSU email and posted on the Graduate Seminar Schedule. All new students are strongly encouraged to attend an Advising Day Session before the start of the Fall/Spring semester and attend the first meeting of the Graduate Seminar. Subsequently, students should meet with an advisor at least once per term.
Continuing Students
You should schedule a meeting with a graduate advisor at least once per term. For Graduate students furthering to the Ph. D. program, please see the Department Chair for additional advising and assistance.
Probation Advising
Students who need probation advising are advised to see the Graduate Advisor first. There is no need to see CS Chair unless there is some additional issue or advising needed. For more information please visit University Probation and Mandatory Advising webpage.
See Navigator Appointment Scheduler Quick Reference Guide on how to schedule your appointment.
Please email cs-dept@sfsu.edu if you are unable to access Navigator.
Keep Track of the Following
Enforcement
CS Department strictly enforces prerequisites for all courses. Prerequisites are checked by CS faculty at the beginning of each course. The final decision about whether a student is ready to take a course is made by the instructor who teaches the course.
Bulletin Rights
Students who start the study of CS under a program that is published in the Bulletin have the right to graduate with the same program in a specific time interval. However, this right does not hold for course prerequisites. The CS Department regularly improves its curriculum and as a result the prerequisites may change. Because the Bulletin is printed early (before the start of the academic year), it may not completely reflect the most recent changes to prerequisites.
Where to Check the Current Prerequisites
Students are advised to check prerequisites with the CS faculty, CS office and Web.
Computer Science students admitted to the M.S. program are required by the university to satisfy English Level I prior to the end of their first year of study at SF State, or by the date set within your admission letter. English Level I is satisfied by obtaining either a) a score of 4 or better on the GRE Analytical Writing Exam or b) a passing grade in SCI 614 or CHS 514 (Graduate Writing Skills classes offered through the College of Extended Learning (CEL), follow this link for more information: College of Extended Learning website. Students may enroll in CHS 514 if all sections of SCI 614 are full. SCI 614 is strongly recommended for all students who wish to develop their skills in professional writing.
The Computer Science MS Degree requirements are posted in SF State's Bulletin: University Computer Science Graduate Program Bulletin web page.
Note: Course descriptions of Graduate courses are posted in SF State Bulletin as well.
- All new students must attend the first Graduate Seminar during their first term. Seminar information will be sent to your SFSU email and posted on the Graduate Seminar Schedule.
If you are a Conditionally Classified student with specific prerequisite courses assigned, you should sign up for those classes first before registering for the graduate level core courses. The online registration system may prevent you from enrolling in lower level undergraduate classes during your assigned registration period. When this happens, simply pay your fees before the deadline, and attend the first class meeting of the class in which you are hoping to enroll, let the instructor know you need a permit number to add the class because you were unable to register for the class ahead of time. Our instructors are aware of this problem and will save seats for our conditionally classified graduate students who must enroll in these lower level courses.
If you are a Classified student unsure of which classes to enroll, you can either:
- Check the CS website and follow the recommended sequence of study and sign up for core courses. Please be aware of the Bursar's office refund schedule and the ADD and DROP deadlines. For more information see Bursar's office website.
- Wait until you arrive on campus and register for courses after advising; however please be aware of the university fee payment schedule.
Forms
Academic Bulletin Quick Links