1998/1999 Undergraduate Calendar

Administrative Office: (126 CCB)

• Monday to Friday: 10:00 - 12:00am, 2:00 - 4:00
• Tel:(416)726-5053
• Fax:(426)736-5872

Undergrad Programme Office: (125 CCB)

• Monday to Friday:9:00 - 12:00am, 2:00 - 4:00
• Tel:(416)726-5443

York University Web Site

• www.yorku.ca

Computer Science Web Site

• www.cs.yorku.ca

Mailing Address

Department of Computer Science
126 CCB,
York University
4700 Keele Street
Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3

The Department is pleased to announce that all Computer Science honours programmes offered in the Faculty of Pure and Applied Science and the Faculty of Arts, with the exception of the BA honours minor, have been accredited by the Computer Science Accreditation Council (CSAC).

The Computer Science Accreditation Council is an autonomous body established by the Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS). The purpose of accreditation is to identify those institutions that offer computer programmes worthy of recognition. The objectives of the Council are:

• to formulate and maintain high educational standards for Canadian universities offering computer and information science programmes, and to assist those institutions in planning and carrying out education programmes.
• to promote and advance all phases of computer and information science education with the aim of promoting public welfare through the development of better educated computer professionals.
• to foster a cooperative approach to computer and information science education between industry, government, and educators to meet the changing needs of society.

The report of the accreditation committee notes about the department:

• The faculty provides broad coverage of contemporary Computer Science.
• Faculty members are committed to undergraduate teaching, enthusiastic about the Department, and optimistic in their outlook.
• course offerings are generally of high calibre, including both breadth and depth within Computer Science.
• the Industrial Internship Programme provides students with valuable exposure to current practices in the computing industry.

The educational background of students who seek admission to a computer science degree programme generally belongs to one of two categories. The requirements for each are outlined below.

In each case a student must first have been admitted to either the Faculty of Arts (for the BA degree) or the Faculty of Pure and Applied Science (for the B.Sc. degree). Each Faculty has certain admission requirements that must be met. The requirements described below are in addition to these faculty admission requirements (which are not described here).

1. Entry with only secondary school background
   If a student's only academic background is at the OAC level admission to a computer science major requires:

   • an overall OAC average of 77%.
   • at least 2 mathematics OACs (one must be calculus) with an average over all mathematics credits (i.e. an average over all 3 if 3 OACs were taken) of 75% with no mathematics grade less than 65%.

   For students from outside Ontario with only secondary school credits the York Admissions Office will assess the equivalency of that educational background.

2. Entry with post-secondary academic background
   This category includes the following:
   • students who are already admitted to York and wish to change their major.
   • students who transfer from other universities in Canada.
   • students who have completed courses at any post-secondary educational institution anywhere in the world.
   • students who have completed courses at a community college in Ontario or CEGEP in Quebec.

   Admission to a computer science degree programme requires:

   • a B (6.0) average over all courses taken.
   • at least 6 credits of mathematics, with a C+ (5.0) average over all major stream mathematics credits taken and/or a B (6.0) average over all service stream mathematics credits.

   The York Admissions Office will assess the conversion of grades from other institutions to the York grade scale.

Changing your Major to Computer Science?
Please note that category 2 above applies to you if you are already a York student and want to change your major - that is:

• a B (6.0) average over all courses taken at York.
• at least 6 credits of mathematics, with a C+ (5.0) average over all mathematics credits taken and/or a B (6.0) average over all service stream mathematics credits.

NOTE: Students who have a post-secondary education from an institution other than York, and who then take courses at York before applying to major in computer science, must meet the B (6.0) average in York courses. That is, the B average will be applied to both the previous academic record and to the York academic record.

Students enrol in courses using the York University Voice Response Enrolment System, typically in the few months prior to the start of each term. Computer science courses frequently reach their class size maximum, in which case the following procedures are followed.

Full courses are removed from VRES and students are invited to apply via a waiting list form. Waiting list applications are accepted up until the middle of the first week of term. A waiting list application does not constitute enrolment in a course. The student must check with the Department as to the result of their application and use a VRES Special Permission Window assigned to them if their application was successful.

• normal progress through the degree (ie. 1000-level courses in year one, 2000-level in year two, etc.). There is no guarantee that students will be able to take 3000-level computer science courses in the same term as they are completing a 2000-level computer science course for example.
• the closer to graduation, the higher the priority.

A maximum of two 2000-level computer science courses in one term is permitted.

Three 3000- or 4000-level courses per term is normal. Specialized honours students may take four upper level computer science courses. Under no circumstances will students be permitted to take five computer science courses in one term. If any student enrols in more than four upper year or two 2000-level computer science courses per term they will be removed from whichever courses the department requires space. The Department also reserves the right to move students from a course in one term to the same course in the next term should such steps be necessary to ensure equitable access to courses. This includes movement from fall to winter or winter to summer.

Students are responsible for ensuring they enrol only in courses for which they meet the prerequisites. Prerequisites include a minimum GPA over computer science courses. Students will be removed from a course if they do not meet the prerequisites, at any time before or during the course.

Students wishing to take courses at Atkinson College or at another institution should consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies for advice. A list of equivalent courses at Atkinson College is available at the Office of Science Academic Services.

For the purpose of satisfying departmental degree requirements, the number of Computer Science (COSC) credits taken outside the Department of Computer Science may not exceed 6 credits in core courses and 12 credits in total.

Core courses include all 1000- and 2000-level computer science courses, the 3000-level computer science courses satisfying the breadth requirement, and for honours programmes, any required 3000- and 4000-level computer science courses, ie. COSC3101 3.0, COSC4101 3.0, COSC4111 3.0.

1. Removal of Ordinary programmes

   Pending Senate approval, beginning in 1998/99, the Department of Computer Science will offer only Honours programmes. However, students who declared Computer Science as a major prior to 1998/99 will be permitted to continue and graduate in an Ordinary programme.

2. New GPA prerequisite in COSC

   Due to the removal of the Ordinary programmes, the COSC GPA prerequisite in the general prerequisites for each level has been changed to 4.5. Students completing an Ordinary programme may proceed under the old COSC GPA prerequisite. If the removal of Ordinary programmes is not approved, the COSC GPA prerequisite will remain as 5.0 for 4000-level courses and 4.0 for lower level courses.

3. Non-COSC, non-MATH courses

   All Honours programmes, with the exception of the BA minor, require completion of at least 30 credits that are not COSC and not MATH.

4. Organisation and Management Seminar Course

   There is a new course COSC3002 1.0, Organisation and Management Seminar. All students are encouraged to take this course since it provides important insight into the social responsibilities of a computer science professional.

5. The Switch to Java

   Java has been chosen as the introductory language for COSC1020 3.0, COSC 1030 3.0 and COSC2011 3.0. The transition to Java begins in Summer 1998. This section outlines the plan we intend to follow to facilitate changing the computer language from Turing to Java in COSC1020 3.0 and COSC1030 3.0 and also from C++ to Java in COSC2011 3.0.

   The aim of the plan is to introduce the Java language as quickly as possible and to provide support for students as they learn the new language. Support is mostly aimed at students who learned Turing previously and are faced with a class using Java in which most other students have already been introduced to Java.

   It should be noted that the aim of a computer science curriculum, even at the introductory level, is not to teach about a programming language. The aim is to use a programming language as a vehicle for teaching the concepts of software engineering. The better a programming language supports the techniques of software engineering the better it is suited to an introductory course in computer science.

   The Benefits of the Switch

   Currently students learn Turing in COSC1020 3.0 and COSC1030 3.0 and then C++ in COSC2011 3.0. Thus a switch in computer languages is required in the existing curriculum. Although in computer science we expect students to eventually be able to easily learn new languages (many courses require students to learn a new language just for that course) this switch from Turing to C++ has hindered the study of data structures, which is the main aim of COSC2011 3.0. One important benefit of using Java in COSC1020 3.0, COSC1030 3.0 and COSC2011 3.0 will be that COSC2011 3.0 will not have to introduce a new language.

   A second important benefit is that students will learn one language to quite considerable depth as compared to the current situation. This will provide a solid foundation from which to introduce the software development components of more advanced courses.

   A third benefit is that Java is an object oriented language which imposes many of the techniques of software engineering, through language requirements and constructs, that C++ leaves open to be followed only through the self-discipline of the programmer.

   The Plan

   Summer 1998

   COSC1020 3.0 will use the Java language.
   COSC1030 3.0 will mostly use Turing but will introduce some Java.
   

   Fall term - FW98/99

   COSC1020 3.0 will use Java
   COSC1030 3.0 (Java) - a section taught using Java, for students who took COSC1020 3.0 in the summer
   COSC1030 3.0 (Turing) - a section taught using Turing (but introducing some Java) for students who took COSC1020 3.0 in the winter term of FW97/98
   COSC2011 3.0 (Java) - instead of C++ and data structures this course will combine an introduction to Java and data structures.
   COSC2031 3.0 (C/C++/Unix) - this course will no longer teach X-Windows, but will instead cover C/C++ and Unix. Some 3000 and 4000 level courses which require knowledge of C or C++ will require COSC2031 3.0 as a prerequisite.
   Java seminars - these will provide additional support for students to learn Java. They are primarily aimed at students who have not taken a Java version of COSC1020 3.0/COSC1030 3.0 and who are not able to take COSC2011 3.0 in the fall term. The seminars will for the most part duplicate the Java language specific parts of COSC2011 3.0. A comprehensive schedule of seminars will be announced prior to the start of the fall term. Any student may attend these seminars, and in fact everyone is encouraged to do so.
   

   Winter Term - FW98/99

   COSC1020 3.0 will use Java
   COSC1030 3.0 will use Java
   COSC2011 3.0 will combine a very brief introduction to Java, but will focus mostly on data structures. Students who have not taken a Java version of COSC1020 3.0/COSC1030 3.0 will be expected to have attended the informal seminars on Java offered during the Fall term and during the first few weeks of the winter term.
   COSC2031 3.0 (C/C++/Unix)
   Java seminars - a continuation of the fall term seminars, but only for the first month or so of the term.
   

6. Revision of COSC2031 3.0

   Because COSC2011 3.0 will no longer teach C++, COSC2031 3.0 has been revised to include instruction in C++ at the expense of eliminating instruction in windowing systems (X-Windows)

   The prerequisites of certain courses have been revised to include COSC2031 3.0 where 3000- or 4000- level course requires knowledge of C or C++. COSC2011 3.0 (SU98 or earlier) will be an alternative prerequisite in such cases.

7. New prerequisites to some upper level courses

   COSC3311 3.0, COSC3321 3.0, COSC3411 3.0, COSC4302 3.0 require COSC2031 3.0 as a prerequisite since programming in C or C++ is an important part of these courses.