Undergraduate Program in Computer Science

Merger of the Computer Science Programme in Atkinson College with the Department of Computer Science in the Faculty of Pure and Applied Science (FPAS)

The Computer Science Programme in Atkinson College is being merged with the Department of Computer Science in the Faculty of Pure and Applied Science. The Senate of York University has approved a single set of degree requirements and course descriptions for the combined department, and administrative and faculty offices for Computer Science in Atkinson College have been moved to the Chemistry and Computer Science Building (CCB).  The combined Computer Science Department will continue to offer B.A. and B.Sc. degrees in Computer Science through Atkinson College, with classes offered in the evening (as well as in the daytime), year around.

How will the merger affect continuing Atkinson Computer Science students?

If you are already majoring in Computer Science through Atkinson College, and you have completed a course in at least one of the preceding three academic sessions (Fall 98, Winter 99, or Summer 99), then you will have the option of graduating either under the degree requirements which were in effect when you were admitted, or under the new degree requirements.  However, you must follow either one set of degree requirements or the other; you cannot "mix and match" parts from each.  In cases where equivalents for courses that were required under old degree requirements will no longer be offered, you may get permission from the Department to waive those parts of old degree requirements and substitute other courses in their stead.

If you have not completed any courses at York during the preceding three academic sessions, you will be expected to meet the new degree requirements, except in unusual circumstances.

The fall and winter terms of 1999-2000 will be a transition period for the curriculum, during which Atkinson Computer Science courses will be offered for the last time under their old course numbers and calendar descriptions.  Effective Summer 2000, the new  combined curriculum will be in effect, and the main programming language that students will be expected to know for upper-level courses that involve computer programming will be Java rather than C.

• If you have completed AK/COSC2411 using C, then you are advised to complete AK/COSC2412 in Fall 1999, when it will be offered for the last time using the C language.  Then you should plan to complete AK/COSC3501 in Winter 2000, as explained in the following point.
• If you have completed both AK/COSC2411 and 2412 using C, then you are advised to complete AK/COSC3501 in Fall 1999 or Winter 2000, when that course will be offered for the last time using the C language.  Alternatively, if you can complete AK/COSC2200B 3.0 (Java for C Programmers) in Fall 1999, you will be prepared to do the Java-based Data Structures course (AK/AS/SC/COSC2011) instead of the old AK/COSC3501.  There are several other things to consider if you plan to prepare for taking AK/AS/SC/COSC2011 instead of AK/COSC3501:
• AK/AS/SC/COSC2011 will not be offered in the evening during Fall/Winter 1999-2000.  (It will be offered in the evening in Summer 2000.)
• AK/COSC2200B is expected to be a popular course; so you may have difficulty getting a place in it.  The Department does not have resources to offer additional sections of that course.
• You can learn Java on your own, either by attending sections of COSC1020 (or AK/COSC2411), by attending weekend seminars or tutorials on Java which the Department plans to offer, or just by getting a book on Java and the free Java Development Kit from Sun http://java.sun.com/j2se/.

Prerequisite and new-degree-requirement substitutes

Old Atkinson Computer Science courses will be accepted as prerequisites for courses in the combined AK/AS/SC/COSC course list according to the following table of prerequisite substitutes.  The same substitutes will also be accepted in cases in which specific courses are required under the new degree requirements:

    for AK/AS/SC/COSC       substitute old AK/COSC
        1020/1030                           2411/2412
        2001                                    3431
        2011                                    3501
        2021                                    3411
        2031                                    no substitute
        3101                                    3432
        3111                                    no substitute
        3121                                    3511
        3122                                    3512
        3201                                    no substitute
        3211                                    3409A
        3212                                    3409B
        3301                                    no substitute
        3311                                    no substitute
        3321                                    3470
        3331                                    3650
        3401                                    3551
        3402                                    3551
        3408                                    3451
        3418                                    4071
        3421                                    3503
        3461                                    no substitute
        3530                                    no substitute
        4101                                    no substitute
        4111                                    4021

    for AK/AS/SC/MATH       substitute old AK/MATH
        1090                                    2441
        2320                                    2442

Old-degree-requirement substitutes

For continuing Atkinson Computer Science students who choose to graduate under the old degree requirements that were in effect when they were admitted to the Computer Science major, new AK/AS/SC/COSC courses will be accepted as substitutes for specific old degree requirements that have not yet been completed, according to the following table:

    for old AK/COSC               substitute AK/AS/SC/COSC
        3411                                    2021
        3431                                    2001
        3460                                    3201
        3501                                    2011
        3502                                    any 32xx or 33xx course
        3511                                    3121
        3512                                    3122

    for old AK/MATH               substitute AK/AS/SC/MATH
        2441                                    1090
        2442                                    2320

How will the merger affect new Atkinson Computer Science students?

Atkinson Computer Science students admitted for Fall 1999 and after will be subject to the new degree requirements.  In Fall 1999 and Winter 2000, AK/COSC2411 (Introduction to Computer Science I) will be offered as identical to AK/AS/SC/COSC1020, using the Java programming language.  In Winter 2000, AK/COSC2412 (Introduction to Computer Science II) will be offered as identical to AK/AS/SC/COSC1030, also using Java.

Administrative contacts

• The office of the Computer Science Programme in Atkinson College has been closed, and students should now contact the

  Department of Computer Science
  125 Chemistry and Computer Science Building (CCB)
  phone 736-5053

  regarding matters involving Computer Science degree requirements and courses.

• Computer Science students whose home Faculty is Atkinson College should continue to seek advice from the

  Atkinson College Office of Student and Academic Services (OSAS)
  Room 123 Atkinson
  phone 736-5222

  particularly in regard to advice about Atkinson College degree requirements, including General Education and elective requirements.