Mellon College of Science First Year Spring Scheduling Booklet

Transcription

1 Mellon College of Science First Year Spring Scheduling Booklet 1. General Information about Spring Registration 1 2. Online Registration 2 a. Instructions b. Frequently Asked Questions 3. Guidelines for Planning Your Spring Schedule 4 a. Unit Requirements b. Typical Schedules, by Major 4. MCS Core Requirements 8 a. Science Core Courses b. Humanities, Social Sciences and Fine Arts Core Courses c. Optional Courses d. Overloading 5. Selected Courses and Departments FAQs Transferring to a Different College at Carnegie Mellon 13 pg. 1

2 I. General Information about Spring Registration Overview of the Registration Process You will be responsible for registering yourself for spring courses. The date for first year registration is Thursday, November 18. In order to register, you must have your schedule approved by Dr. Grotzinger or Christine Gilchrist. You are currently on registration hold. When your proposed schedule is approved, the registration hold will be removed. You cannot register until the hold is removed. You can get your schedule approved by doing one of two things: 1. Save your proposed schedule in SIO. After you ve done this, notify us by sending an to Christine at OR 2. Meet with Dr. Grotzinger or Christine to discuss your schedule. (Call or stop by Doherty Hall 1324 to set up an appointment.) Timeline for Registration 1. Now Read the Spring 2011 Registration Guide Nov 1 Nov 15 Call to set up an appointment to meet with Dr. Grotzinger or Christine Or Save proposed spring schedule in SIO and send to [email protected] Nov 1 Nov 15 Meet with Dr. Grotzinger or Christine. Registration Hold removed after meeting. Or Schedule reviewed. Student is notified via that it is approved and hold is removed. November 18 Register for your courses! pg. 2

3 2. On Line Registration (OLR) and FAQs WHEN: WHERE: HOW: Thursday, November 18, You will have an assigned start time. Visit the HUB s website to find your time. Anywhere (as long as you can access the web) 1. Launch your web browser 2. Go to the HUB s website 3. Click on Online Registration 4. Enter your Andrew ID and password when prompted 5. Follow the instructions & register for one class at a time Q: How do I know if I have the right prerequisites to take a course? A: OLR will check to ensure that you have met all prerequisites for courses that you attempt to schedule. Courses for which you have received transfer or AP credit as well as courses in which you are currently enrolled will count as prerequisites. Check your Student Information On Line (SIO) to be sure that we have posted all of your transfer or AP credit. Any time between now and your actual registration time, you should check the prerequisites for the courses you intend to take on the Course Information On Line link on the HUB s website. Q: How many units can I sign up for? A: First year students will be able to register for a maximum of 54 units. ROTC, physical education, and StuCo courses will not count against the 54 units. Courses that exceed the 54 unit max are considered overload and cannot be scheduled until final grades are posted. You must have above a 3.0 QPA for the Fall 2010 semester to overload. Q: What time can I start using OLR? A: Your assigned start time can be found at the HUB s website. Do not feel disadvantaged if you happen to have a late time assignment. There are plenty of spaces for you in all of the first year science and math courses. While you may not get your preferred section in all cases, you will get your preferred course. Q: I m using OLR and it is asking me if I want to be placed on the waitlist... Should I say yes? A: If you try to register for a course, are told that the course is full, and are offered a space on the waitlist, accept the offer to join the waitlist. You cannot however, join the waitlist of a section of a course if you are already registered or waitlisted for another section of the same course. Also, if you put yourself on a waitlist, you should register for another course in case you do not get into the one that you are waitlisted for. You can always drop this course later if you do get off the waitlist. Q: How can I check which sections of a course have spaces available? A: Most courses have multiple sections. You can check section information to see which sections have open spaces. Log into Student Information Online and click on Plan Course Schedule under the Course Schedule heading. pg. 3

4 3. Guidelines for Planning Your Spring Schedule You are highly encouraged to take five (>= 9 units) courses this spring. When choosing your courses keep in mind the following factors: Your intended major Any advanced placement or transfer credit that you may have Your interest in humanities, social sciences or fine arts courses The optional MCS First Year Seminar mini courses (see page 7) Typical Spring Schedules: Here are outlines of basic spring semester first year schedules that are typical for students interested in majoring in Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Mathematical Sciences and Physics. If you are not sure of your major, refer to the Undecided on a Major outline. If you plan to transfer, refer to the Transferring to a Different College at Carnegie Mellon section at the end of this packet. Biological Sciences, units 21 xxx Calculus Course Physics I for Science Students Modern Chemistry II Interpretation and Argument or xx xxx Humanities, Social Sciences or Fine Arts Course And up to 12 units of any combination of the following: xx xxx Free Elective Course (see page 7) 03 3xx Introductory computational biology course* How Biological Experiments Work ** MCS First Year Seminar Mini Course (see page 7) *Computational biology can be taken in one of two ways: 1. As one semester long course: a Introduction to Computational Biology (12 units) 2. As two mini courses that can be taken in any sequence and during any semester: a Introduction to Computational Molecular Biology (6 units) and b Introduction to Computational Biological Modeling and Imaging (6 units) ** How Biological Experiments Work A Project Course, 6 units A common observation among the faculty that teach the biology core curriculum (biochemistry, cell biology and genetics) is that the students who have a deep understanding of biological experimentation fair much better, while those with no laboratory experience tend to struggle with the material. This new course is intended to provide an introduction to biological experimentation by discussing the molecular principles behind the most commonly used experiments in biology. Since we have limited bench space for actually performing these pg. 4

5 experiments and since there are very few online resources that explain these important methods at a molecular level, this class will produce storyboards for these methods. The storyboard will be used by Joel Stiles and his group at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center to create high end animations. The animations will serve as a resource for CMU students (and possibly published for outside users). Note: Students who are currently taking Phage Genomics Research or Cellular Response to the Environment are not eligible to take this course. pg. 5

6 Biological Sciences & Psychology, units 21 xxx Calculus Course Physics I for Science Students Modern Chemistry II Interpretation and Argument or xx xxx Humanities, Social Sciences or Fine Arts Course 85 2xx Psychology Survey Course Statistics for Lab Sciences or Statistical Reasoning & Practice (NOTE: Biology Majors It is important that you complete and during your first year) Chemistry, units 21 xxx Calculus Course Physics II for Science Students Modern Chemistry II Interpretation and Argument or xx xxx Humanities, Social Sciences or Fine Arts Course And up to 12 units of any combination of the following: xx xxx Free Elective Course (see page 7) xx xxx MCS First Year Seminar Mini Course (see page 7) Mathematical Sciences, units 21 xxx Calculus Course Concepts of Mathematics Physics II for Science Students Interpretation and Argument or xx xxx Humanities, Social Sciences or Fine Arts Course And up to 12 units of any combination of the following: xx xxx Free Elective Course (see page 7) xx xxx MCS First Year Seminar Mini Course (see page 7) Introduction to Math Software (see page 10) pg. 6

7 Physics, units 21 xxx Calculus Course Experimental Physics Physics II for Science Students Interpretation and Argument or xx xxx Humanities, Social Sciences or Fine Arts Course And up to 12 units of any combination of the following: xx xxx Free Elective Course (see page 7) xx xxx MCS First Year Seminar Mini Course (see page 7) Undecided on a Major, units 21 xxx Calculus Course xx xxx Science Core Course* xx xxx Science Core Course* Interpretation and Argument or xx xxx Humanities, Social Sciences or Fine Arts Course And up to 12 units of any combination of the following: xx xxx Free Elective Course (see page 7) xx xxx MCS First Year Seminar Mini Course (see page 7) * Choose the two science core courses that you would most enjoy. All majors in MCS can be completed within four years no matter which science core courses or free elective courses you choose for your first year. pg. 7

8 4. MCS Core Requirements Core requirements are courses that every MCS student has to take, regardless of their major. Science Core Courses All MCS students are required to take the following seven science core courses. Five of the seven courses should be completed by the end of your first year. The other two should be completed by the end of your third year Differential & Integral Calculus Integration, Differential Equations & Approximation Physics for Science Students I Physics for Science Students II Modern Biology Introduction to Modern Chemistry xx Programming Course 4 1 Calculus courses will vary, depending upon AP Credit and your score on the Calculus Placement Exam. 2 Or Matter & Interactions I and Matter & Interactions II 3 Or Honors Chemistry 4 Or , or Humanities, Social Sciences and Fine Arts Core Courses All MCS students are required to complete a minimum of 72 units offered by the College of Humanities & Social Sciences and/or the College of Fine Arts. For a complete list of courses that fulfill these requirements, visit: finearts/index.html. A. Designated Writing Course (9 units) If you are not taking this course now, you must take it this spring! Interpretation and Argument or Reading and Writing for an Academic Context B. Distributional Course Requirements (27 units) Complete three courses, one each from Category 1, Category 2 and Category 3. Some H&SS courses that will fulfill your requirement and are offered this spring are listed below: Category 1: Cognition, Choice and Behavior o Nature of Language o Conflict, Dispute and Resolution o Cognitive Psychology o Principles of Child Development o Social Psychology o Personality o Reason, Passion and Cognition Category 2: Economic, Political and Social Institutions o Principles of Economics o Political Philosophy pg. 8

9 o Medical Ethics Category 3: Cultural Analysis o Introduction to World History o Introduction to Philosophy o African American Literature C. Elective Course Requirements (36 units) Complete non technical courses totaling 36 units from H&SS, CFA or Business Administration. These can include language and music courses, for instance. Optional Courses Free Elective Courses Your option to take a free elective course is meant to give you some space to explore. You can choose another science core course, or you may want to take another humanities, social sciences, fine arts, engineering, computer science course, etc. It is up to you to determine the right balance between science and non science courses. MCS First Year Seminar Mini Courses This spring we will be offering faculty led mini courses for MCS first year students. These three unit, 7 week courses will give you the opportunity to establish direct intellectual contact with a faculty member and to participate in an inquiry based learning experience involving a modern science topic. Enrollment in these mini courses is limited. Below is a list of seminars being offered in the Spring B3 Genes and Diseases, 3 units (1st half mini) In this seminar, we will research and discuss several human diseases, which have known genetic causes. We will explore how the alterations in the relevant genes might cause the disease states. Note: This course is not open to those students who are currently taking B Honors Modern Biology with Dr. Berget C4 Medical Applications & Ethical Issues in Cell and Organ Research, 3 units (2nd half mini) This seminar course will discuss recent advances in molecular and cell biology, such as cloning, nuclear transfer, stem cell, embryonic stem cell, zenotransplantation, etc. These advances offer hope in the treatment of diseases, such as Alzheimer s, Parkinson, diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease, stroke, etc. as well as to provide new sources for blood substitutes and organs for transplantation. At the same time, these advances and their applications also raise serious ethical issues in our society. This seminar offers a forum to discuss some of these issues. Overloading An overload is 55 or more units, or approximately 6 courses of 9 units or more. First year students are not permitted to carry an overload until they have demonstrated their ability to carry a normal load of courses successfully. That means earning a quality point average of 3.0 or higher for the fall semester and you must wait until your final grades are posted before you can add a course that will put you over 54 units. However, ROTC students and students interested in physical education or StuCo classes may overload with these courses during the spring. pg. 9

10 Since your final grades will not be out when you are registering for spring courses in November, you will only be able to register for 54 units or less. When you return for the spring semester in January, see Dr. Grotzinger or Christine Gilchrist, if you want to carry an overload. pg. 10

11 5. Selected Courses and Departments FAQs Q: Which Calculus course should I take in the Spring? A: All MCS students are required to take 20 units of calculus. If you are currently taking Calculus of Approximation, or Integration, Differential Equations and Approximation, the college does not require you to take another calculus course in the spring. However, the departments of Mathematical Sciences and Physics do require their students to take Calculus in Three Dimensions. If you are planning to major in one of these departments and you will complete or during the current fall term, you should choose Chemistry majors are required to take Mathematical Methods for Chemists, typically in the fall of their second year. If you plan to major in Biological Sciences, you can elect to take an additional math course or add an extra free elective in place of the calculus course for the spring. Q: Which programming course will fulfill my MCS requirement? A: The School of Computer Science offers three programming courses that fulfill your requirement: Programming with Alice, Exploring Programming with Graphics, and Introduction to Programming. My recommendation is that if you have had no programming experience, take either or Q: What is Introduction to Math Software? A: Introduction to Mathematical Software is a three unit mini course introduces the use of several software packages, which are useful to mathematics students. Among the packages are Mathematica for symbolic computing, LaTeX for mathematical documents and Matlab for numerical computing. The course will also introduce the mathematical facilities built into spreadsheets such as Excel. The aim of the course is to provide the student with some basic skills in the use of this software without attempting complete coverage. Q: Can I take a Modern Languages course? Which courses are available? A: Introductory Language Courses For students who have not previously studied French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Italian, Japanese or Russian, the following elementary level courses are available this spring: o /102 Elementary French I/II o /122 Elementary German I/II o Elementary Mandarin Chinese II o /142 Elementary Spanish I/II o Elementary Italian II o Elementary Japanese II o Beginning Russian II Upper Level Language Courses If you have studied French, German, Spanish, or Russian elsewhere and wish to continue studying those languages at Carnegie Mellon, the Modern Languages Department requires you to take a placement test before enrolling in the language course. To take exams you need to go to the URL listed below. The password for all languages is tartans1 (ends with the digit one (1)). French: German: Spanish: pg. 11

12 Russian: If you wish to take the Placement exam for Russian, please contact Charlene Castellano in order to obtain the URL and Password. If you have studied Chinese, Italian, or Japanese elsewhere and wish to continue studying at CMU, there are no placement exams available for those languages. To take an upper level language course, please see: Chinese: Italian: Japanese: Yueming Yu Baker Hall 243A Jan Vairo Baker Hall A60L Yasafumi Iwasaki.Baker Hall If you have any questions, please contact Sue Connelly in Baker Hall 160, Continuing in a Language at Carnegie Mellon If you are currently taking a language course and which to take the next course in the sequence this spring, just enroll for it during on line registration. You do not need to visit Modern Languages for approval. Q: Can I take a music class? A: You can take private music lessons or join a musical ensemble (by audition) for credit this fall. For private music lessons (elective studio), you should contact Dan Barrett at [email protected]. For musical ensembles, you should send to Sharon Johnston at [email protected]. She will send you information this summer concerning auditions. The following music courses are options for first year students: 57 1xx Elective Studio* Choral Ensemble** Instrumental Ensemble** Jazz Ensemble** Major Instrumental Ensemble** Jazz Vocal Ensemble** *Elective Studio is for non music majors interested in private lessons on instruments, or in composition, jazz improvisation, or voice. A fee will be charged according to the length of the lesson. ** Science students are welcome to audition for ensembles. If you are already in an ensemble, you can register for it to continue in the spring semester. If you are not currently in an ensemble, they are filled on an as needed basis for the spring semester. Please contact Sharon Johnson at [email protected] for information about auditions. Q: Can I take a Physical Education course? A: Physical education courses are not required for graduation, but they are available. They are numbered 69 xxx. pg. 12

13 6. Transferring to a Different College at Carnegie Mellon Follow the guidelines below if you are planning to transfer to a different college at Carnegie Mellon. Each school has a different process for transferring, so schedule an appointment to meet with Dr. Grotzinger or Christine if you have any questions about what you need to do and which courses you should take. Carnegie Institute of Technology If you are considering applying to CIT, you should take one of their introductory engineering courses this spring. Students who take one of these courses will not take a fifth (free elective) course instead you will have a schedule four courses, exactly like the CIT first year students. Since CIT students are required to take two intro engineering courses. Do not worry if you cannot get into your top choice this spring. You can take one of the other courses now, and then try again to get into your preferred course next fall. Each of the introductory engineering courses requires a restricted technical elective to be taken prior to or at the same time as the engineering elective. The pairings are listed below: Intro to Chemical Engineering Intro to Modern Chemistry Intro to Civil and Environmental Engineering Physics I for Science Students* Intro to Electrical and Computer Engineering Introduction to Programming Intro to Engineering and Public Policy Physics I for Science Students* Fundamentals of Mechanical Engineering Physics I for Science Students* Materials in Engineering Physics I for Science Students* Intro to Biomedical and Health Engineering Physics I for Science Students or Intro to Modern Chemistry *May also take Physics I for Engineering Students or Matter and Interactions I; these courses are interchangeable. The process for transferring to a CIT department can be found here: pg. 13

14 Tepper School of Business If you are considering applying to Tepper, you must take Multivariate Analysis and Approximation or Calculus in Three Dimensions in order to transfer. In addition to , you should take Principles of Economics, Introduction to Programming or Programming in Graphics and Introduction to World History. The process for transferring to Tepper can be found here: business/academics/transfer information/index.aspx Computer Science If you are thinking about transferring to Computer Science, you should take Concepts of Math and continue with a programming course. In order to transfer to CS, you need to have passed or be enrolled in Fundamental Data Structures and Algorithms and are the prerequisites for You should send an to Catharine Fichtner at [email protected] to get your name on the list of applicants. Humanities & Social Sciences If you are planning to transfer to H&SS, select courses from their General Education curriculum to put into your Spring schedule. Their Gen Ed requirements can be found at the following site: The process for transferring to H&SS can be found here: internaltrans.html. College of Fine Arts See Eric Grotzinger or Christine Gilchrist for help planning your schedule. pg. 14