CS Advising
Computer Science Advising Team Heading link
Advising Heading link
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who is my advisor
Your CS Advisor is assigned to you based on your last name. See the notations below each advisor’s photo above to find yours.
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how to schedule
All advising appointments are now scheduled through iAdvise.
Each advisor may hold their own drop-in hours, walk-in hours, open advising, etc. They will communicate any advising opportunities beyond iAdvise appointments to their students through email.
Note: Don’t miss emails from your advisor! Add a filter to approve emails sent from your advisor’s name so you don’t miss important messages. All students are expected to check their email regularly for important advising information. All emails are sent to your UIC email address.
Here are instructions for how to schedule your advising appointment in iAdvise:
- Log into my.uic.edu
- At the top of the page, select the Advising tab
- Select iAdvise (if the iAdvise icon is not on your page, simply type iAdvise into the search bar)
- Select ENGR Advising
- Click the Engineering College Advising link on the side
- Select your advisor’s name
- Find a time that works!
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required?
Ahead of registration each semester, every student in the College of Engineering has an advising hold placed on their student account which will keep them from being able to register. This hold can only be removed by your respective CS advisor. To remove the advising hold and register, all COE/CS students must be advised (bold “must be advised”) each semester (Fall and Spring). CS Advisors refer to this as mandatory advising.
Mandatory advising involves two steps:
- All students must first submit the CS Advising Form (https://go.uic.edu/csAdvisingForm) each semester.
- If you have completed the form entirely with correct information and do not fall into a population that requires a 1:1 appointment, your advisor will review your form and provide you with feedback via email before removing your hold.
- Please note: This is not an automated process and may take several days.
- Depending on your position as a student, you may be required to meet with your advisor after filling out the advising form. 1:1 appointments are required for:
- First semester Spring 2023 CS students (freshman, transfer, or change of major to CS)
- Students who will graduate in Summer or Fall 2023
- Students on probation
- Students who fall under advisor discretion (i.e. incorrect advising form, credit overload, repeating courses, etc.)
Please note: Your Advising Hold is not connected to any of the following– Town Halls or CS Workshops. It is your responsibility to pay attention to your CS Advisors “Mandatory Advising” requirements and information to remove your advising hold and register for courses on time. Look for an email from your advisor referring to “Mandatory Advising” to see when you are scheduled to make an appointment.
- All students must first submit the CS Advising Form (https://go.uic.edu/csAdvisingForm) each semester.
Advising Events Heading link
Please note: Advising events are NOT tied to your advising hold and are completely optional. All advising events will be recorded and uploaded to the CS Advisor Youtube Channel.
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town halls
Starting in the Spring 2023 semester, the CS Advising team will be offering two town halls each semester, one at the beginning and one in the middle.
The purpose of these Town Halls is to provide information, knowledge, resources, and clarification to the various questions that are asked at the beginning and middle of the semester, such as add/drop questions, the advising schedule, and more. The Town Halls will also consist of a breakout session with each Advisor and their respective students. Town Halls are NOT tied to your advising hold and attendance is optional but encouraged.
We are offering three Town Halls throughout the semester. These Town Halls will take place:
- January 11th at 2:00 pm in SEO 1000
- January 17th at 11:30 am on Zoom
- March 9th at 11:30 am on Zoom (https://go.uic.edu/CSAdvisorTownHallZoom)
All town halls each semester will be recorded and posted to our CS Advisor Youtube channel.
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workshops
Similar to the Fall semester, the advisors will continue to offer workshops throughout the Spring semester but they are no longer tied to your advising hold.These workshops will be focused more on interactivity and will provide you with opportunities to work directly with an advisor on course planning.
These workshops will be in-person and have limited seating. Seats will be available on a first come, first served basis. We will stop admitting students to the room 10 minutes after the start time. Please plan accordingly. To help us gauge student interest, we have created a Workshop Interest Form. Please complete this form if you plan on attending a workshop but keep in mind that the interest form does not guarantee you a seat.
If you cannot attend a workshop, a version of each workshop will be recorded and posted online. Keep an eye on your email, the CS Advising Youtube channel, and the CS Advising website throughout the semester for links to the recordings.
Workshop Schedule:
“Planning through Graduation”
Wednesday, February 1st at 10:30 AM in SEO 1000
Wednesday, February 15th at 2:00 PM in SEO 1000
Wednesday, March 15th at 10:30 AM in SEO 1000
- Begin generating a complete plan from wherever you are in the CS program towards graduation with the help of an advisor.
- Meant for students with at least 2 future terms before graduation
“Planning through the 100-level”
Tuesday, February 7th at 2:00 PM in SEO 1000
- Learn foundational information about the CS program and plan your next steps in the program.
- Meant for students still needing to take CS classes in the 100 level
“Planning through the 200-level”
Monday, February 20th at 2:00 PM in SEO 1000
- Learn about the 200 level courses and what classes can be accessed after taking each 200 level course. Plan your next steps in the program.
- Meant for students who will finish 141 & 151 this term or currently in the 200 level classes
“Planning through the 300 & 400-levels”
Friday, February 24th at 10:30 AM in the CS Lounge
- Learn about the 300 level courses and technical electives, important documents, and more. Begin planning your final steps towards graduation.
- Meant for students finished with 211 & 251
CS advising FAQs Heading link
Please note: For further explanation on many of these questions, please refer to the available recordings of the CS Advisor Town Halls and Workshops accessible above.
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DARs (Degree Audit Reports) can be accessed through the U.Achieve link of your MyUIC portal. DARs are a tool used to keep track of academic progress toward the completion of your degree. It includes all degree requirements for your specific major, noting which classes you have completed and which classes you still need to take.
(Note: If you notice that a course is listed incorrectly or under “not used toward degree,” contact your advisor for assistance.)
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Free electives are classes of your choosing that count toward your graduation (with some exceptions). They may be technical or nontechnical, but remedial* or duplicative courses are not allowed. A maximum of 2 semester hours of free elective credit in kinesiology are allowed. Speak to your CS advisor for additional information.
*A remedial class is any class below the first required class for your CS degree.
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You can visit the office for any CS-related issue, such as CS class registration, petitions, curriculum, and grievances. Various student forms and petitions related to your academics are available there as well. The office welcomes all students for any issues, and if they are not able to help, they will point you in the right direction. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Note: The CS student affairs team is working remotely right now. If you have a question, email cs-ugrad@uic.edu instead of coming in to the office.
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You must visit the department you are planning to minor in (for example, if you want to pursue a math minor, you must visit the math department). You also must declare your minor/concentration with the College of Engineering. To do so, complete the Minor/Concentration form found on the COE student resources page.
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You should visit the department you wish to major in to initiate the change of major and to set up an appointment with the person who will be your academic advisor in your new department.
Usually, the change in major is effective the following semester.
Students changing majors outside of engineering should first attend an ICT session.
(Note: Until the change is official, you will still need to meet with your CS advisor).
CS Registration FAQs Heading link
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Each semester, the registrar assigns students a particular date and time to begin registering for their courses. This is called a student’s time ticket. For Summer/Fall 2023 registration, time tickets will be made available on March 6th on students’ my.uic.edu portal. To review an estimate of when your time ticket will be, visit here.
Make sure to submit your advising form (and meet with your advisor if required) before your time ticket so you can register ASAP.
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The department is finalizing the teaching schedule to incorporate new hires. We hope to have this available by mid-late April.
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Yes, popular, full classes will have a waitlist added as they become full.
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We strongly recommend you become familiar with the process for waitlists by referencing an explanation from the registrar’s office.
Keep in mind that you can only add yourself to the waitlist if there are waitlist seats available. If the waitlist is full, you will need to wait until a seat becomes available.
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- If your degree program does not require a specific technical elective to fulfill your degree requirements, please consider an alternate technical elective class that has an available seat. This may not be your preferred class but it will ensure that you complete your degree on your planned timeline.
- Make sure to add yourself to the waitlist for your preferred class ASAP.
- Look for communication from the CS student affairs office (cs-ugrad@uic.edu) after the Spring 2023 semester ends for further instructions.
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- Make sure to add yourself to the waitlist for that class ASAP if waitlist seats are available.
- Look for communication from the CS student affairs office (cs-ugrad@uic.edu) after the Spring semester ends. We will work with you to help you get into any required classes for your degree.
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CS 277 will be a required class for students who switch to the new degree requirements in Computer Science. Please review the course catalog to ensure you meet the prerequisites for this new course before you try to register.
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This class is targeted for students switching to the new degree requirements. You need to submit a request to receive access to register for the class for Fall 2023.
Please complete the form found here: https://go.uic.edu/cs-277-permission.
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- Consider an alternate technical elective class that has an available seat.
- Add yourself to the waitlist for any preferred classes ASAP. If there are no waitlist seats available, you will need to wait until a seat becomes available.
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You are attempting to register for the 4 credit hour graduate section of that CS class which is restricted to graduate students. As an undergraduate student you can only register for the 3 credit hour section.
If there are no available seats for the undergraduate section of that class, add yourself to the waitlist and/or consider an alternate technical elective. If there are no waitlist seats available, you will need to wait until a seat becomes available.
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Graduate students have the option to take 400-level CS classes at the graduate level. Therefore, 400-level classes are planned with a set number of seats for current and incoming (who register in August) graduate students which undergraduate students cannot register for.
Please add yourself to the waitlist for the undergraduate section (3 credit hours) of that CS 4xx class.
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Please reach out to the department offering the course and turn on open seat notifications. Department contact information can be found on their respective webpages.
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To drop a class after the add/drop period is over, you must fill out the online Late Drop Petition found on the College of Engineering website. If you drop a course at this point, a W (withdrawal) will ALWAYS appear on your transcript. Every student is allowed four Ws during their time at UIC. Consult an advisor before dropping a course.
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Complete the Approval to take course outside of UIC petition, found on the COE student resources page. This will prompt the College of Engineering to check if the class will transfer to UIC or be denied. (Note: you may not be eligible to transfer credits based on the number of credit hours completed.)
Document Downloads Heading link
Use the links below to download PDF documents related to the CS advising process.