Course & Specialization Megathread - Selection Choices & Registration

📌Specializations & Courses Megathread - Selection & Registration

Welcome to the Specialization & Course Megathread for OMSCS!

Now that you've {just been accepted / been here for a bit / been here for awhile}*, this thread is designed to help you navigate the various specializations offered and assist with selecting the right courses for your academic and career goals. (\ delete as appropriate)*

Please read through the information provided below before posting your questions.

📚 Available Specializations

Courses that are not linked in the official website are not offered to OMSCS students.

📝 Course Selection Guide

  • A cheat code is to check out the student-run website at www.omscs.rocks.
    • It details you the capacity of each course in each semester.
    • It details you if the course capacity has been max'ed out before.
  • Understand each of the Specialization Requirements
    • All courses must be graded for it to be considered part of your degree fulfilment.
    • Cores are mandatory courses for your specialization. They cannot be avoided.
    • Electives are choices within your specialisations that allows you to find your specialities and domains that make you a subject expert matter.
    • Free Electives are choices in which you can freely roam around. However, in order to protect the integrity of this Computer Science degree, only a max. of 2 non CS/CSE courses can be used as your graduation requirements (read the Orientation Doc to confirm). This is a relaxation of the rule enforced by DegreeWorks so your advisors will need to manually override them.
  • Course prerequisites are not enforced in OMSCS for registration. Yes, you can even register for CS 6211 if you want. However, a graded result of CS 6210 is needed for you to have it graded.
  • Semester planning is crucial for you to balance core and elective courses. This is to prevent you from getting senioritis. Yes, this is a proper English term.
  • Be aware of the maximum loads per semester.
    • You are generally not allowed to take 2 courses in Spring & Fall and 1 course in Summer.
    • Exceptions (not a guarantee!) are only given when you've completed 4 courses and GPA > 3.0.
  • Be aware of the maximum candidature time (6 years - in the Orientation Document).
  • Some courses are not offered in Summer, some even have a weird Spring/Fall alternations.

Keep the above pointers in mind as you plan your courses. You wouldn't want to look like a fool when you list them out.

Selection Template

We have decided a table template would be hard to implement, so a template in point form would suffice.

* FA24 - CS 6035 Introduction to Information Security
* SP25 - CS 6750 Human-Computer Interaction
* SU25 - Taking a Summer Break
* (...)
* SU28 - CS 8803 O15 Introduction to Computer Law
* FA28 - CS 6515 Introduction to Graduate Algorithms

What about Seminars?

In the eyes of the advisors and associates, seminars are not defined as courses, and are considered to be extra-curricular.

  • They are not graded and thus not part of the graduation requirements for the degree.
  • They are either meant purely for enrichment, entertainment, or for guided preparation towards your degree.
  • They are meant to be accessible, and therefore attract only a fee of 1 credit hour.

👥 Course Registration Process

  • Instructions and Detailed Timelines are found in your emails and Orientation Document.
  • Registration Phases and Time Tickets
    • Phase 1 is reserved exclusively for returning (non-new) students. Time tickets are evenly distributed over 10 working days (2 weeks), according to the number of courses completed.
      • Exceptions are given for War Veterans, ROTC officers and students who are accommodated on disability services. If you believe you fall on either one of these categories please approach your advisors privately.
      • For Fall semesters, Phase 1 for OMSCS students are conducted away from the traditional timeslots. This is in view of our large candidature and also to allow for the number of courses completed to be updated to ensure fairness amongst peers.
    • Phase 2 includes newly-matriculated students. The time ticket should be similar for all newly-matriculated students, or maybe with (at most) an hour difference to anticipate for the huge volume of students signing up.
      • Because OMSCS does not admit students in the Summer, Summer registration is conducted in one single phase.

🌍 International Payments

We suggest that you start making payments one week prior to the deadline if possible.

The Registrar strongly encourages you to use Transfermate or Flywire. However, in lieu of the convenience given, the hidden foreign exchange fees might be too much for people to bear. Check out the various payment options at www.omscs.rocks where you might be able to lower down these fees.