The computer science major degree requirements are very flexible, and it is possible to complete a computer science major in many different ways. However, there are a few general guidelines:

• The introductory computer science sequence of COMP 141, 142, and 241, should be taken as early as possible. Additionally, it is beneficial to take these three courses in sequence; each one is a prerequisite for the following one.
• Because COMP 241 has an additional prerequisite of COMP 172 (besides COMP 142), it is often beneficial to take COMP 142 and 172 simultaneously. This allows a student to not have a break between taking COMP 142 and 241.
• COMP 241 and 251 are the prerequisite courses to most of the upper-level computer science electives, and students should aim to complete at least one of them by fall of the junior year, to ensure there will be enough time to complete the upper-level courses. They can be completed in either order, or taken simultaneously.
• COMP 231 is not a prerequisite for any upper-level classes, and so can be saved for after COMP 241 and 251. Alternatively, because COMP 241 and 251 are more programming-intensive than COMP 231, students may wish to take 231 simultaneously with one of 241 or 251.
• The department does not recommend taking more than two computer science courses simultaneously, however, sometimes this is unavoidable for students who do not take COMP 141 until sophomore year.
• The degree is completable even when taking COMP 141 in the spring of the sophomore year, however, this necessitates tripling-up on CS courses frequently, and with current course enrollment demands, it may be very challenging to complete the degree on time.

About the math requirement: The computer science major requires one math course, which may be a calculus course, statistics, or math modeling. This math course can technically be taken at any point in the computer science curriculum, however, we recommend taking it as early as possible, preferably no later than when a student is taking COMP 241 or 251. This will give students time to take further math courses if they wish to study certain topics in computer science such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, or graphics, or if they plan to attend graduate school.

Plans

All of these plans assume the student does not arrive with any AP, IB, or transfer credits—in those cases, students will have more free electives.

In each of the plans below, we assume the student is taking all of their degree requirements at Rhodes. These requirements are:

• 3 courses in an F1 sequence (Search, Life, Cultural Knowledge, or Women in the Bible)
• 1 course in first-year writing seminar (F2s)
• 3 courses in a foreign language (F10)
• 8 courses in the remaining foundations requirements; 1 each in F2i, F3, F4, F5, F7, F8, F9, and F11 [Note that F6 is obtained through the CS major requirements, and so is not listed here.]
• 14 courses encompassing the computer science major requirements, (13 computer science and 1 math)

This totals 29 classes. In a normal 4-year curriculum, students will take 32 classes, so following these plans still allows for three free electives.

In many cases, students will arrive with AP, IB, or other transfer credits, or will take a course that satisfies multiple foundations requirements, which allows for more free electives in their schedule.

Note: The Rhodes College Catalog is the final authority over all degree requirements. Students should meet with their academic advisor to make sure all degree requirements are being met.

• Start 141 in fall of the first year, doubling up on CS courses ASAP (good for those who know they want to major)
• Start 141 in fall of the first year, not doubling up until necessary (good for those who aren’t sure if they want to major)
• Start 141 in the spring of the first year
• Start 141 in the fall of the sophomore year
• Start 141 in the spring of the sophomore year

Start 141 in fall of the first year, doubling up on CS courses ASAP

This plan is good for students who enter Rhodes knowing they want to major in computer science and wish to advance through the major quickly. We recommend taking the required math class by the fall of sophomore year in case the student wishes to take additional math classes. The schedule below explicitly lists five computer science electives, but students who start the major during their first year will often have time to take more.

First year fall	First year spring		Sophomore fall	Sophomore spring
COMP 141	COMP 142		COMP 241	COMP elective
First-year writing	COMP 172		COMP 251 or 231	COMP 251 or 231
F1	F1		F1	Foundations
Foundations/Math	Foundations/Math		Foundations/Math	Foundations
Junior year fall	Junior year spring		Senior year fall	Senior year spring
COMP elective	COMP elective		COMP elective	COMP elective
Foundations	Foundations		Senior Software Eng	Senior Seminar
Foundations	Foundations		Foundations	Foundations
Foundations	Free elective		Free elective	Free elective

Start 141 in fall of the first year, not doubling up until necessary

This plan is good for students who want to explore computer science along with other possible majors at the beginning of college. The extra Foundations/Math slots in the first two years can be used to take introductory courses in other disciplines to see which major — computer science or something else — fits best. We recommend taking the required math class by the spring of sophomore year in case the student wishes to take additional math classes. The schedule below explicitly lists five computer science electives, but students who start the major during their first year will often have time to take more.

First year fall	First year spring		Sophomore fall	Sophomore spring
COMP 141	COMP 142		COMP 172	COMP 241
First-year writing	F1		F1	COMP 251 or 231
F1	Foundations/Math		Foundations/Math	Foundations/Math
Foundations/Math	Foundations/Math		Foundations/Math	Foundations/Math
Junior year fall	Junior year spring		Senior year fall	Senior year spring
COMP elective	COMP elective		COMP elective	COMP elective
COMP 251 or 231	COMP elective		Senior Software Eng	Senior Seminar
Foundations	Foundations		Foundations	Foundations
Foundations	Free elective		Free elective	Free elective

Start 141 in spring of the first year

In this plan, doubling up on CS courses as shown below is recommended to allow for a less-stressful junior and senior year. However, doubling-up can be delayed longer, but will necessitate taking three CS courses simultaneously during junior and/or senior year. We recommend taking the required math class by the spring of sophomore year in case the student wishes to take additional math classes. The schedule below explicitly lists five computer science electives, but students who start the major during their first year will often have time to take more.

First year fall	First year spring		Sophomore fall	Sophomore spring
First-year writing	COMP 141		COMP 142	COMP 241
F1	F1		COMP 172	COMP 251 or 231
Foundations/Math	Foundations/Math		F1	Foundations/Math
Foundations/Math	Foundations/Math		Foundations/Math	Foundations/Math
Junior year fall	Junior year spring		Senior year fall	Senior year spring
COMP elective	COMP elective		COMP elective	COMP elective
COMP 251 or 231	COMP elective		Senior Software Eng	Senior Seminar
Foundations	Foundations		Foundations	Foundations
Foundations	Free elective		Free elective	Free elective

Start 141 in fall of sophomore year

This plan necessitates tripling-up CS courses twice. This can be done during senior year, as shown below, or may be possible earlier. For instance, it is possible to take COMP 142, 172, and 231 all simultaneously, though enrollment demands may prevent students from do this. Here, it is beneficial if the required math class is taken in sophomore year, but even taking it fall of the junior year will leave time for additional math classes if desired.

First year fall	First year spring		Sophomore fall	Sophomore spring
F1	F1		COMP 141	COMP 142
First-year writing	Foundations/Math		F1	COMP 172
Foundations/Math	Foundations/Math		Foundations/Math	Foundations/Math
Foundations/Math	Foundations/Math		Foundations/Math	Foundations/Math
Junior year fall	Junior year spring		Senior year fall	Senior year spring
COMP 241	COMP elective		COMP elective	COMP elective
COMP 251 or 231	COMP 251 or 231		COMP elective	COMP elective
Foundations/Math	Foundations		Senior Software Eng	Senior seminar
Foundations/Math	Free elective		Free elective	Free elective

Start 141 in spring of sophomore year

This plan is theoretically possible, but due to the prerequisite chain, it requires taking four CS courses simultaneously during one semester of senior year, which may not be possible due to course enrollment demands. It may be possible to take COMP 350 (Theory of Computation) during spring of junior year, as this course is the only upper-level elective that does not have either COMP 241 or 251 as a prerequisite.

Students wanting to major in computer science but not beginning COMP 141 until spring of sophomore year are highly encouraged to take summer courses to catch up. The best options would be taking a COMP 142-equivalent or COMP 172-equivalent course during the summer between sophomore and junior year, or any transferrable CS elective between junior and senior years.

First year fall	First year spring		Sophomore fall	Sophomore spring
F1	F1		F1	COMP 141
First-year writing	Foundations/Math		Foundations/Math	Foundations/Math
Foundations/Math	Foundations/Math		Foundations/Math	Foundations/Math
Foundations/Math	Foundations/Math		Foundations/Math	Foundations/Math
Junior year fall	Junior year spring		Senior year fall	Senior year spring
COMP 142	COMP 241		COMP elective	COMP elective
COMP 172	COMP 251		COMP elective	COMP elective
COMP 231	Free elective		COMP elective	Senior seminar
Foundations/Math	Free elective		Senior Software Eng	Free elective