Subject: Important changes to SCIS Undergraduate degree programs

Dear Students,

SCIS has examined the undergraduate curriculum carefully for the past one year and restructured several degree programs. Additionally, we have redesigned course flowcharts for all degree programs with embedded hyperlinks to syllabi files for courses on flowcharts.
Please read this entire email as the proposed changes will be effective from January 2020.

Please note that if your current major is either "B.A. in Information Technology" or "B.S. in Information Technology", no action is necessary as there is no curriculum change to these programs.
  
If your declared major is any of the following four programs:
  * "B.A. in Computer Science"
  * "B.S. in Computer Science "
  * "B.S. in Computer Science (Software Design and Development Track)"
  * "B.S. in Information Technology (Software Track)"  
you can take advantage of the restructured curriculum by completing a change of program plan form in consultation with an advisor prior to your Spring 2020 registration. This form is required to formally change your degree requirements from your current curriculum plan to the new redesigned plan for your major.

The revised curriculum plan offers the following benefits:
  - decreases the prerequisite dependency chain among courses
  - replaces CDA-3103 and CDA-4101 with one combined new course CDA-3102
  - reduces the number of required courses significantly
  - increases the number of elective courses
  - allows flexible elective course selection in any emerging areas to increase placement opportunities

SCIS will offer CDA-3102 (new course "Computer Architecture") from Jan 2020 and will discontinue CDA-3103 from Jan 2020.
If you complete CDA-3103 with "C" or better grade by December 2019, you need to enroll in CDA-4101 soon. CDA-4101 will be offered in Spring 2020 and Summer 2020, and it will be phased out from 2021. After you pass both CDA-3103 and CDA-4101 (with "C" or better grade), on the revised plan, you will be waived from CDA-3102 (3 credits) and one upper division elective course (3 credits).

If you have any questions about the restructured curriculum or the transition to the new curriculum, please address them at the SCIS Mega Festival event on Thursday October 17, 2019 between noon-2pm.

Regards
--Prabakar
On behalf of the SCIS Undergraduate Committee