FAQ: Introductory Computer Science Courses
A typical computer science major takes the CMSC 201, CMSC 202 and
CMSC 341 (Data Structures) sequence to learn programming. However,
this may not be the right sequence of courses for everyone. This
is an informal guide to help you place yourself in the correct
course. If you have further questions or would like advice about
your specific situation, please ask your instructor.
Q: Should I take CMSC 104 or CMSC 201?
A: Starting in the Spring 1998 semester, students are required to
have some programming experience before taking CMSC 201. So, if you
haven't done any programming, the answer is simple: take CMSC 104.
If you have written programs before, then you can take CMSC 201 if
you have mastered programming using loops, if statements and arrays.
Your programming experience need not have been in C - at this level,
you should be able to convert your programming skills from say PASCAL
to C quite readily. If you are not comfortable with this idea, you
should take CMSC 104. You should also consult the "CMSC 104 Checklist"
to determine whether your experience is equivalent to CMSC 104.
Q: I took a computer class in high school/community college, is it
equivalent to CMSC 201?
A: This depends a lot on what was covered in the class and how well
you mastered the material that was covered. Consult the "CMSC 201
Checklist". You should be able to check off the vast majority of
those items before proceeding to CMSC 202. Furthermore, you should
be comfortable with the idea of learning the items that you have not
checked off on your own.
Q: I've had many semesters of programming experience, which course
should I take?
A: This is a difficult question. If you have programmed in C, then
you should refer to the checklists to determine where you stand. It
might even be the case that you are ready for CMSC 341. However, the
material in CMSC 202 and in CMSC 341 is quite challenging. So, it may
also be the case that you have had several semesters of programming,
but have yet to master the material in CMSC 202. In that case, you
should take CMSC 202.
Q: If I want an easy "A", shouldn't I just take CMSC 104?
A: CMSC 104 is designed for students who haven't had any programming
experience. If you already have substantial programming experience,
then you can get an easy "A" in CMSC 104, because it only covers
material that you already know. On the other hand, you can also get
an "A" by repeating the 3rd grade. The point is that taking CMSC 104
just to get an easy "A" is not going to prepare you for CMSC 201. In
fact, doing so will be detrimental to your work habits and you will
have a rough time when you have to work hard to keep up with CMSC 201,
CMSC 202 and CMSC 341.
Q: What is CMSC 201H ?
A: Students enrolled in CMSC 201H can count this course toward the
requirements for UMBC's Honors College and the Computer Science
Department's Honors option. The students in 201H, the honors section,
attend the same lectures as students in the other sections, but have
a different discussion section. In a regular discussion section, the
TAs conduct a hands-on lab related to the material covered during
lecture. In the honors section, new material will be introduced.
The lab assignments must be completed by ALL 201 students, so only
students who feel that they will not need regular assistance
performing the lab exercises should enroll in the honors section.
One goal of the honors section is to expose the students to topics
in advanced areas of computer science that are not usually covered
in introductory programming courses.
CMSC 104, CMSC 201 and CMSC 202 Checklist
You can use the following checklists to help you determine whether
you have programming experience that is equivalent to students who
have taken CMSC 104, CMSC 201 and CMSC 202 at UMBC. You should check
off a concept or skill below only if you are able to incorporate it
in a programming project with little or no help.
CMSC 104 Checklist: You have programming experience that is
equivalent to CMSC 104, if you have the following skills and
understand the following concepts in some high-level programming
language (not necessarily Java or C).
Concepts Skills
o the compilation process o if statements
o Boolean expressions o for loops and while loops
o simple data types o arrays
o functional/procedural o writing functions
abstraction
CMSC 201 Checklist: You have programming experience that is
equivalent to CMSC 201, if you have the following skills and
understand the following concepts in C, in addition to those
listed above for CMSC 104.
Concepts Skills
o functional/procedural o writing functions, using header
abstraction files
o top-down design o character and string handling
o separate compilation o basic pointer manipulations
o libraries o file I/O
o dynamic memory allocation o pointers as parameters
o abstract data types o structures
o recursion o writing recursive functions
o searching and sorting o linked lists, stacks and queues
CMSC 202 Checklist: You have programming experience that is
equivalent to CMSC 202, if you have the following skills and
understand the concepts shown in Java, in addition to those
listed above for CMSC 104 and CMSC 201.
o oject-oriented o classes
programming o constructors
o inheritance o destructors
o polymorphism o operator overloading
o exceptions o iterators
o templates o STL
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