hi aska! I am a 1st year in rotman interested in pursuing a cs minor. I read something on reddit about asking the cs department to grant a minor after completing the required courses, and was wondering if it is possible to get a cs minor without being officially enrolled in the stream? (as I know there is an official application process that’s very competitive)
hey there,
i guess it’s that time of the year when everyone rethinks their choice of programs, huh? it seems like that’s all anyone can talk about these days (the time of year is everyday, All Semester Round! it never ends!)
anyways. take a look at the cs page on the artsci calendar. you’ll see that it is possible to get a cs minor without being officially enrolled in the admission stream. however, it’s true that it is very competitive. i personally have no experience in applying for the cs programs, but the general vibe i’ve gotten is that it’s hard to get into, and hard to stay in — in terms of the coursework. but for getting in, it really depends on how the competition is your year. eat or get eaten i guess?
those in the cs admission stream have different enrolment requirements compared to those in different admission streams:
people already in the cs admission stream have guaranteed admission into the minor, as long as they meet minimum grade requirements: they need a 70% in CSC110Y1 and a 70% in CSC111H1.
meanwhile, to my understanding, those not in the cs admission stream (you) have to fill out a 250 word supplemental application where you answer three questions to tell them about your non-academic skills, like leadership and the like. in terms of prerequisites, the minimum grade changes depending on how many people are applying that year, but grades below 70% will not be considered for admission. the course prerequisites are also different, being CSC148H1, and either CSC165H1 or CSC240H1.
just note that the cs minor is available only in the first enrolment request period, so apply between march 1, 2024 and april 26, 2024.
i hope this helps, good luck, dear future cs student! you’ll be brilliant!
over and out,
aska