CS Advising - Overview

Identify your discipline

Make sure you know the difference between Computer Engineering (CE), Computer Science (CS), Software Engineering (SE), Information Technology (IT), and Information Systems (IS).

  • If you are interested in CS or SE and a career as a software developer or computer scientist, you are in the right place!

  • If you are interested in CE, you should check out the Engineering program.

  • If you are interested in an IT or IS degree you should talk to the CIS program.

  • If you are interested in cybersecurity, you probably want to check out the CIS program's cybersecurity degree, unless you are interested in a very code-oriented cybersecurity degree (reverse engineering, malware analysis) in which case a CS degree may make sense.

Pick a Plan of Study

Computer Science Major Transfer Map and the AST-CS Degree

Most students interested in earning a degree in Computer Science should work towards the Associate of Science Transfer - Computer Science (AST-CS) degree here at Chemeketa. The AST-CS degree is based on the statewide Major Transfer Map in Computer Science (MTM). completing this degree ensures you can enroll in any participating university with Junior status in the major and have a two-year path to finish a CS degree. (All state universities except for OIT currently participate in the MTM.)

Although the MTM does make it easy to complete the first two years of a CS degree at Chemeketa, there are a few important details to watch out for:

  • There are two variants of the MTM for CS:

    • The Systems path includes math and science courses required for schools that emphasize engineering and research: OSU, PSU and UofO. It also requires an additional CS course.
    • The Core path focuses on the core CS and math courses sufficient to get a degree at universities that do not focus on engineering or research: WOU, EOU, and SOU.

    The first year for both tracks will be identical for most students. So you should not have to make a choice about your track (and thus transfer target) until your second year. If you still are not sure at that point, and are willing to do the extra courses in the Systems track, it is recommended you focus on it. It is easy to transition from Systems to Core; but if you start the Core track and change your mind it may be impossible to switch without spending an extra year taking math and science sequences you skipped.

  • Don't sign up for science classes until you decide which MTM variant you want to do. If you do the OSU/PSU/UofO track you need to take a sequence of specific science courses.

  • Every school has a minimum GPA (2-2.25) required to transfer in. Some schools require a B or better in some/all CS courses (SOU & UofO).

  • Every school requires two terms in a foreign language (the same language), or two years of the same language in high school.

  • For many schools, there are classes you should try to take with any elective credits you have here at Chemeketa. Although you can complete the MTM and have a 2-year path to graduation after transfer without these, completing them at Chemeketa will save you money and time after transfer. Check the Transfer Target information page or Mock Schedule builder for details.

Other Degrees

Students can also earn an AAOT degree. This degrees does NOT guarantee that you will start as a Junior in the CS major or have a path to finish in two more years. It only guarantees that your general education requirements are done.

It should only be considered by a student who switches to CS after having already amassed a large number of credits in other areas. You will still need to complete the CS, and Math in the AST, and may need specific Science classes. Consult with an advisor if you think this plan makes sense for you.

Sign up for updates

Sign up for the Computer Science mailing list to receive news about updates at the four-year universities as well as transfer related events and deadlines. You can also view an archive of past emails sent on the mailing list.