Sonoma State University

Registration

Below is information related to registration including enrollment appointments, advising, permission numbers and waitlists. Please read this thoroughly, before contacting your advisor.

Enrollment appointments

Fall 2025 registration by appointment is Monday, April. 14, 2025 - Friday, April. 18, 2025. If you log into MySSU and click on "Student Center", you will see your registration appointment time listed on the right (assigned, a week before the earliest registration appointment). Many CS and GE classes will fill fast, so register at the beginning of your appointment to have the best chance of getting the courses you need. For more information, see the How to Register page at the Registrar's site.

Advising

Your CS advisor’s name (Drs. Gill, Gondree, or Rivoire) will be visible in your MySSU page. Please contact them if you have questions regarding registration and for general advice on how to plan the remainder of your curricular plan. If you do not have an advisor assigned, see the department chair.

Other advising resources include making an appointment with a professional advisor to discuss lower-division and non-CS classes.

Prerequisites and Grades

A grade of C- or better (CR is fine) is required for any course that is a prerequisite to a CS course. MySSU enforces prerequisite courses, but it doesn’t enforce this C- minimum grade. As a result, MySSU may allow you to enroll in a course even when you haven’t fulfilled the C- grade prerequisite, but you will not be allowed to remain in that course. We identify these cases before the semester begins, and administratively drop students who have not made the minimum grade in a prerequisite.

After grades are posted, we will check to make sure that all students have passed the prerequisites for next semester's courses. If your Academic Requirements Report in MySSU does not show a green check mark for each of your relevant prerequisite courses at that time, we will contact you before registration reopens. You should be prepared to prove that you have met all prerequisites (for example, taken at another school) by the beginning of next semester. Otherwise, you will be administratively dropped from the course during the add/drop period.

Courses that are Full and Waiting Lists

Although the Computer Science courses fill quickly, our waitlists also move quickly. Especially for courses that have MATH 161, CS 115, CS 215, or CS 315 as a prerequisite, spots are likely to open up after the current semester's grades are posted and students who didn't pass the prerequisites drop the course.

If you are waitlisted, however, you need to be sure that you will actually be able to move into a spot that opens up. Even if there is an open spot, you won’t get it if it  leaves you with too many units or with a class time conflict. We have seen students advance from #6 on the waitlist into an open spot because students #1-#5 had one of these issues that prevented them from claiming it. Use the waitlist SWAP feature - for details see How to Waitlist a Class.

In any event, if you want to take a course and can't get it, you need to be on the waitlist. This is our only mechanism for keeping track of who needs a given course.

Who Needs Permission Numbers?

As mentioned above, MySSU enforces prerequisites for CS classes. This is a potential problem for you if:

  1. You took the prerequisite at another university, and we had to fill out paperwork to make it count toward your SSU CS major.
  2. You passed the prerequisite on the third or later attempt.
  3. You took the prerequisite at both SSU and another institution.
  4. You got a D or F in CS 115, 215, or 315 in a prior semester, and you want to retake that course. (See the "Repeat Policy" section below for more, though.)
  5. You haven't taken the prerequisite yet, but you're planning to over the break.

If you're in categories 1, 2, 3, or 4, we should have auto-generated permission numbers for all the classes you're eligible to take. Please use the link below to confirm that you have permission numbers for these classes, and let me know as soon as possible if you think any are missing. If you're in category 5, please contact your advisor and have them request permission numbers from me. Those should be available using the same link within 1 business day of your advisor's request.

Instructions for obtaining permission numbers are at How do I get and use permission numbers?

You should obtain these permission numbers BEFORE you register and use them when you add the course to your shopping cart. Otherwise, you may "burn" your permission number and need to contact us for a new one.

Repeat Policy for CS 115-215-315

Seats in CS 115, 215, and 315 can be scarce, and we want to prioritize first-time students, followed by former students who have had at least a semester to consider their options and reflect on their study strategies, followed by currently enrolled students who think they won't pass and will need to re-enroll next semester.

  • If you got a grade below C- in 115, 215, or 315 in a past semester and need to repeat it, see the section re: permission numbers (you will need one).
  • If you are currently enrolled in CS 115, 215, or 315, you will not be allowed to re-enroll in the same course until the restriction is lifted (see the note below).
  • Regardless of the above, if you are trying to take one of these courses for the fourth or greater time, make an appointment with your advisor. Depending on the circumstances, you may not be able to do this at SSU.

Note: the restriction on repeats will be lifted after the last registration appointment on:

  • April 21, 2025 by 5pm

Because of staffing constraints, we can only offer limited sections of some courses. If you are graduating next semester (Fall 2025), we will try our best to accommodate you in the courses you need to graduate; if you plan to graduate next semester and either cannot enroll in a CS class you need for graduation or are on the wait list for a CS class you need to graduate, you should contact your advisor immediately.

Elective Courses

Our 3-unit elective offerings don't follow any consistent pattern. They are driven by faculty / student interest and faculty availability, which varies with changes in enrollment and personnel. The rule is: if you're interested in, and eligible to take, one of next semester's electives, sign up right away. There is no guarantee it will be offered again in the near future. See Courses for catalog descriptions. You can repeat CS 390 up to 2 times for credit in the minor and up to 3 times for credit in the major.

We are offering the following CS electives next semester:

  • CS 390 Computer Science Colloquium (1 unit)
    Instructor: Dr. Ravikumar
     
  • CS 391 Computing Professions (1 unit)
    Instructor: Dr. Rivoire
     
  • CS 480: Artificial Intelligence (3 units)
    Instructor: Dr. Ravikumar
    Prerequisites: Grade of C- or better in CS 315
     
  • PHIL 390-001 Special Topics: Data Science Ethics (will be accepted as a 3 unit CS elective)
    Instructor: Dr. Sullins
    Prerequisites: Completion of the Golden Four; completed at least 45 units

    Explores the ethical, legal, and societal implications of data collection, analysis, and algorithmic decision-making. Students will examine topics such as privacy, bias, fairness, accountability, and the impact of data-driven technologies on individuals and communities. Through case studies, discussions, and critical analysis, students will develop ethical reasoning skills and frameworks for responsible data science practice.
     
  • CS 385-002 Special Topics in CS: React Ecosystem (3 units)
    Instructor: Dr. Kooshesh
    Prerequisites: Grade of C- or better in CS 315 and CS 355

    This project-intensive course provides a hands-on approach to building modern, scalable web applications using JavaScript, with React for the front-end, Material-UI (MUI) for styling and component design, and Express/Koa for back-end API development. Students will learn how to create dynamic and responsive user interfaces, manage state effectively, and integrate with a RESTful API. The course covers key concepts such as component-based architecture, asynchronous data fetching, authentication, and middleware integration.

    The programming language used throughout the course is JavaScript. Students are not expected to have prior experience with JavaScript and will be introduced to the language more intensively during the first few weeks of the semester. As the course progresses, they will be exposed to more advanced features through the coursework.

    In the first ten weeks of the semester, students work independently on smaller projects to build foundational skills in front-end and back-end development. Following this, they collaborate in teams to design and develop a full-stack web application, applying industry-standard tools and best practices. This structure ensures that students gain both individual proficiency and experience working in a team environment, preparing them for real-world software development.

Finally, CS 495/496/497 are independent study, individual senior research projects, and internships, all by arrangement with a faculty member. If interested, talk to the faculty member with whom you want to work.

If you have any questions, please contact your advisor or the department chair.