BS Major | CS Minor | BA Major
Declaring the BS Major
First-year students: All first-year Engineering students choose their major in the Spring semester of their first year. At that time, students seeking either the BSCpE or BSCS major will submit their preference to Engineering Dean's Office which manages that process.
Engineering Students Changing Majors or Seeking a Second Major: It is strongly suggested for students to be enrolled in (or to have already completed) CS 2150 or CS 2100 prior to applying to the BSCS major; applications from students who are currently enrolled in CS 2150 or CS 2100 may not be processed until after the its grade is posted in SIS. In order to apply for the BSCS major, you must turn in the appropriate form below, along with a copy of your unofficial transcript from SIS, by the application deadlines: October 15 and February 15 each year.
The completed form and transcript can be turned in to the main CS desk (Rice Hall 527). The Program director will generally review these requests after each deadline.
At this time, Engineering students are not eligible to apply for the BACS (i.e., the College degree) as a second major.
Intra-University Transfer Students: Engineering accepts transfer applications for non-SEAS UVa students, currently once a year. Qualified applicants who want to transfer into Engineering to become BSCpE or BSCS majors will be considered on a space-available basis given our target caps for each class year. Such students should follow the Engineering application process, and must contact the Computer Science (CS) department contact person listed in the Engineering webpage before applying. Contact Lisa Lampe and Jim Cohoon for more information.
Transfer Students from Outside the University: Students transferring into the University from other institutions must apply to the department to be allowed to declare the BSCS or BSCpE major. Qualified applicants will be considered on a space-available basis, given our target caps for each class year. Applications will be considered the summer before a transfer student begins classes, and the application process will be discussed during the summer orientation session. If an incoming transfer does not attend summer orientation, they must meet with a department advisor before classes begin to discuss applying.
Transfer students without the CS 1110 equivalent before their first semester in residence cannot be accepted into the major. Due to prerequisite dependencies, it is difficult for rising 3rd-year students who have not completed CS 2110 and CS 2102 or CS 2100 and CS 2120 to complete the BSCS in the 4 remaining semesters. It is important that students transferring to the University as third-years complete the equivalent of these courses before coming to UVa. In exceptional cases, students in this situation may apply for the major, but the ability to complete the degree in a timely fashion is one factor that will determine if you are accepted into the degree program.
Declaring a Minor in CS
Due to the demand for computing courses, the department can only accept a limited number of students to declare a minor in Computer Science. The CS department continues to work with the university to obtain resources that will allow more students to declare the Computer Science minor.
Students in the School of Engineering may declare the CS minor once they have successfully completed CS 2150 (if on the old curriculum track)/CS 2120 AND CS 2130 (if on the new curriculum track). Students outside of the School of Engineering may request to add the CS minor in the semester they will be completing the requirements, but no later than the beginning of their final semester. Any student requesting a CS minor will need to submit the minor application form and an unofficial transcript to CS-Office@virginia.edu.
The Computer Science minor requires credit for six CS courses as described in the Undergraduate Record.
Any student who has not declared but is able to complete all of the requirements for a minor in Computer Science before graduation will be awarded the minor if they submit the minor request form at the beginning of their graduation semester.
More information regarding the CS Minor can be found in the section above or contacting contact cs-office@virginia.edu.
BS in Computer Engineering majors: When the CpE program was created, it was decided by the two departments that CpE students could not declare the minor in CS. Because the CpE combines CS and EE, graduates with this degree will automatically have the equivalent of the minor in CS.
Declaring a BA Major
Can I declare? The BACS was created for College students who want to combine the study of computer science with coursework that combines computing with other fields of the arts and sciences. Engineering students are not eligible to declare the BACS and should instead declare the CS minor or the BSCS as a second major. Students from other schools should contact the Director of the BACS program at bacsdirector@virginia.edu
To declare the BACS, you must have completed the prerequisites at the time you submit your major declaration. They are: CS1110 or equivalent with a C+ or higher, and CS2110 or CS 2100 or equivalent with a C+ or higher.
Incoming transfer students who believe they have met the prerequisites should contact the BACS Director by emailing bacsdirector@virginia.edu to be advised and have any questions about course equivalencies resolved.
How do I declare? To declare you will complete a CS department declaration form and submit that when you submit the College’s Major Declaration form using DocuSign. Information on how to do all of this can be found at this link: https://bit.ly/bacs-declaring. Be sure to follow the instructions on that page (and don’t just follow the College website’s instructions about DocuSign).
When can I declare? You can submit your declaration any time, but our staff may not necessarily process it immediately. (In particular, those submitted in summer may not be processed until mid-August.) Declaration forms will be reviewed on a rolling basis and pending submissions will normally be handled by the 15th of each month (but not in the summer). We will attempt to process declaration forms submitted at peak times (start of fall term, right before course registration) more promptly.
Will I be accepted into the major? All College students who meet the prerequisites will be allowed to declare. Currently there are no “caps” or limits on the number of College students who can declare the BACS. So it is not a competitive admissions situation.
Questions? Send email to cs-admissions@virginia.edu with a subject line "BACS application question".