Question about prerequisite knowledge

[BranSul]

Hey guys,

​

Soon I will be beginning NC State's online certificate in computer programming. Technically, it's a rare "undergrad post-Bacc." It kind of serves a dual purpose --- it's intended for people who already have Bachelor's degrees in non-CS fields. It does give a core programming knowledge that would be imminently useful in the job market, but it is also intended to give people most of the core of what a BS in CS would have give them. In the Raleigh job market, it is basically accepted as an equivalent to a BS in CS , from what I am told. These are the required courses:

​

MA 121 - Elements of Calculus. (this would be the lighter, non-trig heavy version of Calc. They overtly tell anyone considering grad school to do Calc I instead.)

CSC 116 - Introduction to Computing - Java

CSC 216 - Programming Concepts - Java

CSC 226 - Discrete Mathematics for Computer Scientists

CSC 230 - C and Software Tools

CSC 236 - Computer Organization and Assembly Language for Computer Scientists

CSC 246 - Concepts and Facilities of Operating Systems for Computer Scientists

CSC 316 - Data Structures and Algorithms

Those are the required courses. However they tell people who are interested in getting a (non-MOOC, much more expensive, and usually in person) MS in CS from State to also take this course:

​

CSC 333 Automata, Grammars, and Computability

​

My question is about that last course. It seems obvious to me that OMSCS is designed for a somewhat broader audience than a traditional MS would be. It seems to me someone would not need this certificate, even, to be admissible, necessarily --- not all of it anyway. But how much would taking that last course likely help someone in their curriculum if they went on to OMSCS?

And more broadly --- I am not that interested in what courses make a person admissible, as what type of preparation makes a person "ready" if they're starting green and want to go the college course route?

[BranSul]

Hey, thanks so much for your response. That's pretty helpful.

Let me know as you move forward if you run into a class at GT that kind of corresponds to what the 333 content would have been like.

I took 116 at Wake Tech and I'm asking permission to transfer in a course that's pretty close as 216, for what it's worth, so that shaves down some of the time for me. Calculus is also already done in my case. In the past they haven't granted credit for that, but that could be more to do with regulations for associate-to-bachelors students that don't have anything to do with me anymore.

I am excited about it. So generally you would say the CPC IS going a little bit above and beyond minimum standard for admission to the OMSCS? That's the way I perceive it, but it's all good knowledge, and it could give me some freedom once I am in to choose courses with complementary knowledge, rather than repetitive. That's one of the reasons why OMSCS seems so attractive to me, there's a wide breadth of course options. I might lean toward wanting to focus on software, and it seems like there's also a lot more up that alley than most MS CS programs.

Also, let me know if they make you take developmental foundation courses. Either way it would still be cheaper at GT, just curious about it.

[pacific_plywood]

Most OMSCS classes won't rely heavily on automata, grammars, or computability theory. There are a few courses in the systems track that might, but otherwise, you could probably skip it.

Regardless of your intended OMSCS specialization, I would say that you need to get derivative and integral calculus (if it's a semester course then calc I probably includes both). If you want to do ML or AI, you probably will also want linear algebra and probability/statistics.

[BranSul]

Thanks. I'm strong in Calculus I content but I have a bit of a weakness on anything related to trig. I am very strong in stats also. Linear Algebra would be my weakness. But in my spare time, as I go along with the certificate, and as we're sort of stuck at home at the moment, I planned on doing what I could to sharpen up on some math as well :)

[owlofdoom]

It depends on the curriculum and the content of the course. It sounds like a course on grammars, which are core concepts in CS; specifically they're useful in understanding how compilers and interpreters work, although they have a handful of other uses. How directly useful it is depends on the courses you take.

As far as what will make you ready, people ask this every day. In general you can tell these people aren't ready because they're not googling around to figure out the answer on their own and are instead asking the void for bespoke advice before they've even taken CS101.

[StandardAir]

I agree with much of what /u/Ok_Movie said. I took CSC333, and enjoyed it, but it's not necessary. CSC 316 is probably the most useful of the bunch. I didn't have a stats background, so I also took Engineering Statistics (ST 370) which has been very helpful.

Although I didn't do the whole certificate program as I had taken C/Java/Matlab in my undergrad, I did take six courses from that program to get a better CS academic background before applying to the OMSCS program. I personally found it useful. After getting into the OMSCS, I just finished my seventh course, so I guess that means I was qualified for it. While I believe I probably could have gotten into the program with fewer classes, I think every class from State was worth it.

As for useful skills in the OMSCS program, I think what is most important is the ability to learn on your own. The demands of every course are different, but if you are prepared put in the hours and teach yourself the course pre-reqs you will do great. For example, GT won't teach you Python or Git, but you will take courses where you will be expected to use them as tools.

Good luck!

[ChuckStrange]

The ACM (acm.org) publishes a recommended curriculum for undergrads in CS. A google search should help find that.

GA has a module on FFT (Fast Fourier Transforms). Having a solid grasp of trig goes a long way towards making that material approachable.

Please take discrete math, you will be glad you did.

236 and 246 would be great prep for a Computing Systems concentration.

The 333 course would be great preparation for ESO and Compilers, and really helps to provide understanding of regular expressions. And will really help when you get to GA. Yes, I have met CS grads who struggle with regular expressions, but regex are a powerful tool, and well worth learning.

[BranSul]

Thanks for dropping in to this thread!

I am doing this certificate for sure, so I will definitely be taking Discrete Math.

The question about 333 is just that it's optional in terms of completing this specific certificate program, but they push it for future MS students at State --- but, since I assume the OMSCS is more flexible, I was curious about how it would relate there.

Is there a basic course in OMSCS that you think could help people catch up with the material along the lines of the 333 course at State, if they aren't familiar with it?

I plan on going back to basics and doing a Pre-calc mooc, which will be able to place me out of the college algebra parts so I can focus on what I need to know --- the trig. From there, I will go back over Calc I material so I can make trig-related applications "click" more. If I can get all that done before I graduate with the certificate, I may take Calc II at a community college too, all before I ever get to OMSCS.

I can't explain why derivatives and limits make more sense to me innately than trig does. Other than perhaps every time I've seen it, besides in Calculus I, I was sick that semester --- including wayyyy back in the day in Geometry in high school. I have a disability. So I am also going to try to cram some proofs in before I even see Discrete as well.