CS Programs for physics major with little CS background

Graduate School
1

<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>I went to Stanford for 3 years, took a leave of absence after going through some rough times, and now have a GPA of 2.8 (I should have taken a break sooner). I'm going back in the fall. I'm wondering if it's possible to go on and get a masters in CS, even though I haven't taken any CS courses so far. I don't have too many requirements left and I could probably squeeze in 6 more classes, in a pinch. I'm planning on getting good grades this time around. I've done a few different types of programming here and there and have some background, and I did well AP CS AB (the two year AP program). Also, if there's one thing I'm good at, it's standardized tests (I teach a SAT class) so I'm confident I can do well on the GRE.</p>

<p>Are there CS courses made for people with a limited background in CS? Could I consider taking night courses in preparation for a master's program? Any other tips and advice?</p>

<p>While I'm at it, does anyone know what my options are for PhD programs in the sciences even though I have 2 years of crappy grades?</p>

2

<p>Do you want to get a masters in CS at Stanford? Well if you mean you coterm, you can definitely do it–it’d be a squeeze to get 45 units of CS work without ever having taken CS before (that is 5 CS classes per quarter, which is insane); and of course it would require another year.</p>

3

<p>No. I’d like to get a coterm at Stanford, but my GPA isn’t good enough. Also, there’s no way I’m doing 5 CS classes a quarter!</p>

4

<p>Some universities will admit students on the condition that they take certain undergrad cs courses before they take grad cs courses. It usually means you spend an extra year in the master’s program. You’ll have to check the sites of the schools you have an interest in attending.</p>

5

<p>Depends on what type of CS you want to do. </p>

<p>DS has never taken a pure CS class yet he earned an MS in CS and works at a well known CS school as a staff researcher. His undergrad major was in ME and his MS was in mechanical aspects of CS. </p>

<p>(alas, DS was not accepted to stanford either as undergrad or as a grad from Carnegie Mellon :frowning: .) (Doubtful that he would even go to Stanford even if accepted, because the school is only a 1.5 hr airtime from home in Oregon. :slight_smile: )</p>