<p>Im an incoming freshmen at UCD with a Computer Engineer major.
Im not sure which classes i should take, when, and in what order to take them. I have read links on the requirements, but im not sure exactly how i should plan out my schedule.</p>
<p>Are there any classes i should get out of the way first?
Should i do my major courses or GE courses for my first quarter?
Do i have to register for new classes each quarter or do i do them yearly?
Whats the required units i must take each quarter? Whats considered a lot, whats considered light?</p>
<p>Schedule planning is an extensive process and is heavily based on preference. So take your first few questions to a counselor so they can go through with you the many things to consider when planning for your courses.</p>
<p>I’m going into computer science and I am not taking any kind of computer class just yet. We have a similar major. So for starters, you’ll need Math 21A. First quarter is always for experimental purposes for us first years-ers. Keep in mind that you have a set number of GEs you must fulfill before graduation. If you blow them all on your first year, you will be taking core classes all year long in junior/senior year. Spread them out. I’ll probably be taking 1-2 per quarter. Personally, I want to get rid of English as soon as possible. So I’m going to start working at that first. I’m taking ENL2, MAT21A, CHE2A ~ 13 units. Minimum is 12/13 units per quarter. I believe you must register quarterly, as coming from orientation, we did not sign up for the whole year, just one quarter. 15-16 is considered standard. 13 units is considered pretty low, but its okay for Q1 for freshmen. 16+ is considered a lot. If you expect to graduate in 4 years, a 15 unit/quarter system will get you those 180 units for graduation.</p>
<p>for CSE you have a lot more GE requirements than other types of engineering at around 33 units while others only have 24. If you are familiar with programming classes (in highschool and such) then you might want to challenge yourself with putting in ECS30 as your first class. Remember, ECS 30 and ECS 40 are weeder courses especially if your professor is Sean Davis.</p>
<p>If you are not confident in programming, you can take ECS10 (or ECS15 I forget) which is basic programming that goes over rudimentary concepts. I would focus mostly on your major courses throughout the year since most of your classes that you take in your first couple years are prerequisites for your upper division courses. Make sure you have those done so you can at least move onto upper division coursework. </p>
<p>Similarly, take your MAT21/22 courses and your PHY courses early. You don’t necessarily have to take CHE2A so early since you only have to take just 2A and not the rest of the series. A bit of advice is to take it in your first year at least because many of your colleagues will also be taking then. Also, CHE2A has a time consuming lab which may interfere with some of your other later courses so it may be best to take it soon.</p>
<p>Usually in your first year, taking ~16 units is pretty standard (3-5 units/course x 4 courses). As a CSE, I would recommend at least taking MAT21A, ECS10 or ECS30, and possibly one GE for a minimum of 12 units. It is difficult to get the classes that you want in your first quarter so don’t be too worried about not following the suggested quarter outline provided by engineering department.</p>
<p>thanks for your speedy responses.
Do i need to take ENG1 or 2 before i go and take ENG3? I also took English 1A over the summer at a CC, and i checked that UCD accepts it. Does this mean i can jump ahead on my english courses?</p>
<p>And on this site, it says i need 12 GE electives. Do these include my normal GE stuff? Or are the 12 my GE reqs?</p>
<p>@pvtPublic, what do you mean by weeder courses? sorry, i just want to be clear on suggestions so i dont misunderstand anything.</p>
<p>Do any of my GE reqs overlap my major courses? Also, where do i check how many units each course has? i never considered GE courses to be a real concern, but 33units seems to be a lot and i think i need to take a few each quarter.</p>
<p>Don’t be bother with the numbering scheme of classes since they are just there to tell the classes apart. They are after all, just numbers. The only thing that may concern you in regards to naming of classes is the letter suffix. For example, CHE 2B needs completion of CHE 2A and MAT21C needs the completion of MAT21B before enrollment. Also, lower division classes are numbered 1-99, upper divison are numbered 100-199, and grad classes are 200+.</p>
<p>In regards to your english class, please check: [Welcome</a> to ASSIST](<a href=“Welcome to ASSIST”>Welcome to ASSIST) for an equivalent course from your CC to UCD to see if it can be counted for any UCD class credit.</p>
<p>Weeder classes are kind of what the name suggests. It weeds out the students who are “unfit” for that kind of major so it is more usual that those classes are more difficult for a freshman than other courses.</p>
<p>This may be a helpful link to plan your first 2 years:
[Computer</a> Science @ UC Davis](<a href=“http://www.cs.ucdavis.edu/undergrad/csemajor/lower-flowchart.html]Computer”>http://www.cs.ucdavis.edu/undergrad/csemajor/lower-flowchart.html)</p>
<p>GE reqs usually do not overlap with your major courses and even if they did, they can only count as GE credit OR Major credit not both. Your courses tend to be GE req that fulfill science GE which you don’t need any of.</p>
<p>Here’s a different link to ‘Computer Engineering Recommended Schedule’. Its
dated 2008-2009, but will likely be similar to current:
<a href=“Electrical and Computer Engineering”>Electrical and Computer Engineering;