Title says it all. I’m a third-year in the College of Computer and Information Science, currently on co-op, in the Honors program. I lived in IV last year. I’m not an expert on financial aid, but I certainly need it, so I can speak to my personal experiences with the faculty. Happy to answer any questions anyone may have!
How does being in Honors (or not) impact the CCIS experience? As I understand it there are Honors sections for introductory CS courses. Are there similar sections for upper level courses?
Most Honors classes are first- or second-year courses, with very few exceptions. There are only three Computer Science courses which offer Honors sections, as far as I know: Fundamentals of Computer Science I & II, along with Discrete Structures. The honors sections may cover slightly more and move at a faster pace, but the difference is relatively minimal. While there are not Honors upper-level courses, there is the option to take graduate-level classes as an undergraduate. Northeastern offers various accelerated programs in which you take graduate coursework to fill your “CS Elective” slots and graduate with an undergraduate degree, and with only one additional year you complete the remaining requirements and earn the graduate degree. The graduate-level versions of classes are often much more advanced, though not always.
Of all of the Honors classes I have taken (and heard about), the CS Fundamentals courses are the ones where the honors class diverges the most from the regular version of the class; it’s a faster-paced, more challenging course. Many of the honors classes have slightly smaller classes or a few extra assignments, but for the intro CS classes the honors version is definitely a more challenging (and more rewarding) class.
Thanks @AxeAxe and @nanotechnology - I forgot to ask, are the Honors sections only open to Honors students? And does this include non-CCIS students (e.g. Honors students from other schools get access to Honors sections)?
I think NEU does not allow placing out for AP CS, right? So what should an advanced student do in the Fundamentals level classes if they are not in Honors? Relax and enjoy the slower pace, I guess?
CS Fundamentals honors functions somewhat differently than most honors classes. In general, honors classes are only open to honors students, but they’re open to anyone in honors, regardless of their major. For Fundies, strong non-honors programmers/students can sometimes join the honors section, at the instructors’ discretion. You can’t place out of CS Fundamentals 1 with AP credit, but if you’re non-honors that might be a boost to let you take the honors class. Even if you’re an experienced programmer, Fundies 1 isn’t necessarily a walk in the park; it focuses on program design and uses a functional programming language, so it will likely be very different than programming classes you’ve had in HS. Fundies 2, however, teaches Java. If you have a lot of experience with Java & took AP CS, sometimes people are allowed to skip that course. (You have to talk to the advisors about it.)
Just wanted to add more about honors classes in general. Since honors classes are kept small, taking an honors section may mean being in a small class instead of a large lecture hall. It may also mean not having to take a additional recitation section with the class (which would be required for the larger non-honors sections). You can take honors classes in any department (as mentioned above) and since they are usually intro level classes - you might do this for some of your “electives”. My daughter’s experience in honors sections was that they were just smaller - the one exception was an honors section econ class where the teacher taught it at what she now realizes was practically a graduate level.
There are also classes offered to just honors students - some introductory courses, as well as upper-level honors seminars (which you’re required to take 1 of for honors distinction). I took a seminar called History of Espionage. We covered everything from ancient China to modern cyber-espionage and even had a retired CIA officer come talk to the class.