The Purdue University Department of Computer Science Undergraduate Committee proposed changes in the department's Honors Program at the Faculty Meeting on November 15, 2002. These changes were approved and go into effect immediately.

Changes in the current Honors Program

  1. CS 180H, 182H, 250H, and 251H will be eliminated. Too much workload for instructors and staff with very little perceived benefit for students. (We will, however, continue to group honors students in labs and recitation sections when feasible.)

  2. Students enter the CS Honors Program in the following ways:
    1. invited as a high school student through the Science Freshman Honors program,
    2. invited to the Science Freshman Honors program after first semester grades,
    3. following the completion of their core courses -- based on their GPA and request to enter. This will typically admit them to the CS Honors Program at the beginning of their junior year (semester 5).

  3. Honors students will take CS 397 just one time. There is no apparent benefit to having them repeat this each semester.


Revised Honors Program

Revisions noted in red

The Department of Computer Sciences awards honors to graduating students who have satisfied the following requirements in addition to the requirements for the B.S. with a major in computer sciences. "Approved" means approved by the Computer Sciences Undergraduate Committee for the purpose of achieving honors.

  1. Honors students must maintain a 3.25 cumulative grade point average.

  2. A cumulative grade point average of at least 3.60 in computer sciences courses.

  3. Students may request admission to the CS Honors Program to be effective in the semester following the completion of their core courses. To be admitted to the Honors Program they must have at least a 3.25 cumulative grade point average, a 3.60 cumulative grade point average in Computer Science courses, and the recommendation of their advisor. The Undergraduate Committee may grant admission to the Honors Program if they meet those requirements.

  4. The four Computer Science courses at or above the 300 level must include CS 497 (see below) and an approved 500-level course.

  5. Either MA 350 or MA 351, Elementary Linear Algebra. MA 350 is the honors version.

  6. An approved mathematics course beyond MA 351 or an approved statistics course beyond STAT 511.

  7. EE 270, Introduction to Digital System Design.

  8. CS 197, Freshman Honors Seminar (class 1, credit 1, pass/not pass, offered each semester). Honors Program students are encouraged, but not required, to take this class in the fall and spring of their freshman year. The seminar covers the history, context, and future of computer science.

  9. CS 397, Honors Seminar (no credit, eight meetings, offered each semester). Honors students should typically take CS 397 the semester before taking CS 497. CS 397 is required to be taken only once. CS 397 may be taken (with the permission of their advisor) by students not yet admitted to the Honors Program to help determine if they want to apply to the program. CS 397 class meetings focus on teaching Honors students what is involved in research, how to select a research project, and hearing presentations from CS 497 students on their research projects.

  10. CS 497, Honors Research Project (credit 3, offered each semester). Each student in the Honors Program must complete a group research project directed by Computer Science faculty members.

    Each group must submit a technical report describing its work and results, and must also give a short presentation in CS 397.

    One semester of the project may be counted as one of the "four computer science courses at or above the 300 level" required for the bachelor's degree. One more semester, if approved by the Undergraduate Committee, can be used as a free elective. Honors Program students may only use CS 490 classes as free electives.



Incoming students for Fall, 2003 will operate under the new program. But, some things will take effect immediately for students now in Honors (or who want to be):

  1. We will likely have no more H sections of 182, 250, and 251 (after Spring, 2003). We will probably continue 180H labs and 180H recitation sections, but those students will have exactly the same work requirements as non-H students.

  2. Current Honors students who have had 397 need not sign up for it again.

  3. We will begin immediately using the process above for admitting students to Honors after completing their core courses.