We're excited that you are interested in taking an introductory computer science course! Our
Computer Science Programs
include introductory courses that are designed for all students. Our Introduction to Computer Science
courses
ITSC 1212, while it uses Python as the programming language it is mostly language
agnostic, focusing primarily on the concepts of computational thinking, logic, and problem solving.
ITSC 1213 introduces students to Objec-oriented programming using Java and dives deeper
in computational problem solving and logic.
In that spirit, we want everyone to take the
right first course for them, especially since prior experience can come in many different forms. This
self-placement may help you find that course.
If you have never programmed before, or if your programming experience is limited, you will probably
begin with ITSC 1212 which is designed for students with no previous experience whatsoever. If you took
a high-school programming course intended to be similar to a first college course, such as AP Computer
Science A or IB Computer Science, you may wish to attempt our Credit by Exam (CBE) to earn credit for
ITSC 1212 and begin with ITSC 1213. If you have substantial previous experience with Object Oriented
programming you might even want to enroll in ITSC 2214 after attempting and passing the CBE for ITSC
1213. This guided self-placement will help you make this decision by asking you questions about your
background. These will include questions about the specific courses and experience you have, how
familiar you are with various topics and concepts, and how comfortable you are solving practice
problems. We hope this will help most people pick the right course for them. The recommendations this
tool provides are intended for your own use to guide your decisions about course placement. While it can
provide a helpful indication of your readiness, it does not guarantee success on the CBE assessment.
Please consult with our
advising team if you have questions about this tool or the test out process.
This self-placement is adaptive, meaning which questions you see and in which order will depend
on your responses. So each student will have a slightly different experience, and if you go back and
change your answers, you may see different questions appear. This is to help make sure we get the
information that will most help us recommend the best course for you. As you go through the
self-placement, you may also encounter terms or concepts you haven't heard of before. Don't be
intimidated-- if you haven't seen a topic or concept, that just means you should probably be in the
course that teaches it!
We encourage you to answer all questions as truthfully as possibly based on your current
experience.
When you're ready, click the button below to begin.
ITSC 1212
Since you don't have any previous programming experience, we recommend you take
ITSC 1212. This course will start from the very beginning and will help you learn basic
programming skills and concepts
alongside other students with limited experience.
You can learn more about our
course catalog on the UNC Charlotte website. If you have any more questions,
feel free to reach out to our
advising team.
ITSC 1212
Although you have some previous programming experience, it sounds like you're still not entirely
confident with some
topics. We recommend you take
ITSC 1212 to help you solidfy your understanding of that material before moving on to ITSC
1213.
You can learn more about our
course catalog on the UNC Charlotte website. If you have any more questions,
feel free to reach out to our
advising team.
ITSC 1213
You seem to have a solid grasp of the basics, so we recommend you take
ITSC 1213. This course will help you take the next step with your programming skills and
learn to apply the concepts
you already know in new and exciting ways. ITSC 1213 is taught in Java, but is designed for students
with a wide range of previous experiences,
so you should feel confident enrolling even if your experience is in another programming language.
You can learn more about our
course catalog on the UNC Charlotte website. If you have any more questions,
feel free to reach out to our
advising team.
ITSC 1213
You seem to have a solid grasp of the basics, so we recommend you take
ITSC 1213. This course will help you take the next step with your programming skills and
learn to apply the concepts
you already know in new and exciting ways.
Since you previously took CSE 142, you may also want to consider enrolling in
CSE 143, which is being offered a few more times. This course is the direct follow-up to CSE
142 and will more closely align with your experience having
previously taken CSE 142.
You can learn more about our
course catalog on the UNC Charlotte website. If you have any more questions,
feel free to reach out to our
advising team.
ITSC 2214
You have a lot of experience programming and have a strong understanding of some more advanced
topics, so we recommend
you take
ITSC 2214. This course will teach you to use your existing programming skills to implement
and manipulate complex
data structures and will also introduce some more advanced programming concepts.
You can learn more about our
course catalog on the UNC Charlotte website. If you have any more questions,
feel free to reach out to our
advising team.
ITSC 2214
You have a lot of experience programming and have a strong understanding of some more advanced
topics, so we recommend you take
ITSC 2214
. This course will teach you to use your existing programming skills to
implement
and manipulate complex
data structures, and will also introduce some more advanced programming concepts.
You can learn more about our
course catalog on the UNC Charlotte website. If you have any more questions,
feel free to reach out to our
advising team.
Talk to Advising
Based on your responses, there are multiple courses that might be a good fit for you. It may be in
your best interest to attempt the credit by exam for ITSC 1212 as there is no cost nor penalty for
attempting the exam; the only time payment is required is if you were to psas the exam and
wish to receive
credit.
We recommend you speak with a member of
advising team so they can learn more about your situation and help you find the best
fit.