Programming and Computation Certificate

To earn the Programming and Computation Certificate, you must:

• Be a current undergraduate student at UT
• Complete the two introductory courses, CS 303E and CS 313E, in-residence at UT Austin*
• Apply for the certificate (see steps on the Info tab, making sure to complete Step 3)
• Confirm that the certificate is marked as "Pursuing"
• Complete and pass all required coursework (6 total) with a C- or better letter grade, using no more than two substitutes for the certificate
• It is also suggested that students have at least 4 semesters left for their degree before beginning the certificate. These courses are very popular, and students should expect to take approximately 1-2 courses per semester.

Only students officially pursuing the certificate will be able to register for these courses. Students who wish to enroll in these courses to meet requirements for their major or other credentials will need to find alternative coursework.

How to confirm that the certificate is Pursuing:

1. After you have applied for the certificate and received a SAN of approval, contact your academic advisor and ask them to attach the certificate to your degree profile
2. If the certificate shows “Yes” under “Pursuing” for the Programming and Computation Certificate, you will have access to register for or waitlist the upper-division electives if you meet prerequisites
3. If the certificate shows “No” under “Pursuing” for the Programming and Computation Certificate AND your advisor has already attached the certificate, please email cs-certificate@austin.utexas.edu with your name and EID so the effective date can be updated

*There are two exceptions to students taking CS 303E in-residence. These will not count toward the two-course substitute limit.

• Testing out of CS 303E
• Having credit for CS 312, whether in-residence, with AP credit, or with transfer credit

Expectations

The Programming and Computation Certificate requires 18 hours of coursework (i.e. 6 courses): two lower-division core courses and 4 upper-division electives. 

The two lower division courses, C S 303E and C S 313E, must be taken in the Department of Computer Science at UT.* Students will choose the remaining 12 hours of coursework from the list of upper-division electives below. The upper-division electives may vary semester to semester. Students will be able to register for two upper-division electives during the initial registration period, but this is very difficult due to demand.

This certificate is very popular and course capacity is limited. For students to successfully complete the certificate, we recommend that students have at least 4 semesters left for their degree before beginning the certificate—i.e. students should begin no later than the spring semester of their sophomore year and expect to take approximately 1-2 courses per semester. To support their progress, students may want to consider:

• Testing out of CS 303E or CS 312 (the majors-level equivalent)
• Taking Programming and Computation courses in the summer
• Reviewing our pre-approved substitutes via the link on our Substitutes tab

Lower Division Requirements (must be taken in-residence)*:

• CS 303E: Elements of Computers & Programming  
• CS 313E: Elements of Software Design (requires CS 303E)

Upper Division Electives:

• CS 323E: Elements of Scientific Computing 
• CS 324E: Elements of Graphics & Visualization 
• CS 326E: Elements of Networking
• CS 327E: Elements of Databases
• CS 329E Topic Courses (students may take more than one of these courses for certificate credit)
  • Elements of Data Integration
  • Elements of Data Visualization
  • Elements of Mobile Computing
  • Elements of Web Programming
  • Elements of Data Analytics
  • Elements of Game Development
• CS 330E: Elements of Software Engineering I
• CS 331E: Elements of Software Engineering II (requires CS 330E)

*There are two exceptions to students taking CS 303E in-residence. These will not count toward the two-course substitute limit.

• Testing out of CS 303E
• Having credit for CS 312, whether in-residence, with AP credit, or with transfer credit

Two (2) substitutes are allowed for the upper-division electives. Students can choose from a list of automatically approved courses (link below) and/or request a course of their choosing. Paperwork or petitions are not required for these pre-approved courses. 

Courses that are not pre-approved must be reviewed and approved by the Programming and Computation faculty advisor, and credit is not guaranteed. Substitutes are not allowed for the two lower-division courses, C S303E and C S 313E. These courses must be taken in the Department of Computer Science at UT.* 

Click here for a list of pre-approved course substitutions

NOTE: Some of the substitutes in the above PDF overlap with a specific Programming and Computation course. You cannot use both the original Programming and Computation course and its substitute for the certificate, even if your audit says otherwise. Students will not receive their certificate if there is overlap in their courses.

If a student would like to petition a non-approved substitution course for the Programming and Computation Certificate, they must complete the DocuSign form (unavailable during peak times such as the the start of classes and registration). Do not email Programming and Computation advising directly with this form and do not change the recipient of the DocuSign. 

Before beginning the DocuSign process, please confirm that:​

• You are at least halfway through completing the course and can expect to receive at least a C- letter grade
• You have applied for the certificate and are shown as pursuing (see the Info tab for full steps on this process)
• For transfer courses: the course has been successfully transferred to UT and is reflected on your UT record

These petitions are not guaranteed for approval and cannot be appealed. The student will receive a notification via DocuSign once the course is evaluated as well as a separate SAN if the course is approved.

*There are two exceptions to students taking CS 303E in-residence. These will not count toward the two-course substitute limit.

• Testing out of CS 303E
• Having credit for CS 312, whether in-residence, with AP credit, or with transfer credit

Certification occurs in a student’s graduating semester. In the final semester, submit the Online Certification Request Form.* Students will be awarded a digital certificate and completion letter at the end of the certification process. These items will be sent to the email provided in the form within one month of the certification deadline. The deadline for each semester is below.

• Spring: May 1 by 5 PM
• Summer: August 1 by 5 PM
• Fall: Dec 1 by 5 PM

*Students who make their certificate Stand Alone (i.e., graduate with 9 or fewer hours left for the certificate and complete them within 1 year of their graduation) will submit the form in the semester they take their last Programming and Computation course. Contact cs-certificate@austin.utexas.edu if you are graduating and need to make your certificate Stand Alone.

I am a senior. Can I get help joining a class or moving up the waitlist?

The Programming and Computation Certificate is very popular and space is limited. Our website encourages students to start the certificate their sophomore year and to plan for approximately 1 class per semester. This specific certificate is not guaranteed under Senior Countdown. Therefore, students register independently, and we do not assist students in jumping the waitlist.

I had a late registration time and wasn’t able to join my preferred course. What can I do?

You can:

• Join a waitlist
• Be flexible about your preferred course selection. Many semesters have a few courses that close quickly but one or two that remain open for longer
• Look at our pre-approved substitutes to see if you can get credit for similar courses in other departments (note that the certificate allows only 2 overall substitutes)
• Participate in the late-add process that begins at 8am on the 5^th class day of spring and fall. Information is sent via our listserv during the first few days of class.

Why can’t I register for a particular Programming and Computation course?

The Programming and Computation Certificate is very popular and space is limited. If a course is shown as “waitlisted” then all seats are taken and you will only be able to add yourself to the waitlist. If a course is “closed” then the waitlist is full as well. In both cases students are encouraged to be flexible and have backups.

Can I meet with a CS advisor to discuss the Programming and Computation Certificate?

Students pursuing the certificate are encouraged to meet with their academic advisor to discuss how the certificate can fit into their current degree plan. Questions may be directed to cs-certificate@austin.utexas.edu.

I am pursuing a different certificate and it has Programming and Computation courses listed. Can I still take the course(s) for my other certificate?

Priority for the Programming and Computation Certificate upper division electives goes to students who are pursuing the certificate. Students pursuing other certificates should find alternate coursework.

Can I substitute the lower division courses?

Students must take CS 303E and CS 313E at UT Austin. The only exception is CS 312 (equivalent to CS 303E). Credit-by-exam is available for both CS 303E and CS 312 through Testing Services. Alternatively, students can use CS 312 credit received through the AP Exam in Computer Science A or attempt to register for CS 312 in a spring semester (when it is open to non-majors).

*If a student took MIS 304, EE 312, BME 303, SDS 322 prior to Fall 2021 then they can receive credit for CS 303E. This will count toward the substitute limit (2).

When should I start taking courses for the Programming and Computation Certificate?

To have the best chance to finish the certificate by graduation, students should take at least one certificate course each semester beginning their sophomore year. The upper division electives have limited seating and students will not be given priority when registering. The certificate requires at least four semesters for students to complete with the current prerequisites in place.

Can the certificate be made Stand Alone instead of being attached?

The Programming and Computation Certificate will not be made Stand Alone unless a student is graduating. Otherwise, students will need to have the certificate attached to their degree profile and marked as "pursuing" to access the upper division electives.

Can I finish the certificate after I graduate?

Yes, student have up to one year to finish certificate requirements. Students need to have at least half of the certificate completed upon graduation because only nine (9) hours of certificate coursework can be taken after graduation. This information can be found with the UT catalog information.

I am a graduate student. Can I earn the certificate?

The certificate is only available to current undergraduates at UT. Graduate students will not be able to independently register for the Programming and Computation courses; they can participate in our late-add process on the 5th class day of fall and spring to see if there is space in the course. Graduate students can also contact the instructors about auditing the courses.

Can Programming and Computation Certificate courses be taken pass/fail?

To count toward the certificate, all Programming and Computation Certificate courses and any approved substitutions will need to be taken for a letter grade. Students will need to receive a C- or better for the course(s) to count for the certificate

*Spring 2020, Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters are the exception since students were able to use pass/fail and COVID pass/fail exceptions for their courses

What is the maximum number of Programming and Computation upper division electives I can take in a semester?

Students will be limited to two upper-division electives during the initial registration period, with the opportunity to join waitlists once they become available. The maximum number of Programming and Computation upper-division electives a student can take is three, though this is highly unlikely due to demand.

Can I take courses at another institution and have them count towards the certificate?

If a student has already taken a course and would like to the faculty advisor to review it, they can submit a course substitution request. It should be noted that community colleges do not usually offer courses that will substitute for any of the upper-division electives. Study Abroad courses can be reviewed prior to taking them to ensure that they will count, but these courses will count as substitutions.

How do I go about getting a transfer course evaluated as a course substitution?

If the transfer course in question does not transfer directly as an approved substitution (i.e., as E E 3ADV), students will need to submit a course substitution request after the course has already been transferred to UT. The course must be on the student's academic record and student needs to have a C- or better in the course. Please read through and fill out the course substitution request, and follow the instructions on the form. The course will be reviewed by the Programming and Computation faculty advisor and the student will be sent a SAN with the results. There is not an estimated time for when students will receive this SAN, and the decision cannot be appealed if denied.

Can I get a course reviewed prior to taking it at UT?

No. Students can submit course substitution requests for courses that they have already taken and passed, or courses that they are currently enrolled in. Our faculty advisor will not review courses that a student has not yet taken.

Can all CS courses count towards the Programming and Computation Certificate?

No. The Programming and Computation Certificate courses (CS courses that end in E) are the courses they have been created for the certificate. Other CS courses do not automatically apply to the Programming and Computation Certificate and are reserved for CS majors (with the exception of CS 312, equivalent to CS 303E).

I am no longer pursuing the Programming and Computation Certificate. Can you remove it from my degree profile?

Yes, but first you will need to contact your major advisor to have the certificate “detached” from your degree profile.