CSE Course Placement Advice

Updated 9.12.2022

Students new to computer science at UCSD often ask which course to enroll in first.  It is important for each student to select the starting point that is right for them.  A majority of CSE majors do not start in CSE 11, and these students are at least as successful as those who do start in CSE 11.  Regardless of which of these courses you start with, you will be on track to complete the major.  The following suggestions are rough guidelines based on prior experiences with our students:

  • Students who have significant prior programming experience (for instance, a score of 4 or 5 on the AP CSA  exam; or an object-oriented programming course in a community college) should consider beginning with CSE 11.
  • Students who have not taken an object-oriented programming course, but might have taken other high school computing courses (including AP CSP) and are comfortable with using computers, should consider beginning with CSE 8A.
  • Students can also consider beginning with CSE 3.  

To reiterate, these are merely suggestions, and regardless of which path you choose, you will be on track.  For each track there is a defined plan to graduate in four years.  Ultimately, it is up to the individual to determine a suitable starting point in CSE. If the course turns out to be too elementary or too difficult, we highly encourage you to meet with an advisor as soon as possible.

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