Undergraduate Program

Director of Undergraduate Studies Ketan Mayer-Patel gave a presentation about the department to admitted undergraduate students in Spring 2024. A recording of the presentation and Q&A can be viewed on YouTube.

Spring 2025 Registration Guide

Admission to Undergraduate Programs

The demand for the Computer Science major has grown significantly over the past decade. To maintain the high quality educational experiences that Carolina students deserve, there is an admissions process for students interested in either the BS or BA computer science programs. The department accepts applications each Spring. More information about the next application cycle can be found here: Spring ’25 Application To Computer Science Programs.

The Computer Science minor is generally available to students regardless of major and does not require an application. Please see here for more information regarding the minor and courses available to complete the minor.

Starting in the summer of 2024, transfer students will no longer be admitted directly to the computer science major when accepted at UNC. Instead, they must apply in the next available application cycle after enrolling in UNC and completing the necessary prerequisites (i.e., COMP 110, COMP 210, and COMP 283/MATH 381/STOR 315). Please note that this may require transfer students to use the 9th and 10th semester automatically available to them to complete the degree. Transfer students are encouraged to consider and be prepared to pivot to a different major, anticipating the possibility that they will not be admitted or unable to complete the prerequisites necessary to apply.

Visiting the Department of Computer Science

At this time, we do not offer in-person department tours or information session. We are trying to develop a program for virtual department tours. If you would like to be notified when they launch, please give us your email address using this form.

Registration and Tar Heel Tracker Requests

Manual Registration Requests

Note: During registration periods, please allow up to 5 business days for processing. Please do not submit duplicate requests.

Tar Heel Tracker Requests

Please allow up to 30 days for processing. For forms submitted during registration, please allow up to 45 days for processing. All graduating seniors will receive priority processing.

For additional questions/inquiries/follow-up, please email [email protected] and include your PID in all emails.

Undergraduate Degree Programs

The Department of Computer Science offers instruction and performs research in many essential areas of computer science. We encourage you to browse the home pages of our faculty to get a sense of their on-going research interests and collaborations.

The Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (B.S.) is the most popular degree both for graduate study in computer science and for technical careers in industry. Graduates of our program are well suited for professional employment in traditional computer and communications industries, as well as in such diverse industries as financial services and consulting practices in which computing and information management is central to the operation of the enterprise.

The Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science (B.A.) is a streamlined and more flexible degree program that may be a better fit for those whose interest in computing spans the boundaries of multiple disciplines and wish to integrate their study of computing with study in a related discipline. The bachelor of arts degree will prepare the undergraduate student for a career in either a traditional computing field, or a career in a field where computing is a significant enabling technology.

Majors receive rigorous training in the foundations of computer science and the relevant mathematics in a common core introductory sequence, and then have ample opportunity to specialize in upper division courses. Please see the course catalog and recent offerings for more information.

Students with interests in the cognitive, social, and organizational roles of information should consider the information science major in the School of Information and Library Science.

Students can minor in computer science with five courses, as described here.

The department also offers a B.S./M.S. combined program that allows students to graduate with both a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Master of Science in Computer Science in as few as five years.