Skipping CIS 1100formerly CIS 110
So you already know how to program: can you skip CIS 1100formerly CIS 110 and go straight to CIS 1200formerly CIS 120? If you have the appropriate AP exam scores then of course the answer is yes. For others, this is far from a straightforward question!
Before we get to the answer, let’s start with a bit of background. The CIS curriculum is designed to start with CIS 1100 formerly CIS 110, an introductory programming class. We welcome students who have no programming experience - you will learn everything you need to know in CIS 1100formerly CIS 110. However, sometimes incoming students indeed have sufficient programming experience from classes or projects that CIS 1100formerly CIS 110 isn’t the right use of their time. So we do have an officially-sanctioned way for students to skip CIS 1100formerly CIS 110 and to start directly with CIS 1200formerly CIS 120.
However, skipping CIS 1100formerly CIS 110 is a bigger decision than it may appear at first. CIS 1100formerly CIS 110 lays the foundations that most of the following courses depend upon. If you skip CIS 1100formerly CIS 110 but later realize that your programming skills were not as good as you thought, you may find yourself in a tricky situation. If you fail CIS 1200formerly CIS 120, you have to repeat it and cannot move on to the next courses in the intro sequence; this forces you into a kind of “holding pattern” where the only courses you can take are non-CIS courses. You might also get a bad grade in CIS 1200formerly CIS 120, which will likely compound into a hard time in many of the following courses (CIS 1210formerly CIS 121, CIS 2400formerly CIS 240, …) unless you work very hard to catch up on your own. Keep in mind that you cannot repeat courses in which you have received a passing grade. Thus:
We strongly recommend against skipping CIS 1100formerly CIS 110, unless you are confident that you already know ALL of the material it covers
Self-Assessment Tool: How should I decide whether I can safely skip CIS 1100?
To help you make this decision we have created a self-assessment tool. You can find it here.
Skipping CIS 1100
If you have read the rest of this article carefully and have come to the conclusion that starting with CIS 1200formerly CIS 120 is right for you, all you need to do is enroll in CIS 1200formerly CIS 120. There is no need to get a waiver or permission from the department. However, you will at some point need to take another CIS or NETS Engineering class later and count it in place of CIS 1100formerly CIS 110.
No retroactive credit
Taking CIS 1200formerly CIS 120 will not grant retroactive credit for CIS 1100formerly CIS 110.
Some departments (like Math) offer retroactive credit for skipping an introductory course and taking a more advanced one instead. If you do well enough in the advanced course, you get a BOGO deal and get a CU for the introductory course as well as the CU for the advanced course. Unfortunately, CIS does not have this policy.
Cannot take CIS 1100 later
Once you have taken CIS 1200formerly CIS 120, you cannot go back and take CIS 1100formerly CIS 110 in a later semester. You must take a CIS or NETS Engineering class in its place, as described above.