I was accepted into UMBC for the Spring 2011 semester as a special/non-degree-seeking applicant (their nearest classification for a post-Baccalaureate student such as myself), and received in-state tuition status as well. I’m super super excited, because there’s quite a number of things in the computer science and mathematics areas that I would like to gain more formal exposure to. Of course, I can (and do) read about these things on my own but a classroom environment and access to learned advisors (professor and TAs) will I think greatly help my absorption of the material.
Registration capacity permitting, I plan on taking CMSC 203 in the spring, their Discrete Structures course (mathematics that’s particularly relevant to computer science, more or less, at about the level of calculus without being directly an analysis course per se). I’m half-tempted to see if I can take STAT 355 as well (calc-based probability theory and stats for scientists and engineers). Both of them form the sort of mathematical core theory underlying two course I care very much about taking and doing well in, namely CMSC 341 (Data Structures) and 441 (Algorithm Analysis).
My first term back in school unfortunately puts me in the very last registration bucket on the calendar, in late January a few days before the term commences. Though I’m not required to undergo academic advising (as I already have a BSc), I’m hoping to go in and catch a bit of time from one of the CS dept’s advisors before then regardless to talk to them about where to come in on their course sequence (e.g. I don’t think that I really need to take their intro year of programming courses given that all the topics listed in their syllabuses look quite familiar after a decade of programming in industry) and might use some of that time to see if there’s any way for me to “sneak” in and register earlier. ;) Probably a no but you can’t tell until you ask, hehe.