Frequently Asked Questions
Courses-by-Exam
Q: If I am unable to enroll in a course, may I take it by exam?
In most cases taking an ECS course-by-exam will not be approved especially for courses where programming or other projects are an integral part of the learning experience and often not adequately tested on exams.
Taking a course-by-exam requires the approval of the instructor (instructors are NOT obligated to administer a course-by-exam and have the option of refusing), department and Registrar with final approval required from the dean of your college.
Approval is granted in very few cases and, if approved, you must meet the following conditions (please see the complete list of conditions on the course-by-exam petition):
- Be a registered student and in good academic standing
- Must already know the course material (knowledge may NOT be gained by attending the course, doing the work and then taking the final)
- May not duplicate any previously earned credit
- May not be used to repeat a course, regardless of the grade previously received
- The final grade results, regardless of outcome, are posted on your transcript
Mandatory Advising
Q: Why do I have an advising hold?
To assist students to complete their program in a timely manner and to ensure that students are prepared for courses, advising holds will be placed on the student's registration packets. The quarter of the advising hold will be based upon the first letter of your last name.
More Information on Advising Holds
Q. May I pre-enroll in courses the quarter of my advising hold?
The advising hold will not prevent you from pre-enrolling for courses unless it is past the specific established deadline for Fall, Winter, or Spring Quarter.
More Information on Advising Holds
Q: How do I have my advising hold lifted?
To have the hold lifted see Advising Hold Directions for the procedure.
Q: What is OASIS?
OASIS is an automated prerequisite/degree check program designed to relieve you and the adviser from some mundane tasks of making an academic plan and performing a degree check. It is NOT intended to replace in-person advising with faculty or staff advisers. Instead, it should make those sessions more productive.
OASIS takes as input an academic plan consisting of classes taken in previous quarters and classes planned to be taken in future quarters. Based on classes taken in previous quarters, it checks prerequisites for each planned class. OASIS also checks whether each planned class is scheduled to be offered in the indicated quarter, according to the published catalog.
OASIS then reports on how the entire academic plan meets the requirements of the CS or CSE curriculum.
Although OASIS is quite a useful tool, it has its limitations. See its output for a list of some of its limitations and your responsibilities in using its "advice".
Q: I can't run OASIS, so what should I do?
To run OASIS you need a CS computer account. If you need help with basic CSIF system commands, you should ask other students, the department's student programmers in the basement of E II (room 47) or you can email the undergraduate adviser,
Josie Valdez
(valdez@cs.ucdavis.edu), who can give you the name of a Computer Science Club member that will be willing to help you run OASIS. Do NOT email basic CSIF system questions to Ron Olsson, who designed OASIS, but obtain assistance from one of the above resources.If you have done the above, and you and the individual assisting you determine that the problem is not with CSIF system commands but with the program itself, email oasis@cs.ucdavis.edu or an adviser giving detailed information about the problem.
ECS 192/199
Q: Will ECS 192/199 satisfy requirements for my CS or CSE major?
Q: What should I include in my 192/199 proposal?
Q: I don't need the 192/199 units for my major, do I need to do a proposal?
If you do not plan to use the 192/199 units now or in the future for your major, you do not have to submit a 192/199 proposal.
To enroll, the 192/199 form must be completed. The form may be obtained from