Pathways

CTC is open to all undergraduate students. Students will typically decide to become concentrators toward the end of their first-year or in their sophomore year. However, it is also possible to begin the concentration in the junior year.

Students can declare a CTC concentration at any point before graduation. Any CTC eligible courses will be retroactively counted once students declare a CTC concentration.

Students can sign up for the CTC Concentration here. From this point, students can maintain their status as concentrators for their remaining time at RISD, provided they remain in good academic standing with a B- or above in CTC courses. There is no penalty for not completing or withdrawing from the concentration, other than the CTC concentration will have not been achieved.

1. CTC-1000 Introduction to Computation

  • We recommend students take CTC-1000 as soon as possible. However, due to the popularity of this class it is not always possible to get in.
  • Students can take other CTC eligible classes before taking CTC-1000 (although CTC-1000 is a prerequisite for some CTC courses).
  • Students who have taken eligible electives prior to CTC-1000 Introduction to Computation must still take it. However, students can petition the CTC Coordinator to substitute an elective for this requirement. The CTC Coordinator will determine if the alternative course sufficiently meets the introductory requirements. Students may find themselves in this position due to a number of factors including schedule conflicts, a late decision about becoming a concentrator, or other individual circumstances. Alternative courses could potentially come from CTC‑sponsored or Department-sponsored offerings, and Brown University.

 

2. 9 Credits of Electives
CTC allows students to create their own pathway across identified courses throughout the College. Each year, a course catalog is generated in order to provide a list of all recognized CTC courses. This provides a guide for students as they register for the 9 credits of CTC electives. Students can make a request to the CTC Coordinator to recognize courses that are not included in the catalog. This could occur due to late announcements, new courses, or if students take related courses at Brown.

 

3. CTC-3000 CTC Concentration Project
In order to complete the concentration, students must take and successfully pass a required advanced course which features a large-scale project. This course is CTC-3000 CTC Concentration Project. Typically, this course will be taken in a student’s senior year though eligibility for this course comes after the student has completed 12 credits for CTC.

Exceptions can be made in rare circumstances for admission to the advanced course prior to completing 12 credits. The primary reason this might be necessary is due to scheduling. For instance, a student might need to take a CTC elective and the advanced course in the same semester.