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Course Pre-Authorization Requests

DSC majors can directly enroll in major-restricted courses during their First or Second Pass. Students outside of the DSC major, including DSC minors and Concurrent students, must submit a Course Pre-Authorization Request through the EASy System if they wish to enroll in a major-restricted course.

We will approve EASy requests for courses that have seats available OR courses that have a waitlist. This means that an EASy request approval does not guarantee seat availability. If a student’s request is approved, the student will have the option to enroll in the course or add themselves to the waitlist if seats are full.

Note: Prerequisites are strictly enforced for DSC major and minor students. Some students may have met the prerequisite through an approved alternate course (ex: DSC 190 A00 from WI22 in place of CSE 158). In these cases, a pre-authorization request must be submitted to override the prerequisite restriction codes in WebReg.

DSC Course Enrollment Policy

We will begin reviewing eligible EASy requests from non-major students according to the timeline below.

Enrollment Timeline for DS25 Major-Restricted Courses:

Data Science Majors ONLYFirst and Second Pass
Non-Data Science Majors

Placed on Administrative Hold during First and Second Pass

Processing begins 48 hours after the last group of students begins their Second Pass enrollment*

*EASy requests will be processed in the order in which they were received. Depending on when you submitted your request and the additional levels of approval required (e.g., College/Registrar), it may still take several business days after the 48-hour point to process your request.

No late adds – no exceptions. The DSC department does not allow students to add courses past week 2. EASy requests for Late Adds in the DSC Department will be denied, so please plan accordingly.

Enrollment Information

DSC 10: Principles of Data Science

  • Non-major restricted course: Priority seating will be given to incoming Data Science First-Year and Transfer Students.
  • Incoming First-Year Students:
    • Most seats in DSC 10 have been saved for incoming majors, meaning that they are not visible on WebReg or the Schedule of Classes.
    • During the assigned enrollment period, students can place themselves on the waitlist for their preferred DSC 10 section.
    • Students should monitor their UCSD email for enrollment updates. Once students have waitlisted the course, they will receive an email within 1 business day that they have been cleared to enroll, provided that there are seats available.
    • Once students receive an email that they’ve been cleared to enroll, students can drop themselves from the waitlist, re-search the course in WebReg, and choose to enroll.
  • Incoming Transfer Students:
    • Transfer Students MUST enroll in DSC 10 during their first quarter to be on track to graduate in 8 quarters. Failure to do so will result in a significant delay in graduation to 11 quarters.
    • Seats in DSC 10 have been saved with pre-authorization access for incoming Transfer Students. This means that incoming Transfer Students can directly enroll in DSC 10 even though it is listed as a “Waitlist Only” course.
    • Incoming Transfer Students must enroll in DSC 10 before New Student Enrollment concludes. Other students on the waitlist will then be authorized to enroll in DSC 10 to fill any remaining seats.
  • Continuing Students:
    • Some seats will be available for continuing students to enroll in during the standard enrollment period. The majority of seats have been saved for incoming DSC majors.
    • Between the end of New Student Enrollment and the first day of classes, any remaining seats in the course will be released to students on the waitlist.
    • Please note that seat availability is not guaranteed, so it is recommended that students enroll in a backup course to ensure they have met the 12-unit minimum necessary for full-time status.

DSC 20, 30, 40A-B, 80, 90, and 96

  • Major-restricted course
  • Majors: Directly enroll in the course during their First or Second Pass.
  • Non-Majors: Submit a Course Pre-Authorization Request through the EASy System. The DSC department will review EASy requests from non-majors in accordance with our enrollment timeline.

DSC 97: Special Studies - Internship in Data Science

  • Non-major restricted course: Restricted to students with lower-division standing.
  • Steps to enroll:
    • Review Special Studies eligibility here.
    • Contact the instructor for DSC 97 in the quarter you intend to take the course to verify your internship is eligible.
    • Submit a Special Studies request through the EASy System. The request will be reviewed by the instructor, the DSC department, and the Office of the Registrar.
      • If a student doesn’t meet the minimum eligibility requirements or if adding the course would cause a student to exceed unit limits (4 units of Special Studies per quarter and 22 units total per quarter), then College approval is also required.
    • For International Students:
      • Apply for CPT through iPortal after receiving department approval for a Course Pre-Authorization Request. CPT requests will be reviewed once students have enrolled in DSC 97.

Deadline: Students must submit their request AND receive instructor approval by 3 pm PST on Friday of Week 2 of the quarter for which they plan on participating. Please plan accordingly.

DSC 98: Special Studies - Directed Group Study in Data Science

  • Non-major restricted course: Restricted to students with lower-division standing.
  • Steps to enroll:
    • Review Special Studies eligibility here.
    • Find an HDSI faculty sponsor. It is the student’s responsibility to find an HDSI faculty sponsor.
    • Submit a Special Studies request through the EASy System. The request will be reviewed by the instructor, the DSC department, and the Office of the Registrar.
      • If a student doesn’t meet the minimum eligibility requirements or if adding the course would cause a student to exceed unit limits (4 units of Special Studies per quarter and 22 units total per quarter), then college approval is also required.

Deadline: Students must submit their request AND receive instructor approval by 3 pm PST on Friday of Week 2 of the quarter for which they plan on participating. Please plan accordingly.

DSC 99: Special Studies - Independent Study in Data Science

  • Non-major restricted course: Restricted to students with lower-division standing.
  • Steps to enroll:
    • Review Special Studies eligibility here.
    • Find an HDSI faculty sponsor. It is the student’s responsibility to find an HDSI faculty sponsor.
    • Submit a Special Studies request through the EASy System. The request will be reviewed by the instructor, the DSC department, and the Office of the Registrar.
      • If a student doesn’t meet the minimum eligibility requirements or if adding the course would cause a student to exceed unit limits (4 units of Special Studies per quarter and 22 units total per quarter), then college approval is also required.

Deadline: Students must submit their request AND receive instructor approval by 3 pm PST on Friday of Week 2 of the quarter for which they plan on participating. Please plan accordingly.

DSC 100, 102, 104, 106, 120, 140A-B, and 148

  • Major-restricted course
  • Majors: Directly enroll in the course during their First or Second Pass.

Non-Majors: Submit a Course Pre-Authorization Request through the EASy System. The DSC department will review EASy requests from non-majors in accordance with our enrollment timeline.

DSC 180A: Data Science Project I

  • Major-restricted course

Any DSC major who has not fulfilled the DSC 180A prerequisites as listed must submit a Course Pre-Authorization Request through the EASy System. For example, majors who took DSC 190 A00 (SP21) in place of CSE 151A must submit an EASy request to receive prerequisite clearance.

DSC 190 Courses

  • Non-major restricted course: Restricted to students with upper-division standing.
  • All students must submit a Course Pre-Authorization Request through the EASy System, including DSC majors who have met the prerequisites as listed on the Course Description and Prerequisites page of our website. The DSC department will review EASy requests from non-majors in accordance with our enrollment timeline.

NOTE: If students are already enrolled in another DSC 190 course, the EASy request will need to be reviewed by both the DSC department and the Office of the Registrar. If adding the course will put them above 19.5 units (including waitlisted courses), such requests will not be reviewed by the Registrar until Monday of Week 1. Additionally, such requests will only be approved by the Registrar if seats are available in the course.

DSC 197: Special Studies - Data Science Internship

  • Non-major restricted course: Restricted to students with upper-division standing.
  • Steps to enroll:
    • Review Special Studies eligibility here.
    • Contact the instructor for DSC 197 in the quarter you intend to take the course to verify your internship is eligible.
    • Submit a Special Studies request through the EASy System. The request will be reviewed by the instructor, the DSC department, and the Office of the Registrar.
      • If a student doesn’t meet the minimum eligibility requirements or if adding the course would cause a student to exceed unit limits (4 units of Special Studies per quarter and 22 units total per quarter), then college approval is also required.
    • For International Students:
      • Apply for CPT through iPortal after receiving department approval for a Course Pre-Authorization Request. CPT requests will be reviewed once students have enrolled in DSC 197.

DSC 198: Special Studies - Directed Group Study in Data Science

  • Non-major restricted course: Restricted to students with upper-division standing.
  • Steps to enroll:
    • Review Special Studies eligibility here.
    • Find an HDSI faculty sponsor. It is the student’s responsibility to find an HDSI faculty sponsor.
    • Submit a Special Studies request through the EASy System. The request will be reviewed by the instructor, the DSC department, and the Office of the Registrar.
      • If a student doesn’t meet the minimum eligibility requirements or if adding the course would cause a student to exceed unit limits (4 units of Special Studies per quarter and 22 units total per quarter), then college approval is also required.

DSC 199: Special Studies - Independent Study for Data Science Undergraduates

  • Non-major restricted course: Restricted to students with upper-division standing.
  • Steps to enroll:
    • Review Special Studies eligibility here.
    • Find an HDSI faculty sponsor. It is the student’s responsibility to find an HDSI faculty sponsor.
    • Submit a Special Studies request through the EASy System. The request will be reviewed by the instructor, the DSC department, and the Office of the Registrar.
      • If a student doesn’t meet the minimum eligibility requirements or if adding the course would cause a student to exceed unit limits (4 units of Special Studies per quarter and 22 units total per quarter), then college approval is also required.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I enroll in a DSC course without the listed prerequisites?

The DSC program strictly enforces all prerequisites for DSC major and minor students. Prerequisites are enforced through WebReg and are in place to make sure a student understands the material in a course. Students outside of the DSC program who believe they may have met the prerequisite for a DSC course through other coursework may submit Enrollment Authorization System (EASy) requests for instructor approval. Students must be able to provide documentation of the course/experience where they attained the required skill set to be successful in the course. This documentation can include a resume, course syllabus, completed coursework, or recommendation from an internship/research experience where the student demonstrated the required skill set. However, EASy request approval is not guaranteed.

We encourage students to reach out to a DSC Advisor through the Virtual Advising Center or attend drop-in advising for further guidance on prerequisites. Advising hours and instructions can be found on the Advising page of our website.

I’m taking a course prerequisite at a different institution over summer. Can I submit an EASy request to enroll in fall courses that require that prerequisite?

DSC course prerequisites are strictly enforced for DSC majors and minors, however, you may be able to satisfy some prerequisites with courses taken at another institution. Because it can take some time for this credit to formally transfer to UCSD, the DSC program has a special petition process to allow you to enroll in the next course in the sequence before the credit has formally transferred.

Transfer Students: 

If you would like to take summer courses but your transfer credits are not yet showing on your academic history, submit an EASy request and upload the following:

  1. Your unofficial transcript showing you passed the relevant transfer course with a grade of C- or better
  2. Proof that the course is shown to transfer on assist.org (a screenshot is fine).

Continuing Students:

If you are planning to take prerequisite courses at another institution over the summer, you should first verify that the course articulates to UCSD using assist.org, or you should obtain pre-approval to substitute the external course by submitting a departmental petition. 

After you have completed the course, submit an EASy request and upload the following: 

  1. Your unofficial transcript showing that you passed the relevant transfer course with a grade of C- or better
  2. Proof that the course is shown to transfer on assist.org (a screenshot is fine). You may also reference a pre-approval petition.

Please note that you will still need to provide official transcripts demonstrating that you passed the external course with a C- or better. If you do not complete the prerequisite for a passing grade, you must notify DSC Advising. In order to be valid, the transfer credit must be officially verified by the Office of the Registrar. Failure to provide valid transcripts could result in consequences including, but not limited to, being dropped from courses in progress and an investigation into academic misconduct.

If a DSC major requirement course is offered through a different department, do DSC majors still receive priority for enrolling in the course?

Each department follows its own course enrollment priority policy. If you have questions or concerns regarding a course outside of the DSC department, you need to contact that specific department. The DSC department has no influence or control over students gaining access to courses offered outside of the department, even if it is a major/minor requirement.

Do I have to follow the prerequisites for DSC major requirement courses that are offered through other departments?

Yes, students must complete all prerequisites for required courses as currently listed in the Academic Catalog, unless advised otherwise. Please contact the department offering the course for additional information regarding prerequisite expectations and potential options, if applicable.

What is the waitlist policy?

The DSC department does its best to accommodate as many students as possible. Students can place themselves on the waitlist for a course, and if seats become available, students will be authorized to enroll according to course enrollment priority and in waitlist order. We cannot guarantee that students will get into the course.

I am currently on a waitlist. What are my chances of getting into the class?

While we would like to be able to answer this question with certainty, we are not able to. First, some DSC courses are waitlist-only courses, meaning that all students have to place themselves on the waitlist regardless of seat availability so that the department can provide DSC majors with enrollment priority. If students have any questions about their position on the waitlist for a waitlist-only course, they may contact us through the Virtual Advising Center.

For non-waitlist-only courses, generally speaking, students can expect a 10% drop rate for courses. For example, if a course is a 30-seat discussion section, students who are #1-3 on the waitlist have a good chance of being enrolled. However, it is not guaranteed that any student will be added into the course from a waitlist, as it will depend on another student officially dropping from that section.

Can I ask a staff member and/or professor to add me to a course so I can enroll in a course without being on the waitlist?

Faculty members are not able to add students to classes. If students cannot enroll in a course because seats are full, they should immediately get on the waitlist for that course (continuing students may waitlist beginning Second Pass). Students need to prioritize which classes they want to enroll in and place themselves on the waitlist as soon as they are able to do so. If a student cannot enroll in a course because they have not fulfilled the listed prerequisites, then they should plan on taking the listed prerequisite or submit an EASy request if they have taken a course with similar content. The DSC department does its best to accommodate as many students as possible. Please wait patiently as it may take up to Week 2 to finalize enrollment sizes.

Why was I dropped from the waitlist?

A student may have been dropped from the waitlist because there was a change in the course (i.e., switched times, switched days). During the enrollment period, it is critical for students to check their UCSD email for any updates as this change may have an impact on their schedule. The DSC department will not be able to help a student if they miss these emails.

I see course enrollment limits increased. Why am I still on the waitlist?

If enrollment limits are increased, it takes the system overnight to process this command. Students will be added to the course waitlist order.