Do I need to take CS 110? When should I take It?
CS 110 is required of ALL CS and ACS majors, both freshmen and transfer students, who are under the 2017-2018 catalog or later. No class, at GMU or elsewhere, may be used to substitute for CS 110.
CS 110 is a co-requisite of CS 262, which means the latest you can take CS 110 is the same semester you need CS 262. Prerequisite chains mean you need CS 262 before CS 367, which is required by most CS Senior electives.
You ought to take CS 110 immedately anyways - it also introduces you to the department and how to get around as a CS major.
When should I take CS 483?
With respect to prerequisites, it is possible to take CS 483 before taking any other 400-level course and it might help with those courses by providing perspective on the algorithms they use.
What is the purpose of the "CS-related" requirement?
To provide some flexibility in the technical aspects of the CS major program. You can either deepen your knowledge of CS or Math or move into some new areas with the approved complementary courses.
What are the differences in the graduation requirements from year to year?
Students can graduate under any single catalog that is in force while they were a student (assuming no unapproved absence, which resets the earliest allowed catalog). Changing catalog years may help a student in some ways but inconvenience them in others; generally changes are only made early in their coursework.
It would be unwieldy to list all requirements for all years. Instead we list here some important changes that have been made in recent years.
2005 -- new requirement: at most one course with C- or D allowed in the major area.
2006 -- new requirement: Arts requirement added to General Education
2007 -- new requirement: CS 101
2008 -- new requirements: CS 262, CS 465, ECE301 (CS 365 and ECE 303 no longer required.)
2013 -- MATH 446/OR 481 is no longer required but has become a CS Senior elective. However, students must take five CS Senior elective courses, including at least one of CS 463, CS 471, and CS 475.
2017 -- numerous changes including to CS 110, CS 262, CS 367, ECE 301, CS 465, CS 475, CS Senior electives, etc. Please see the GMU catalog for details.