Frequently Asked Questions

• How do I sign up for the ACBSS minor?

  • To sign up for the minor, you simply need to fill out the ACBSS minor form [pdf] and email it to either Dr. Farshid Marbouti (farshid.marbouti@sjsu.edu) or Dr. Valerie Carr (valerie.carr@sjsu.edu), the co-advisors for the minor. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact either one of them.

• How many courses are in the ACBSS minor, and what order should I take them in?

  • There are four courses in the minor:

    • ENGR 120
    • ENGR 121
    • ENGR 122
    • ENGR 195E

    See the About page for more details on each.

    We strongly recommend that you take only one ACBSS course each semester (in the order listed above), meaning that the minor will take two years to complete. The reasoning is as follows. First, the courses generally build on each, such that ENGR 120 is required to take any of the other courses. Second, given that each class involves a substantial amount of homework, it can be very overwhelming to manage two ACBSS courses at once. 

    If you absolutely must double up in order to complete the minor and graduate on time, we strongly recommend that you do NOT double up on ENGR 121 and 122. Rather, you might consider doubling up on ENGR 122 and ENGR 195e. Again, we don't recommend doubling up at all if it can be avoided!

• Do I need programming experience to sign up for the ACBSS minor?

  • No experience required! Students enrolling in the first course in the series (ENGR 120) are assumed to have very little to no experience in computer programming. 

• Are there any prerequisites for the first course in the series (ENGR 120)? 

  • Yes, the prerequisite of ENGR120 is one of the following courses: 

    • STAT 095
    • MATH 30
    • MATH 71

• Are there any prerequisites for the other courses in the minor (ENGR 121, 122, 195e)? 

  • Yes, the prerequisite for all of the remaining courses is ENGR 120. As such, if you aren't able to complete the full minor but you wanted to take a couple classes, you could take ENGR 120 and then move directly to any of the other courses.

• Do courses in the ACBSS minor count towards my major?

  • It really depends on your department! We suggest speaking with an advisor from your department—it's possible that you may be able to use one or more of these courses as an elective.

• Do I have to minor in ACBSS in order to take any of these courses?

  • No, all social science students are welcome to take ACBSS courses so long as prerequisites are met.

• Can Master's students take ACBSS courses?

  • Yes, Master's students are welcome! However, you should check with the head of your Master's program to determine whether ACBSS courses can count towards your degree.

• Who teaches ACBSS courses: professors in engineering or professors from my department?

  • ACBSS courses are currently taught by faculty from both engineering and the social sciences. The first course, ENGR 120, is taught by Dr. Valerie Carr (Psychology) or Dr. Rui Liu (Economics). Subsequent courses in the minor (ENGR 121, 122, and 195E) are taught by faculty in General Engineering.

    Importantly, social science professors have been involved in designing each of the courses to ensure that they are relevant to students from disciplines such as psychology, economics, sociology, and beyond. 

• Do I need to bring a laptop to ACBSS courses?

  • Just like any language, learning a new programming language requires regular practice, including in-class exercises. As such, students in ACBSS courses will use laptops during each class session.

    For students who do not personally own a laptop, there are several options available. First, students may borrow laptops at no charge from the SJSU library. Second, you may partner with a student in the class who does have a laptop, and take turns being the "driver" during in-class activities. Finally, for completing homework assignments, the computer lab in Engineering 390 is equipped with the software necessary to complete assignments in ACBSS courses. 

• What will a typical class session be like?

  • Each class session involves a combination of lecture and in-class programming activities. Activities, homework, and projects are drawn from the field of social and behavioral sciences.

• What language(s) will we learn?

  • In ENGR 120 and 121 you will learn Python, and ENGR 122 you will learn R. The final course in the series, ENGR 195E, is a project course during which you will apply knowledge gained in the first few courses to a project of your choosing. 

• How will we be graded in the class? 

  • Grades will be based on homework, quizzes/midterms/exams, and projects. Homework will consist of programming exercises designed to be relevant to social science topics. Quizzes, midterms, and/or exams may be pencil and paper based, or may involve programming on a computer. Students will be asked to answer conceptual or theory questions, as well as to write fragments of Python code.

• How do I apply for graduation for the ACBSS minor? 

  • If you have already signed up for the minor, you DO NOT need to do any additional paperwork. If you have not yet signed up for the minor, you need to sign up BEFORE applying for graduation.

• Other questions?

  • For other questions concerning ACBSS minor, please email Dr. Carr or Dr. Marbouti.