Taking a grad class already taken in undergrad

[adelashk]

Hello TGC,

I took an operating systems 400-level class back in my undergraduate studies. Currently, I am a CS master's student.. Would it negatively affect me and/or look bad if I took a graduate level course titled "introduction to operating systems"? I plan to apply to PhD. My research field is not operating systems. I am considering OS again because my department is fairly small and there is not many alternatives of courses to take.

Thank you

Edit: Hmm, this might belong in a different subforum: "Coursework,..."

Edited September 5, 2011 by adelashk

[newms]

Your department might have a process where you could get a waiver for a class that you've already done in undergrad. If your department doesn't allow waivers or you're not able to get one, then by all means take the course if it's important for your desired study. However, you say that your area of research is not in OS, so I wouldn't take the course unless it either helps your research in some way, or it's required by the department that you do a course in software (for example). I don't think the fact that the course title is 'Introduction to.." will hurt you when you apply to PhD programs - after all it is a graduate level course and many 1st year graduate courses are similarly titled. What might be more of a concern is your rationale for doing that course. Choose courses that are related to your research interests in some way. That way you can tailor course projects so that they dovetail with your interests and will help you put together a strong application that shows your documented interest in your research area. As an alternative, perhaps you could look at courses outside your department that are related to your research interests somehow? Maybe you could speak with your academic advisor (if you have one) or the graduate secretary or even older graduate students in your department to see if there are better alternatives out there. If this course (even if it's not related to your research field) is the best option you have to take, then take it - the title won't hurt you.

[adelashk]

Hi newms,

Thanks for the reply. I am not required to take that specific class, but other classes are also not related to my area of interest in research and some are far from it. I will be doing some research and I am required to take one class, I am just worried that it might raise eyebrows when PhD adcomms see that I also did a similar class in undergrad. However I guess you answered the question.

[newms]

Hi newms,

Thanks for the reply. I am not required to take that specific class, but other classes are also not related to my area of interest in research and some are far from it. I will be doing some research and I am required to take one class, I am just worried that it might raise eyebrows when PhD adcomms see that I also did a similar class in undergrad. However I guess you answered the question.

Yeah, I don't think it would raise questions, since in some cases, because of departmental policies, students may have to redo courses that they did as an undergraduate. I'm redoing a course I did as an undergraduate because it's a required course for my area of interest and I can't get a waiver because I did that course too long ago as an undergrad. So I don't think anyone any eyebrows will be raised because of you redoing a course.

[adelashk]

Thanks newms