Course Scheduler

A Java desktop application for managing semesters, students, courses, and class scheduling using a local SQL database

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Features

Admin

• Add semesters
• Add students
• Add courses
• Add students to classes
• View all students
• View all courses for the current semester
• View course rosters
• Drop a student from a class
• Automatically promote the first waitlisted student when a seat opens

Student

• Load a student by ID
• View schedule for the current semester
• Add a class
• Drop a class

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Tech Stack

• Java
• Java Swing (GUI)
• Maven (build tool)
• Apache Derby (embedded SQL database)

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Project Structure

• MainFrame.java - main GUI and event handling
• DBConnection.java - database connection
• SemesterQueries.java - semester database operations
• StudentQueries.java - student database operations
• CourseQueries.java - course database operations
• ScheduleQueries.java - scheduling database operations
• StudentEntry.java - student data model
• CourseEntry.java - course data model
• ScheduleEntry.java - schedule data model

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Database

This project uses Apache Derby, an embedded relational SQL database.

Key Characteristics

• Embedded directly in the application (no external server required)
• Uses standard SQL for querying and updates
• Stores data locally on the user’s machine
• Automatically created and initialized when the application runs

Tables

• semester – stores available semesters
• student – stores student information
• course – stores course data and capacity
• schedule – manages enrollments and waitlists

Scheduling Logic

• Students are added with status:
  • "s" = scheduled
  • "w" = waitlisted
• If a class is full, students are placed on a waitlist
• When a student drops a class, the earliest waitlisted student is automatically promoted

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Java Concepts Used

This project demonstrates several core Java and software design principles:

• Object-Oriented Programming

  • Classes for data models (StudentEntry, CourseEntry, ScheduleEntry)
  • Encapsulation of data and behavior

• Separation of Concerns

  • UI handled in MainFrame
  • Database logic handled in query classes (*Queries.java)
  • Data models separated from logic

• JDBC (Java Database Connectivity)

  • Prepared statements for safe SQL execution
  • ResultSet processing for data retrieval

• Event-Driven Programming

  • Swing action listeners for user interaction

• Data Structures

  • Use of ArrayList for dynamic data handling

• State Management

  • Tracking current semester and current student within the application

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How to Run

Using Terminal (Maven)

1. Navigate to the project root directory:

cd course-scheduler

2. Compile the project:

mvn clean compile

3. Run the application:

mvn exec:java -Dexec.mainClass="com.vincematolka.coursescheduler.MainFrame"

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Notes

• The database is created automatically on first run using Apache Derby
• No additional setup is required

Notes

• The application operates on a selected current semester
• All course and scheduling operations are scoped to that semester
• Waitlist promotion is handled automatically upon student removal

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Author

Vince Matolka