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Departmental Degree Requirements [For those who began before Fall 2006]

See New Degree Requirements for the effects on a student's degree check.

The Department requires that the 45 units of applicable work include the following courses.

Research Methodologies Requirement (2 units)
CS 6000 Research Methodologies
Breadth requirement (20 units)
I.
Required courses (8 units)
CS 6260 Computational Complexity
CS 6560 Operating System Design

II.
At least one course from each of the following three groups (12 units)
1. Theory
  CS 6140 Language Design
  CS 6170 Automata and Formal Languages
  CS 6245 Combinatorial Algorithms
  CS 6360 Formal Specification and Verification
  CS 6520 Cryptography and Data Security
  MATH 6750 Topics in Numerical Analysis
2. Architecture
  CS 6430 Computer Systems Architecture
  CS 6432 VLSI Systems Design
  CS 6580 Distributed Systems
  CS 6825 Computer Vision
3. Systems
  CS 6110 Theory and Design of Compilers
  CS 6320 Software Engineering of Web-Based Systems
  CS 6570 Distributed Computation
  CS 6660 Database Systems
  CS 6665 Database Systems Administration
  CS 6715 Data Compression
  CS 6810 Topics in Artificial Intelligence
  CS 6830 Genetic Algorithms and Evolutionary Programming
  CS 6840 Principles of Computer Graphics
Culminating Experience (0-5 units) Detailed requirements for the two choices below are available in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. Students should consult those documents.
1. Comprehensive written examination(0 units). This exam consists of three two-hour sections, each covering one area of computer science. These areas are Computer Architecture and Operating Systems, Compilers and Programming Languages, and Data Structures, Analysis of Algorithms and Computational Complexity. The comprehensive exam is offered in Fall and Spring quarters, generally during the last week of regular classes. Syllabi listing topics to be covered on each exam are available, as are copies of recent exams, from the Mathematics/Computer Science Student Center. To be eligible to take the exams a student must have completed
  1. all remaining admission requirements specified at the time of admission.
  2. at least 26 units toward the M. S. degree (by the end of the quarter in which the exam will be taken).
  3. the three required graduate level courses (CS 6000, CS 6260, CS 6560)
2. CS 6909 A Departmental Thesis (1-4 units) Students electing this option must have an advisor who agrees to oversee the project. To be considered for the thesis option, the student's academic record must be sufficiently strong as to demonstrate the same fundamental knowledge required to pass the comprehensive exams. The proposed project must be approved by the Computer Science Graduate Committee. A student who has unsuccessfully attempted the comprehensive examination is not eligible.
  More details: University Thesis Writing Guide
Electives (18-23 units)
1. Any graduate course in Computer Science (except 6899) may be applied to this category.
2. Any Computer Science course numbered 3000 (except 3898) or higher provided it has not been already applied toward a B.S. degree or toward prerequisites for admission. This restriction includes equivalent courses from other degree programs; exceptions require the approval of the Computer Science Graduate Committee.
3. Any of the following courses:
  
  Math 3151
  Combinatorics
  Math 4151
  Graph Theory
Unit and Grade Requirements
At least 45 quarter units of approved upper division and graduate work. Of these, at least 26 units must be approved graduate (6000-level) courses. All work toward the 45 units must be at an average grade of "B" (3.0) or higher. Grades below "C-" will not be counted as prerequisites or toward the degree.