New Departmental Degree Requirements [Effective: Fall 2006]

Current Requirements: Select (at least) one course from each of three categories, plus (at least) one other graduate course. See Current Requirements.

New Requirements (Effective: Fall 2006): Select (at least) two courses from each of two categories, and these categories contain all CS graduate courses. See part B) below.

In addition, there is a new theory requirement for the M.S. degree: CS 4245 Analysis of Algorithms and CS 4170 (or CS 6170) Theory of Automata. See part E) below. Any student who must (or selects to) complete the new degree requirements must also satisify the requirement for these two courses.

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

1. Research Methodologies Requirement (2 units)
   CS 6000 Research Methodologies (2)

2. Breadth requirement (24 units)
   Required courses (8 units)
   CS 6260 Computational Complexity (4)
   CS 6560 Operating System Design (4)
   

   At least two courses from each of the following two categories (16 units)

   1. Development/Theory
      CS 6140 Language Design (4)
      CS 6170 Automata and Formal Languages (4)
      CS 6245 Combinatorial Algorithms (4)
      CS 6310 Advanced Software Engineering (4)
      CS 6320 Software Engineering of Web-Based Systems (4)
      CS 6340 Advanced Topics in Object-Oriented Programming and Design (4)
      CS 6360 Formal Specification and Verification (4)
      CS 6520 Cryptography and Data Security (4)
      CS 6522 Advanced WWW Software Development (4)
      CS 6591 Communication Network Analysis and Design (4)
      CS 6715 Data Compression (4)
      CS 6750 Topics in Numerical Analysis (4)
      CS 6810 Topics in Artifical Intelligence (4)
      CS 6820 Machine Learning (4)
      CS 6830 Genetic Algorithms and Evolutionary Programming (4)
      CS 6865 Topics in Graphical User Interface Programming (4)
      CS 6870 Computer Simulation (4)
      

   2. Systems/Architecture
      CS 6110 Theory and Design of Compilers (4)
      CS 6430 Computer System Architecture (4)
      CS 6432 VLSI Systems Design (4)
      CS 6525 Network Security (4)
      CS 6570 Distributed Computation (4)
      CS 6580 Distributed Systems (4)
      CS 6592 Network Management (4)
      CS 6596 Wireless and Mobile Network Architecture (4)
      CS 6660 Database Systems (4)
      CS 6665 Database Systems Administration
      CS 6752 Digital Signal Processing (4)
      CS 6825 Computer Vision (4)
      CS 6835 Pattern Recognition (4)
      CS 6840 Principles of Computer Graphics (4)
      

3. Culminating Experience (0-5 units)
   1. Comprehensive written examination (0 units). This exam consists of three one and a half hour sections, each covering one area of computer science. These areas are Systems, Data Structures, and Theory. The comprehensive exam is offered near the end of the Fall and Spring quarters. Syllabi listing topics to be covered on each exam are available, as are copies of recent exams, on the department's web site. 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. May be repeated for a maximum of 5 units.

      More details: University Thesis Writing Guide

4. Electives (14-19 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

5. Theory Requirement
   Students must also complete the following two courses (or their equivalent):

   CS 4170 Theory of Automata
   CS 4245 Analysis of Algorithms

   Students can satisfy these two courses as part of:

   • equivalent course work from their original undergraduate degree.
   • the current three open electives for students satisfying the prerequisites.
   • the required 45 M.S. units (CS 6170 should be taken, not CS 4170).

6. 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.