1. Introduction to CSE Grad Programs and Admissions Prof. Gagan Agrawal Grad Studies Chair

2. Department Personnel 34 tenure-track faculty – 2 hires this past year – recruiting for addt’l faculty (both junior and senior level) 6 full-time teaching faculty 11 technical staff (IICF) 10 administrative staff

3. Degree Program Profile M.S. and Ph.D. ~260 grad students 30-50 MS degrees/yr 15-25 PhD degrees/yr

4. We received more than 700 applications for Autumn 2008 We admitted about 45 as funded (PhD) students Another 250 admitted as unfunded (masters) students Yield: 21 PhD students and nearly 50 MS students Admissions in 2008

5. Admissions Requirements for PhD GPA of at least 3.5 Average of GRE verbal and quantitative needs to be at least 75 th percentile Analytical at least 4.0 Strong letters – Prior research experience is helpful Good fit with department research programs Strong commitment for PhD should be stated in application

6. Funding for PhD students Grad school fellowships Teaching assistantships Research Assistantship Combination of TA and RA

7. Admissions Requirements for MS GPA of at least 3.0 (preferably 3.2 – 3.3) High quantitative GRE – reasonable verbal and analytical scores Self-funded in most cases – Many jobs may be available on campus

8. Degree Programs Masters non-thesis / coursework Masters thesis / research Ph.D

9. Admitted Groups Masters non-thesis / unspecified Research Masters Direct Ph.D track

10. Type Conversions Masters non-thesis students can switch to thesis option by finding an advisor for masters thesis Masters students become Ph.D students if they take and pass Ph.D qualifying examination Research masters students cannot switch to non- thesis option – petition to grad studies in truly exceptional circumstances Ph.D students cannot switch to masters program – petition to grad studies in truly exceptional circumstances

11. The Graduate (Foundational) Core 5 classes form the graduate core – 725 (Theory of Computation) – 755 (Programming Languages) – 760 (Advanced Operating Systems) – 775 (Computer Architecture) – 780 (Algorithms) 3 credits each, each offered twice a year Corresponding undergrad core classes (625, 655, 660, 675, and 680) are prereqs – take if you don’t have the background

12. ``Core’’ Requirements Masters program (thesis and non-thesis) – Pass three of the five core classes 780 required, at least one of 760 and 775 required – In the other two areas, should have equivalent class to pre- core, or pass the pre-core Masters non-thesis: – Take comprehensive exam in three of the five areas Ph.D program requires passing a written qualifying examination based upon these 5 (most students take classes for credit) – Acceleration Option: all classes for credit and 3.6 average (detailed later)

13. Types of Classes (Ph.D students) Core Classes Pre-core Classes – 625, 655, 660, 675, and 680 – can’t count for any of the requirements Other 600 / 700 / 800 level graded classes – Includes 788 – Graded A, A-, B+, … Research Credits – 793, 888, 999 – Graded S/U only CIS 885 – 1 credit, S/U, offered only in Fall and required for all grad students

14. Types of Classes (MS Students) Primarily Undergrad Classes – 616, 625, 630, 655, 660, 670, 675, 677, 680 – Can count at most 3 for credit (Foundational) Core classes Applied Core Classes Other letter-graded CSE classes Research Credits (793, 888, 999) Classes from other related departments – Limit of 9 credits – Need advisor permissions (need to be closely related to CSE)

15. Applied Core Six classes currently listed – 621 – High Performance Computing (Fall only) – 678 - Internetworking (Winter only) – 681 - Graphics (Fall, Winter) – 730 - AI (Fall only) – 756 - Compilers (Spring only) – 770 - Databases (alternate winter quarters) MS Thesis option students need to take at least 2 MS Non-thesis need at least 3

16. Course Requirements Masters non-thesis – 45 credits of graded classes Including foundational core and applied core classes Limit on number of primarily undergrad classes – 885 is required – A total of 50 credits Masters thesis – 30 credits of graded classes Including foundational core and applied core classes Limit on the number of primarily undergrad classes – 885 is required – 15 research credits are required – A total of 45 credits

17. Other Requirements for Masters Non-thesis option – A comprehensive examination – Offered twice a year (Sept. and March) – 3 1.5 hr exams over two days, based on choice of 3 among the 5 core classes 780 required, at least one of 760 and 775 required Thesis Option – An oral examination of the thesis – A committee with at least 2 faculty members, including your advisor

18. Ph.D program Requirements Qualifying examination – Offered twice a year, September and March – 5 1.5 hr exams based upon the 5 core areas – A max of two attempts are allowed – Direct Ph.D track students are normally expected to take it after the first year – Must pass within your second year to be eligible for support later Acceleration Option – Take each of the 5 core classes for credit within first three quarters – Have a 3.6 average in these classes – Qualify for conditional pass – need to show research progress by second spring to remove the condition – Recommend that everyone tries this Unless you have several core classes and can take quals in 2 quarters

19. Ph.D Coursework Requirements One major and two minors Major: – 15 graded credits, not including core Minor: – 9 credits in each, not including core – A total of 3 credits across 2 minors could be non- graded: 793/888

20. Normal Support Policies Initial support for 2 years – Requires satisfactory GPA – Requires good performance on TA/RA duties – International students must pass the spoken English test to be eligible for year 2 support Third and Fourth Years – Must have passed the Ph.D qualifying examination – Satisfactory research progress, as judged by grad studies committee – In most cases, as RA only

21. Normal Support Policies Years 5 and 6 – Must have passed Ph.D candidacy examination – Satisfactory or better research progress – In most cases, as RA only Limit on TA support – 6 academic year quarters over the length of your stay – Exception: 1 per advisor allowed as exception at anytime All of the above entering the department guaranteed support – If you are entering w/o support, case-by-case after passing quals