MS in Computer Science & Systems Program Overview

MASTER OF SCIENCECOMPUTER SCIENCE AND SYSTEMS

Offered by the Institute of Technology

THE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON TACOMA was launched in 2001 to provide focus for the rapid development of high-technology academic programs in Washington state. The Institute serves as home for the Computer Science and Systems program, as well as programs in computer engineering and information technology . The Institute of Technology benefits from a close relationship with our local high-tech industry partners.

Our internationally recognized faculty and researchers, are committed to the highest quality educational experience possible for our students, with small class sizes and personalized interaction. We provide a resource-rich, collaborative environment dedicated to discovery and innovation that reflects an applied and cross-disciplinary nature, where students engage in enabling computer science tools, techniques and theory to address real-world problems.

The Institute is home to the CENTER FOR DATA SCIENCE (CDS), whose current projects include a mobile dietary data recording system, special needs education data management, social topic modeling, predicting hospital risk of readmission, and massively distributed data analysis of health data sets. The Center provides funding to several graduate students as research assistants, and enables ground-breaking research with world renowned faculty, post-docs and visiting researchers. Several other collaborative research labs focus on cybersecurity, cloud computing, information assurance, GIS, bioinformatics, embedded systems, and wireless sensor networks.

THE CENTER FOR INFORMATION ASSURANCE AND CYBERSECURITY (CIAC) is a collaboration of all three UW campuses at Tacoma, Bothell and Seattle. CIAC partners with academia, government, and industry to conduct research, provide education programs and advance the understanding of information-assurance and cybersecurity issues among the public in general. CIAC is designated a Center for Academic Excellence in both education and research by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency.

THE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

M.S. IN COMPUTER SCIENCE AND SYSTEMS

THE MASTER OF SCIENCE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE AND SYSTEMS (MSCSS) includes a short core curriculum and a broad variety of electives to study state-of-the-art subjects including big-data management, cybersecurity, data mining, distributed-and cloud-computing, systems theory, and wireless sensor networks, to name a few.

The MSCSS degree builds a solid foundation for advanced careers in computer science. Develop your breadth of understanding of the latest applied and theoretical concepts within computer science through study and research guided by renowned faculty and industry fellows. You may choose to pursue a thesis or capstone project, or expand your learning by exploring a variety of electives.

WHY STUDY COMPUTER SCIENCE AT UW TACOMA?

n Globally-recognized quality of the University of Washington’s faculty and instruction

n Career advancement opportunities

n Multiple degree options

n Opportunity to participate in faculty research projects

n Proximity to high tech employers

n Internship opportunities

n Chance to study with computer science students from around the world

n Small campus, located in vibrant downtown Tacoma, in the beautiful Puget Sound region

UW Tacoma’s Center for Data Science and MSCSS students win “Best Demo” award at the ACM SIGSPATIAL GIS Conference 2014.

For more about the center and current projects: cwds.uw.edu

CORE COURSES / The MSCSS curricu-lum provides an excellent foundation in computer science as well as an opportu-nity to explore a variety of emerging areas within computing. Students often work on individual and team development projects, providing hands-on and practical expo-sure to real-world challenges. Students also may engage in collaborative research, tool-building and publications with faculty members during their time at the Institute.

Learning objectives are achieved with:

n Core courses to emphasize theoretical (conceptual) as well as practical (embodied) knowledge

n Electives for breadth of knowledge

n Thesis, capstone design project or course-only option to strengthen confidence,leadershipabilityand communication skills

Students completing the degree will attain the following competencies:

n Familiarity with the software development life cycle, both in theory and application

n Skill in developing distributed and web- based applications, along with the ability to learn new technologies rapidly

n The opportunity to learn additional concepts and technologies in greater depth through a capstone project

n A foundation for self-directed learning to stay at the leading edge of thisfast-changingfield

MSCSS students take three core courses. Required prerequisites must be completed BEFORE enrolling in the core:

n TCSS 543: Advanced Algorithms or TCSS 540: Theory of Computing

n TCSS 558: Applied Distributed Computing

n TCSS 598: Research Seminar typically taken over two quarters

DEGREE CONCENTRATIONS / Students have the option of adding a concentration to their degree. By completing two electives,withafocusinonespecificresearch area, your master’s degree will indicate that you are trained with a very particular set of skills.

Bioinformatics: Combines computer science, statistics, mathematics, and engineering to study and process biological data.

Cybersecurity: The process of applying securitymeasurestoensureconfidenti-ality, integrity, and availability of data.

Data Science: Using automated meth-ods to analyze massive amounts of data and to extract knowledge from them.

GIS: Computerized data management system used to capture, store, analyze, and display spatial information.

Cyber-Physical Systems: Creating systems that rely on the integration of physical, computational, and communi-cation processes

For more information on courses, visit: tacoma.uw.edu/mscss/courses

THESIS AND CAPSTONE PROJECT COURSES / Students who choose to complete a thesis or project enroll in 10 credits of capstone courses, taken over two to three quarters. These courses are taken in place of 15 elective credits. Capstone credits cannot be applied to elective requirements if a student chooses to switch options after beginning the courses.

COURSE-ONLY OPTION / Students may choose to complete the requirements for the degree by taking 15 additional credits of elective courses instead of a capstone thesis or project.

Students may choose to attend full or part-time.Theprogramcanbecompletedinfive full-time quarters and requires a minimum of 40 to 45 credits.

CURRICULUM

APPLICATION DEADLINES AUTUMN QUARTER Priority: April 15 SPRING QUARTER Priority: January 15

The MSCSS program admits most students for autumn quarter, then for spring quarter on a space-available basis.

To pursue graduate study at the Institute of Technology, you must satisfy both the UW Graduate School and UW Tacoma’s MSCSS admissions requirements, which include:

n A four-year baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution with at least a 3.0 GPA

n A degree in computer science or anotherrelatedfieldor

n Demonstrated knowledge in the following prerequisite subjects: object-oriented programming,

discrete mathematics, data structures, algorithms, computer organization and architecture, and software engineering/project management.

Students who are missing the prerequisites listed should plan to complete them as a post-baccalaureate (undergraduate) student at the University of Washington or in their studies at another institution. The post-baccalaureate application is found at: tacoma.uw.edu/admissions/postbaccalaureate-admission

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

HOW TO APPLY / Application materials are available online. Only complete applications will be considered for admission. Application instructions and requirements: tacoma.uw.edu/mscss/apply

Please review the application instructions carefully prior to submitting your application.

___ A UW Graduate School Application

___ Application to the MSCSS Program

___ Personal Statement

___ Résumé

___ Transcripts

___ Recommendations

___ Graduate Record Exam (GRE) / Required for all applicants. The test must have been taken within the last fiveyears.RequestETS (www.ets.org) to send your scores directly to the University of Washington at code 4854.

Visit www.ets.org/gre to learn more aboutthetestandtofindatestingcenternear you. Please notify the Graduate [email protected] are missing from your admissions profilemorethanamonthafteryou’verequested them; if you tested under an alternate name or spelling of your name, please include this in your message. Competitive applicants score in the top percentiles for quantitative and mid-percentiles for verbal.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS / Students planning to begin their studies on an H-4 visa do not need to apply for an I-20 but must satisfy the English

Proficiencyrequirement. All non-native students must provide proof of Englishproficiency.Applicants must submit scores from an approved Englishproficiency

exam unless their degree was instructed in English. Students who do not meet the minimum scores must retest or take an EnglishcourseinSeattleduringtheirfirstquarter.

Financial documentation isn’t required as part of the admissions process. Please visit our website for complete instructions. H-4 students who have lived in Washington state for 12 months usually qualify for resident tuition.

TACOMA WASHINGTON is a city full of history, culture and charm, nestled on

the Puget Sound in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. To learn more about Tacoma, visit:

tacoma.uw.edu/admissions/tacoma-south-sound

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENT

TOEFL 580 TOEFL iBT 92 IELTS 7.0

TUITION & FUNDING / MSCSS program tuition rates can be found at: tacoma.uw.edu/tuition. TheGraduateSchooloffersresourcestoassiststudentsinfindingfellowships,assistantshipsandotherfunding.MostMSCSSstudentsmustcomeup with their own funds for tuition: grad.washington.edu/students/fa/

In addition, the MSCSS program has research assistantship positions available for students depending on skills and research interests. These typically include a tuition waiver and a monthly stipend. The number and duration of research assistantship positions is dependent on grant funding, which varies from year to year. Most positions are awarded for autumn quarter. Application materials will be available in April.

INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

M O H A M E D A L I Associate Professor; Computer Science; Ph.D., Purdue, 2007

YA N B A I Assistant Professor; Computer Engineering; Ph.D., University of British Columbia, 2003

O R L A N D O B A I O C C H I Professor; Electrical Engineering; Ph.D., University College in London, 1976

PA O L O S . L . M . B A R R E T O Assistant Professor; Computer Science; Ph.D., University of São Paulo, 2003

S E N J U T I B A S U R O Y Assistant Professor; Computer Science; Ph.D., University of Texas at Arlington, 2011

D O N A L D C H I N N Associate Professor; Computer Science; Ph.D., University of Washington, 1995

M A R T I N E D E C O C K Associate Professor; Computer Science; Ph.D., Ghent University, 2002

B R YA N G O D A Professor; Computer Engineering; Ph.D., Rensselaer Polytechnic,2001

G E O R G E M O B U S Associate Professor; Computer Science; Ph.D., University of North Texas, 1994

A N D E R S O N N A S C I M E N T O Assistant Professor; Computer Science; Ph.D., University of Tokyo 2004

S A M A H M O H A M E D A H M E D S A E E D Assistant Professor; Computer Engineering; Ph.D., New York University Polytechnic School of Engineering, 2015

J I E “J E N N Y ” S H E N G Assistant Professor; Electrical Engineering; Ph.D., University of Alberta, 2002

J O S H T E N E N B E R G Professor; Computer Science; Ph.D., University of Rochester, 1988

A N K U R T E R E D E S A I Professor; Computer Science; Ph.D., SUNY University at Buffalo, 2002

M A T T H E W T O L E N T I N O Assistant Professor; Computer Engineering; Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic School of Engineering, 2015

K A Y E E Y E U N G - R H E E Associate Professor; Information Science and Technology; Ph.D., University of Washington, 2001

FACULTY

INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGYUniversity of Washington Tacoma Campus Box 358426 1900 Commerce Street Tacoma, WA 98402-3100

INTERIM DIRECTOR Raj Katti

GRADUATE PROGRAM COORDINATOR Ankur Teredesai

ADVISOR Curtis Black

[email protected] tacoma.uw.edu/tech

UW GRADUATE SCHOOLUniversity of Washington Campus Box 353770 G-1 Communications Building Seattle, WA 98195-3770

206-543-5900 grad.uw.edu

tacoma.uw.edu/mscssMore graduate study options / tacoma.uw.edu/graduateFinancial aid and scholarships / tacoma.uw.edu/finaidContact / [email protected] or 253-692-4647

THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON TACOMA is accredited as a part of the University of Washington by the Northwest

Commission on Colleges and Universities. Individual academic programs may have additional accreditations. The University of

Washington reaffirms its policy of equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation,

age, marital status, disability, or status as a disabled veteran or Vietnam era veteran in accordance with university policy and

applicable federal and state statutes and regulations. The University of Washington is committed to providing access and reasonable

accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability

accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at least 10 days in advance at 253-692-4522

or [email protected].

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