3 M.S. Program in Computer Science

The training of M.S. graduates in computer science should provide them with the knowledge and skills to hold professional positions in the development and design of computer systems, and in the design and implementation of new software applications; to hold administrative positions that require planning and evaluation of computer-based systems; to teach in computer science; and to be prepared for further study and research at the doctorate level.

Because of the rapid rate of change in the field, students must be well grounded in the basic aspects of computer science and be capable of learning new ideas by following the research and professional literature, and by adapting independently to changes in approaches, languages, and system. Furthermore, they must have experience with computer projects of a realistic scale so as to develop confidence in their ability to think and work independently.

Most of the graduate classes start in mid-afternoon, or later, and some begin in the evening. The exceptions are advanced research seminars. Students who have a job can get a Master's degree in our Program provided they can get some time off in the late afternoon one or two days a week. Probably it will not be possible for a student to obtain a Master's degree by taking classes only after 6PM and fairly unlikely if only taking classes that start at 4:30 or later.

3.1 Admission to the M.S. Program:

In addition to the general admission criteria of the Graduate School, the department requires that applicants to the M.S. program have completed an accredited undergraduate program in Computer Science, or at least taken the core prerequisite courses for the undergraduate degree as listed below:

1. A substantial background in mathematics, especially in calculus (as in 640:151-152), linear algebra (as in 640:250), finite mathematics (as in 198:205), probability/combinatorics (as in 198:206), and numerical analysis (as in 198:323). Such background should include at least two semesters of calculus and one semester in each of the other areas.
2. Working knowledge of high level languages (as in 198:111), data structures (as in 198:112), computer architecture and assembly language (as in 198:211), algorithm design and analysis (as in 198:344), and some elective courses in advanced undergraduate areas, such as programming languages and compilers (as in 198:314, 415), operating systems (as in 198:416), distributed systems (as in 198:417), information systems (as in 198:336), networks (as in 198:352), etc.

(Short descriptions of undergraduate courses offered by the department can be found in section 6.4 of this brochure.)

Applicants who have adequate knowledge of the above subjects but who have not completed all academic courses in these areas may show proficiency by obtaining a high score on the GRE Subject Test in Computer Science. All applicants are required to take the aptitude part of the GRE examination (verbal, analytic and mathematical reasoning sections). The Computer Science Subject Test is optional, but highly recommended, particularly for applicants with a non-CS background, or who have been out of school for several years.

Criteria for admission currently include:

1. An academic record (undergraduate and previous graduate work) that shows distinction (B+ or higher) in Computer Science, Mathematics and related fields. (The mean GPA for a recent entering class of students was 3.62; this included Master's and PhD students, with and without financial aid. )
2. A high score on all the GRE examinations required, and the TOEFL exam in the case of foreign students. (The mean GRE scores for a recent entering class of students were: Verbal 580, Quantitative 782, and Computer Science Subject Test 752 (if available); the mean TOEFL score was 268 (minimum 213 required by the university). )
3. Strong letters of recommendation.
4. A clear statement, about one page in length, outlining the reasons why the applicant wishes to pursue graduate study in computer science. (If appropriate, please specify one or more areas of particular interest, to help us assign advisors. See section 5 for a list of areas.)

The standards are higher for those awarded teaching assistantships or other forms of financial aid.

For the procedures to be followed in applying for admission, see the first page of this brochure.

3.2 Graduate Student Financial Aid

Many graduate students at Rutgers receive some financial aid during their careers in graduate school. The amount of support that students receive depends partly on their needs, partly on evidence of their intellectual promise or achievement, and partly on the availability of funds. The sources of support include University funds, federal and state government funds, and corporate and individual bequests to the University.

(1) The department offers teaching assistantships. For 2005/2006, these carried annual stipends around $18,500 for the academic year. These provide additional grants to cover the cost of tuition and include health benefits. They require part-time duties in the department, so the normal course load for a teaching assistant is two courses per term. The duties are those involved in counseling students in the practical computer sessions and may include teaching, correcting assignments, consulting on programming problems and grading examination papers.

A small number of teaching assistantships are available in the summer, and students who are TAs during the academic year may be awarded a summer TAship for one summer during their career as a graduate student here. Otherwise, the student is expected to find other means of support for the summer.

Since the number of teaching assistantships is limited, there is competition among students for obtaining them. TAs will be selected and renewed according to these criteria: the needs of the department, the resources available to the department, the candidate's scholastic standing, the department's assessment of the capability of the candidate for the position, and the approval by the Graduate School of the department's recommendation. Each TAship is given for one academic year. TA appointments are reviewed annually; renewal is not automatic. Normally a student who enters with a Bachelor's degree who wishes to obtain a PhD degree and who satisfies the criteria may be awarded a TA-ship annually for two years with a possibility of a third year, in order to complete the degree. All students are subject to these limitations.

Students admitted without being awarded a TA-ship may fill out an additional form available in Room 390 once they are here. These forms are occasionally consulted by the department in case additional TA positions become available.

(2) Faculty in the department offer research assistantships, usually awarded to students who have already been in our program for one or more semesters. A student who wishes to apply for a research assistantiship should make arrangements directly with the professor who would be suppervising the work. The stipend for Research Assistants is in the same range as for Teaching Assitantships, plus tuition and health benefits. In some cases, summer support for Research Assistants is also available. The duties of a research assistant are determined by the professor in charge of the research project.

(3) A very small number of special fellowships are awarded every year. Some fellowships are available to students who are already enrolled and have been doing outstanding work. The applications of incoming students who will be full-time students and who request any kind of financial aid are automatically considered for any available fellowships. Some students hold fellowships that are not administered by department, but are given directly by government or industry. For information about fellowships not administered by the department, please consult the Graduate School Bulletin under Financial Aid. See also section 9 of this booklet.

In all three categories, letters of recommendation are required. The letters of recommendation required for admission will usually serve also as letters of recommendation for teaching assistantships. A person who wishes to be admitted must fill out the application obtained from the Graduate Admissions Office (see the first page of this booklet). A person applying for admission who is interested in obtaining a teaching assistantship should fill out the appropriate places on the admissions form. The completed form and all credentials should be sent to:

Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
18 Bishop Place
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8530

All awards will be based on merit, including, when applicable, previous record in the Department of Computer Science at Rutgers.

Applications for admission with a request for any kind of financial aid are due on or before February 1, although awards are occasionally available at later dates. In all cases application should be made by letter and sent to the address above.

3.3 Course Load

A full time student is, by definition, a student who is enrolled for 9 credits per semester. If a student is a teaching assistant, 6 of the credits are 198:877, to account for the work as an assistant, and the other 6 are for actual courses. Similarly, if a student is a research assistant, 6 of the credits are 198:866 and the other 6 are for actual courses or thesis research. Part-time students are expected to enroll for 6 credits per semester except for very unusual circumstances. A semester-long graduate course is normally worth 3 credits.

Warning! A student can register for as many as 15 credits without special permission. A student wishing to take more than 15 credits must first get a letter of approval from the Computer Science graduate director, and then take it to ask for special permission from the Graduate School (Barbara Pleva, ext. 7449). However, the Graduate School will discourage a student from taking more than 18 credits and will not allow, under any circumstances, a student to take more than 20 credits. A student who does not comply with this rule is likely to be deregistered by the Graduate School without prior notice.

3.4 Study Plans for M.S.

Upon entering the M.S. program, each student will be assigned a faculty advisor, and, with the help of the advisor, will choose an overall study plan which should satisfy the various requirements as well as plan for going more deeply into some area of particular interest to the student. It is important that the student continue to consult with that advisor before registering each semester. (Students should not simply rely on the advice and opinions of other students. Although this input is important, the information is often incorrect, and students should not rely solely upon it.) Students need not choose immediately between the Master's essay and the Master's thesis options, but should talk about the possibilities with their advisor. Students may change advisors as they become more familiar with the program and clearer about what area they wish to specialize in, and in particular if the Master's thesis option is chosen.

In order to ensure that the students have good preparation in several of the basic fields of computer science, the department has specified two categories of courses:

Category A     509,510,513,514,521,522,524,
                  527,529,538,540,556


Category B     505,507,515,516,519,520,523,528,530,531,
                  533,534,535,536,541,545,547,550,552,553

As a ``breadth requirement'', each student must take at least two courses from each of categories A and B, and complete them with a grade of B or better.

Note that this classification of courses is not set in concrete. The Graduate Committee may add and remove courses from this list, or change the placement of a course in this partition, as it deems necessary (for example, to respond to changes in course content or scheduling, or to incorporate new course offerings). Such changes will be posted in a timely fashion on both physical and electronic graduate student ``bulletin boards.''

Courses that are relevant to the graduate program in computer science may also be taken in the following Rutgers programs: Cognitive Science, Computer and Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering. Linguistics, Mathematics, Philosophy, Psychology, and Statistics. A list of relevant courses in some of these departments is given below in Section 6.3.

Students may also take courses of special interest to them at Princeton University (Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Philosophy), in accordance with a cooperative arrangement between Rutgers and Princeton (see section 8.2).

3.5 Graduation Requirements for M.S.

In addition to the general requirements for the M.S. degree that are established by the Graduate School, the student must choose either the Essay Option or Thesis Option described below.

Essay option The student must write an expository paper in a field of computer science that was covered in the student's course work. It may be a paper written as part of a course (or independent study) in computer science, or it may be based on such a course. No extra credit is given for the preparation of the essay. The essay must be approved by a member of the graduate faculty of computer science.

In addition to the 4 courses of the breadth requirement and the essay, the student must take:

• four additional courses from the union of categories A and B
• two other courses, each of at least 3 credits (including graduate CS courses and seminars, independent study courses, undergraduate courses that are accepted for graduate credit, and approved courses in other departments.)

 

Thesis option The student must write a masters thesis, and must register for exactly six credits of 198:701-702. The Master's thesis must be a written account of a critical and scholarly investigation in an area of computer science. It may represent: (a) a piece of independent research (extensions and improvements of work in a given part of the field are acceptable at a level of novelty which is less than that required for a doctoral thesis); (b) a work of synthesis that gives new significance and insight to previously-known results; or (c) an important constructive contribution to the development of a computer application. The thesis may not be a digest of known results from the literature, a summary of a published report, company classified or government classified material, or dependent for its background on other non-available reports. The thesis topic should be chosen by mutual agreement between the student and a member of the faculty. The thesis must be approved by the student's thesis committee. The committee consists of the thesis supervisor and two other faculty members who are appointed by the Graduate Committee in consultation with the thesis supervisor. The advisor and members of the thesis committee must be members of the Graduate Faculty in Computer Science.

In addition to the 4 courses of the breadth requirement and the thesis credits, the student must take:

• two additional courses from the union of categories A and B
• two other courses, each of at least 3 credits (including CS courses and seminars, undergraduate courses that are accepted for graduate credit, and approved courses in other departments.)

The essay or the thesis must be written in English (except that some portion may require a computer language, with English documentation), it must be the student's own work and it must demonstrate the student's facility for expository writing.

To complete the MS degree, students must present 30 credits satisfying the requirements listed above, and yielding a B average.

There are several forms that must be filled out and submitted by the appropriate deadlines in order for the student who has fulfilled the above requirements to receive a Master's degree. (The approximate deadlines are listed in section 9.) It is the student's responsibility that all this paperwork be done on time. Information and forms can be obtained from the graduate secretary.

3.6 Scholastic Standing

To complete the MS degree, students must present 30 credits satisfying the requirements listed above, and yielding a B average.

Incompletes: An incomplete grade (IN) is received when insufficient work has been handed in to the instructor in order to be assigned a regular grade. The student then has the choice of either making up the missing work within a year, and receiving a regular grade, or converting the IN to a permanent incomplete (PIN). A PIN cannot be made up. A student may make a formal request, in a letter, to extend an IN beyond a year if the faculty member who gave the IN agrees. In such a case, the faculty member must write a letter in support of the student request. Both letters should be sent to the Graduate School (c/o Barbara Bender) with copies for the graduate secretary. The Graduate School also has a rule on incompletes: you may not register if you have more than one incomplete that is not a PIN. In such situations, a student may request that an IN be converted to a PIN earlier; to do so, the student should contact the Graduate Secretary for the appropriate forms.

Students can be separated from the program if they receive more than one F, or more than four grades below B.

Students will also be terminated from the Program for violations of University Policy on Academic Integrity. (See the section on ``Policy on Academic Integrity--Summary'' in the catalog of the Graduate School-New Brunswick.) A few examples of cheating include: copying from or giving others assistance on an examination, unauthorized copying or collaboration on a programming assignment, quoting directly or paraphrasing without proper acknowledgement on a term paper, essay or thesis. Difference in cultural background regarding academic integrity will not be accepted as an excuse for violations. The Graduate School offers seminars and orientation on academic integrity, should anyone be in doubt about what behavior is expected in this matter.

3.7 Transfer of Credits

The Graduate Program in Computer Science permits up to 6 credits of A's and B's to be transferred toward a M.S. degree. (The Graduate School is more lenient, permitting up to 12 transfer credits.) Note that transfer courses will not be accepted toward satisfying the breadth requirement of two course each in Category A and B.

Evaluation of transfer of credit is deferred until 12 credits have been received at Rutgers. The evaluation is done by the Graduate Committee. When the time comes to apply for credit transfer, the student should obtain the appropriate forms in Room 302. (Other details about the transfer process can be found in the Graduate School Catalogue under Degree Requirements--Transfer of Credit.)