1. Message from the Dean............................................................................................... 3
2. The Faculty.......................................................................................................................... 3
3. Computing Facilities..................................................................................................... 5
4. Master of Science Program.................................................................................... 5
Admissions Requirements................................................................................................. 5
Academic Requirements.................................................................................................... 6
Academic Probation............................................................................................................. 6
Time and Time Limitation.................................................................................................... 6
Transfer Credit...................................................................................................................... 7
Approved Courses................................................................................................................. 7
Specimen Academic Schedule...................................................................................... 10
Reading Courses................................................................................................................... 11
Master’s Thesis...................................................................................................................... 11
5. Doctor of Philosophy Program....................................................................... 12
Admissions Requirements............................................................................................... 13
Academic Requirements.................................................................................................. 13
Time and Time Limitation.................................................................................................. 16
Transfer Credit.................................................................................................................... 16
Electives outside the College.................................................................................... 16
Specimen Curriculum....................................................................................................... 16
6. Special Students........................................................................................................... 18
Admissions Requirements............................................................................................... 18
7. Application Procedure and Financial Aid.................................................. 18
Application Procedure..................................................................................................... 18
Financial Aid and Graduate Assistantships.................................................... 19
Stipend Graduate Assistantship..................................................................................... 19
NUTA............................................................................................................................................. 19
Dean's Scholarship............................................................................................................... 19
OTHER.......................................................................................................................................... 20
8. General Regulations................................................................................................. 20
Academic Integrity............................................................................................................ 20
The Transcript....................................................................................................................... 22
The Incomplete (I) Grade.................................................................................................. 22
9. Course Descriptions.................................................................................................. 23
Interdisciplinary Courses............................................................................................. .23
MS Core Courses.................................................................................................................... 24
PHD Core courses.................................................................................................................. 25
Regular Courses................................................................................................................... 26
Readings, Projects, and Thesis Courses................................................................. 36
Co-op............................................................................................................................................. 37
10. The University and the College.......................................................................... 38
Campus and Community.................................................................................................. 38
Student Group........................................................................................................................ 38
Tuition and Fees.................................................................................................................... 39
Housing....................................................................................................................................... 39
Additional Northeastern Information.............................................................. 39
Accreditation....................................................................................................................... 39
Delivery of Services............................................................................................................ 40
Equal Opportunity Employment Policy................................................................. 40
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.................................................... 40
Insufficient Enrollment Disclaimer....................................................................... 40
Tuition and Fee Policy....................................................................................................... 41
Tuition Default Policy..................................................................................................... 41
Cleary Act………………………………………………...…………………...…....41
The College of Computer and Information Science is one of
the leading research units at Northeastern University, with 24
We offer an excellent environment for graduate education, with many exciting research projects, a wide spectrum of courses, and modern computing facilities. Our Master's program offers both thesis and non-thesis options, with the requirement of an in-depth study of at least one subfield of computer science. Our PhD program gives students the opportunity to publish journal papers and to give presentations at prestigious conferences.
Computer science is a vital discipline for the economies
of
Dean of the College
Larry A. Finkelstein, PhD,
Associate Dean and Director of the Graduate Program
Agnes H. Chan, PhD,
Associate Dean and Director of the Undergraduate Program
Richard A. Rasala, PhD, Harvard. Computer aided instruction, algorithm animation, graphics, multi-media, software engineering.
Trustee Professor
Matthias Felleisen, PhD,
Professors
Gene Cooperman, PhD, Brown. Symbolic algebra, group theory algorithms and applications, large software systems, aspects of artificial intelligence.
Harriet J. Fell, PhD, MIT. Interactive graphics systems, raster graphics algorithms, digital typography, cryptography.
Karl J. Lieberherr, PhD, ETH (
Viera K. Proulx, PhD,
Betty J. Salzberg, PhD,
Patrick S. P. Wang, PhD,
Associate Professors
Javed A. Aslam, PhD, MIT. Machine learning and information retrieval.
Kenneth P. Baclawski, PhD, Harvard. Distributed and object-oriented database systems, high performance concurrency control methods, data semantics and view integration.
John Casey, BA,
William Clinger, PhD, MIT. Semantics and implementation of programming languages.
Robert P. Futrelle, PhD, MIT. Artificial Intelligence and the construction of an intelligent “scientists’ assistant”. Natural language and diagram understanding. Representation and reasoning about biological knowledge.
Carole D. Hafner, PhD,
Michael Lipton, (joint appointment with Philosophy & Religion) PhD, MIT. Logic.
David Kaeli, (joint appointment with ECE), PhD,
Ronald J. Williams, PhD,
Assistant Professors
Timothy Bickmore, PhD, MIT. Human Computer Interaction, Information Science.
Guevara Noubir, PhD, Swiss Federal Institute of
Technology,
Riccardo Pucella, PhD,
Donghui Zhang, PhD,
Adjunct Professors
Leslie Schneider, PhD,
The
The College has three laboratories for student
computation, housing a mix of UNIX and WindowsXP workstations. All
The
Applicants must submit an official application, official
transcripts from all colleges/universities attended, a personal statement,
official scores of the GRE General Test, and three letters of recommendation.
International students must also submit official scores of the TOEFL examination.
Acceptance into the
Candidates must have completed the undergraduate material listed below.
· Experience in some high level procedural language, e.g. C, C++, Java, Scheme, or Pascal
· Data Structures
· Computer Organization
· One year of college calculus
· Discrete Mathematics
Industrial experience in these areas may be an acceptable substitute for formal coursework. Students may be accepted provisionally while completing these deficiencies, and may take graduate courses concurrently as their preparation allows.
Thirty-two semester hours are required for the Master of Science in Computer Science. These must include:
· eight semester hours of core courses, CS G111 Principles of Programming Languages and CS G113 Algorithms,
· four semester hours of core system courses: CS G110 Managing Software Development or CS G112 Computer Systems, and
· twenty semester hours of electives, eight of which must come from the same concentration area. These electives may include readings, project, or a thesis.
A student must obtain a minimum grade point average of 3.000 among the core courses and a minimum overall average of 3.000.
A student whose GPA (grade point average) falls below 3.00 will be automatically placed on academic probation and will be notified by the College. Once on probation, a student has the following two academic semesters (summer excluded) to achieve a 3.00 GPA. If at the end of those two semesters, the student's GPA is still unsatisfactory, the student will be dismissed from the graduate program.
The
Course credits earned in the program of graduate study or
accepted by transfer are valid for a maximum of seven years unless an extension
is granted by the Graduate Committee of the
A maximum of 9 semester hours of credit obtained at
another institution may be accepted towards the degree, provided the credits
consist of work taken at the graduate level for graduate credit, carry grades
of 3.000 or better, have been earned at an accredited institution, and have not
been used toward any other degree. Transfer credit will be offered only for
courses that match a course offered at
CS
G107 Program Design Paradigms
CS
G111 Principles of Programming Languages
CS
G113 Algorithms
System
Core
CS
G110 Managing Software Development
CS
G112 Computer Systems
PhD Core
CS
G711 Intensive Principles of Programming Languages
CS
G712 Intensive Computer Systems
CS
G713 Advanced Algorithms
CS
G714 Theory of Computation
CONCENTRATIONS
Artificial Intelligence
CS
G120 Foundations of Artificial Intelligence
CS
G220 Machine Learning
CS
G222 Knowledge-based Systems
CS
G224 Natural Language Processing
CS
G329 Special Topics in Artificial Intelligence
CS
G720 Seminar in Artificial Intelligence
Database Management
CS
G130 Introduction to Database Systems
CS
G131 Implementation of Database Management Systems
CS
G230 Data Mining Techniques
CS
G339 Special Topics in Database Management
CS
G730 Seminar in Database Systems
Graphics
CS
G140 Computer Graphics
CS
G142 Digital Image Processing
CS
G144 Pattern Recognition and Computer Vision
CS
G349 Special Topics in Graphics/Image Processing
CS G740 Seminar in Graphics/Image Processing
Information Security
CS
G252 Cryptography and Communication Security
CS
G254 Network Security
CS G256 Privacy, Security and Usability
CS G274 Foundations of Formal Methods and Software Analysis
CS G379 Special Topics in Software
Engineering – Software Security
Networks
CS
G152 Fundamentals of Networking and Internetworking
CS
G250 Wireless Networks
CS
G252 Cryptography and Communication Security
CS
G254 Network Security
CS
G359 Special Topics in Networks
CS
G750 Seminar in Computer Networks
CS
G752 Seminar in Computer Security
Programming Languages
CS
G260 Advanced Software Development
CS
G262 Compilers
CS
G264 Semantics of Programming Languages
CS
G369 Special Topics in Programming Languages
CS
G760 Seminar in Programming Languages
CS
G762 Seminar in Software Development
Software Engineering
CS
G170 Computer/Human Interaction
CS
G270 Methods of Software Development
CS
G272 Analysis of Software Artifacts
CS
G274 Foundations of Formal Methods and Software Analysis
CS
G260 Advanced Software Development
CS
G379 Special Topics in Software Engineering
CS
G770 Seminar in Software Engineering
Systems
CS
G175 Web Development
CS
G180 Computer Architecture
CS
G280 Parallel Computing
CS
G254 Network Security
CS
G389 Special Topics in Computer Systems
CS
G780 Seminar in Computer Systems
Theory
CS
G290 Distributed Algorithms
CS
G714 Theory of Computation
CS
G252 Cryptography and Computer Security
CS
G280 Parallel Computing
CS
G399 Special Topics in Theoretical Computer Science
CS
G790 Seminar in Theoretical Computer Science
CS
G664 MS Readings and Research in Computer Science
CS
G674 Master’s Project in Computer Science
COP
G650 Co-op
CS
G684 Master’s Thesis in Computer Science
CS G685 Master’s Thesis in Computer Science II
CS G699 Master’s Thesis Continuation (0 SH)
CS
G864 PhD
CS
G894 PhD Dissertation in Computer Science
CS
G899 PhD Dissertation Continuation
Interdisciplinary Courses*
CS
G100 Data Structures (not open to students in CCIS for credit)
CS
G102 Database Management (not open to students in CCIS for credit)
CS G104 Computer Networks (not open to students in CCIS for credit)
IA G120 Security Risk Management & Assesssment
IA G124 Information System Forensics
IA G128 Ethics, Privacy & Digital Rights
* At most 8 semester credit hours of IA G120, IA G124, or IA G128 may be counted towards an MS degree in CS. No credit towards an MS degree in CS is given for CS G100, CS G102, or CS G104.
ELECTIVES
Any course that appears in a concentration above may count as an elective. Other courses offered at the graduate level at Northeastern University may be taken as electives provided written permission is given by the student's faculty advisor and approval is obtained from the Graduate Committee. Elective authorization petitions are available in the College Administrative Office at 202 WVH.
Most graduate courses in computer science are offered in the late afternoon and early evening, which enables many students to pursue their graduate degrees while continuing with their daytime employment. Courses may be offered in different semesters from year to year. However, the following schedule may serve as a general guide.
Currently, all courses in the College of Computer and Information Science are offered on the Boston campus only.
Graduate Course Offering Plan
2005- 2006
Fall 2005 Spring
2006
CS G112 Computer Systems Development CS G110 Managing Software
CS G113 Algorithms CS G111 PPL
CS G711 Int. PPL CS G712 Int. Computer Systems
CS G713 Advanced Algorithms CS G714 Theory of Computation
CS G130 Intro. to Database Systems CS G131 Impl. Of DB Systems
CS G242 Computational Imaging CS G140 Computer Graphics
CS G152 Fund. Of Comp Netwking/Internetwk CS
G254 Network Security
CS G252 Cryptography & Comp. Security CS G262 Compilers
CS G170 Human/Computer Interaction CS G270
Methods of Software Development
CS G280 Parallel Computing CS G120 Foundations of AI
CS G399 Special Topics in Theoretical CS G224 Natural Language Processing
Computer Science
Interdisciplinary Courses
CS G100 Data Structures * CS G102 Database Mgmt *
IA G100 Foundations of Inform’n Assurance* IA G110 Computer Systems & Networks*
IA G128 Ethics, Privacy & Digital Rights IA G120 Security Risk Management & Assessment
* Not
open to students in CCIS for degree credit
Please
note that
(1)
MS students interested in pursuing future PhD studies are encouraged to take
the intensive core courses, in place of the regular core courses. Approval must
be obtained from the instructor.
(2)
Students without undergraduate OS background should take CS G112 before taking
CS G712.
(3)
At most 8 semester credit hours of IAG courses can be counted toward MS in CS.
(4) Course offerings are subject to change.
Every reading and/or project course requires a petition, approved by the Graduate Committee. Petitions are available in the College Administrative Office at 202 WVH.
The Master's thesis option consists of 8 semester hours of research, culminating into an MS. thesis. This can be accomplished through one of the following two options:
Option 1: Two 4 credit MS Thesis courses: CS G684 and
CS G685 taken consecutively.
Option 2: Either a Readings Course CS G664 or a Project Course CS G674, followed by MS Thesis CS G685 taken consecutively.
Both of these options may only be undertaken with the agreement of a thesis advisor and one other official reader.
Thesis Proposal
A student wishing to select the Master's thesis option
must submit a short proposal to the Graduate Committee, signed by the advisor,
which describes the project and lists the official reader. The reader may be chosen from the
Thesis
The thesis advisor guides the research topic. The result of the research is to be an original contribution to the field of Computer Science. The thesis should be developed in terms of the current literature and will include a thorough literature search and review. Emphasis is to be placed upon clear writing, logical development, and significance of the issues. Acceptance of the thesis requires the agreement of the thesis advisor and the reader(s).
Thesis defense
The student will defend the thesis at a public presentation. The defense will be directed by the thesis advisor and the reader(s) will be in attendance. The thesis defense is open to anyone who wishes to attend. The candidate will give a lecture on the subject of the thesis and this will be followed by questions from those in attendance concerning the results of the thesis as well as related matters.
Publication
Upon acceptance, the MS thesis will be issued as a
The goal of the PhD program is to equip its graduates to conduct state-of-the-art research in computer science, either in academia or in industry. The curriculum aims to fulfill this goal by providing the student with:
1. A broad background in the fundamentals of computer science.
2. Advanced courses in the dissertation area.
3. An intensive research experience, culminating in the writing of a dissertation.
A Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent is required.
Applicants must submit an official application, official
transcripts from all colleges/universities attended, a personal statement,
official scores of the GRE general test, and three letters of
recommendation. International students
must also submit official scores of the TOEFL examination. Acceptance to the
A minimum of 16 semester hours of course work beyond the Master's degree, or 48 semester hours of course work beyond the BS/BA degree, is required of all students.
Admission to Candidacy
All students must demonstrate sufficient knowledge in the fundamentals of computer science, as well as the ability to carry out research in an area of computer science.
Course Requirements
All students are encouraged to enroll in a one credit seminar, CS G719, during their first year of study. The seminar will feature research topics of interest to PhD students. Each student is required to take six courses including:
Core:
· CS G712 Intensive Systems;
· CS G711 Intensive Principles of Programming Languages;
· CS G713 Advanced Algorithms;
· CS G714 Theory of Computation;
and two others from the designated courses in a field chosen from the list given below (usually in the student's area of specialization).
· Artificial Intelligence
· Database Management
· Programming Languages and Software Design
CS G260, CS G262, CS G264, or CS G369
· Networks
CS
G152 and one other course under concentration (subject to approval)
· Others
Approval
by the Graduate Committee
The student must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5 among the six courses satisfying the above course requirement and a grade of B or better in each of these courses. Students who have taken equivalent courses in other institutions may petition to be exempted from the course(s) (subject to the approval of the PhD Committee). Each student may repeat a course once for no more than three out of the six courses if they do not receive a B or better in the course. Students with an MS degree in Computer Science may petition to the PhD Committee for an exemption from these courses. Petition forms are available in the College Administrative Office at 202 WVH.
The fields listed do not necessarily represent areas of
specialization or separate tracks within the PhD program. Rather, they attempt to delineate areas on
which the student must be examined in order to measure his or her ability to
complete the degree. Therefore, they may
be adjusted in the future to reflect changes in the discipline of computer
science and in
Similarly, these fields do not represent the only areas in which a student may write his or her dissertation. They are, however, intended to serve as a basis for performing fundamental research in computer science.
Research/Survey Paper
To
demonstrate research ability, the student is required to submit to the PhD
Committee a research paper or a survey paper in an area of specialty under the
supervision of a
1. The paper has been submitted to a selective conference,
2. The student has made substantial contribution to the paper,
3. The advisor has endorsed the paper with a written statement indicating the student’s contribution, and
4. The PhD Committee has voted on a positive recommendation.
Upon completion of the course and the research paper requirements, the student is admitted to candidacy for the PhD degree. It is highly recommended that the student complete the candidacy requirement by the end of his/her second year.
Residency
One year of continuous full-time study is required after admission to the PhD candidacy. It is expected that during this period the student will make substantial progress in preparing for the Comprehensive Examination.
Comprehensive Examination
The examination will be taken after the student has achieved sufficient depth in a field of study in order to prepare a prospectus for the PhD dissertation. This process should take place no later than the fall semester of the fifth year in residence.
Prior to taking the Comprehensive Examination, the student
will prepare a thesis proposal for the examination, which describes the
proposed research including the relevant background materials from the
literature. The thesis proposal should
clearly specify the research problems to be attacked, the techniques to be
used, and a schedule of milestones towards completion. Normally the thesis proposal should not
exceed fifteen pages, excluding appendices and bibliography. The thesis proposal must be approved by the
Comprehensive Committee,
It is strongly recommended that the same members should serve on both
the Comprehensive and Thesis Committees. With the
help of the advisor, a student will select the Comprehensive Committee
consisting of 4 members to be approved by the PhD Committee. The 4 members must include the advisor, 2
other
Upon
approval of the written Proposal, the student has to present the proposed work
orally in a public forum, followed by a closed-door oral examination from the
Comprehensive Committee. The student may
not take the Comprehensive Examination more than two times.
Doctoral Dissertation
Upon successful completion of solving the research proposed in the Thesis Proposal, the candidate will prepare the dissertation for approval by the Doctoral Committee. The dissertation must contain results of extensive research and make an original contribution to the field of computer science. The work should give evidence of the candidate's ability to carry out independent research. It is expected that the dissertation should be of sufficient quality to merit publication in a reputable journal in computer science.
Doctoral Committee
If the Thesis Committee is the same as the Comprehensive Committee, no further approval is needed. If the Thesis Committee is changed in its composition, approval process will follow that of the Comprehensive Committee.
Dissertation Defense
The dissertation defense is held in accordance with the regulations of the University Graduate Council. It will consist of a lecture given by the candidate on the subject matter of the dissertation. This will be followed by questions from the Doctoral Committee and others in attendance concerning the results of the dissertation as well as any related matters. The examination will be chaired by the PhD advisor.
After the establishment of degree candidacy, a maximum of five years will be allowed for the completion of the degree requirements, unless an extension is granted by the College Graduate Committee.
A maximum of 9 semester hours of credit obtained at another institution may be accepted towards the degree, provided the credits consist of work taken at the graduate level for graduate credit, carry grades of 3.000 or better, have been earned at an accredited institution, and have not been used toward any other degree. No transfer credit will be given for courses listed as Interdisciplinary Courses.
Students are encouraged to take electives outside the College, with the approval of both the thesis advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies, as part of their study. Relevant courses are typically offered in the departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mathematics, Philosophy, Psychology, and Sociology. Courses in other areas may also be approved as part of the plan of study.
Because a PhD program is highly individualized, it is inappropriate to sketch out a semester-by-semester, course-by-course program. Instead, we will attempt to describe the major activities of each year's study for a hypothetical student. Our hypothetical student comes to us with a BS in Computer Science and a firm plan to take a PhD Along the way, we will comment on how the program might vary for other categories of students.
The following table provides a recommended course scheduling for a PhD Student:
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