Computer Science

THESIS PLAN - PLAN I

A total of 9 courses are required to fulfill the requirement towards the M.S. degree under Plan I: 7 must be formal courses (taken for letter grades), and at least 4 of the 7 must be 200-level courses in Computer Science. 2 courses (or 8 units) must be CS 598, which involves work on the thesis. The remaining 3 courses are elective courses, which may be 100- or 200-level courses in Computer Science or 200-level courses in a closely related discipline, e.g. Electrical and Computer Engineering, Statistics, Mathematics, etc. (CS 201 seminars cannot be applied towards the 9 courses).

CAPSTONE PLAN - PLAN II

A total of 9 courses are required to fulfill the requirement towards the M.S. degree under Plan II: At least 5 courses must be 200-level courses in Computer Science (taken for letter grades). 500-level courses cannot be applied. The remaining 4 courses are elective courses, which may be 100- or 200-level courses in Computer Science or 200-level courses in a closely related discipline, e.g. Electrical and Computer Engineering, Statistics, Mathematics, etc. (CS 201 seminars cannot be applied towards the 9 courses).

Undergraduate Courses. No lower division courses may be applied toward graduate degrees. In addition, the following upper division courses are not applicable toward graduate degrees: Chemical Engineering 199; Computer Science M152A, 152B, M171L, 199; Electrical and Computer Engineering 100, 101, 102, 103,110L, M116L, 199; Materials Science and Engineering 110, 120, 130, 131, 131L, 132, 150, 160, 161L, 199; Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 102, 103, 105D, 199.

Breadth Requirement. Master's degree students must satisfy the computer science breadth requirement by the end of the fourth quarter in graduate residence at UCLA. This requirement is satisfied by mastering the contents of five undergraduate courses or the equivalent: Computer Science 180, two of 111, 118, or M151B, one of 143, 161, or 174A, and one of 130, 131 or 132.

In addition, for the M.S. degree the student must complete at least three quarters of Computer Science 201 with grades of Satisfactory.

Competence in any or all courses in the breadth requirement may be demonstrated in one of three ways:

(1) Satisfactory completion of the course at UCLA with a grade of B- or better.

(2) Satisfactory completion of an equivalent course at another university with a grade of B- or better.

(3) Satisfactory completion, without enrollment in the course, of a midterm and final examination typically administered in the course at UCLA.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Capstone Plan

The master's Capstone Project requirement is satisfied through satisfactory completion of an individual project under the direction of the student’s faculty adviser. A final report is reviewed by a committee consisting of three faculty members.

Thesis Plan

Every master's degree thesis plan requires the completion of an approved thesis that demonstrates the student's ability to perform original, independent research.

The thesis is a report on the results of the student's investigation of a problem in the student's major field of study under the supervision of the thesis committee, which approves the subject and plan of the thesis and reads and approves the completed manuscript. While the problem may be one of only limited scope, the thesis must exhibit a satisfactory style, organization, and depth of understanding of the subject. A student should normally start to plan the thesis at least one year before the award of the M.S. degree is expected.

Time-to-Degree

The average (normative) length of time for students in the M.S. program is six quarters. The maximum time allowed for completing the M.S. degree is seven quarters from the time of admission to the M.S. program in the School.

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Advising

Students are assigned a faculty adviser upon admission to the school. Advisers may be changed upon written request from the student. The Ph.D. program is supervised by the faculty and the vice-chair for graduate programs who are assisted by two student affairs officers. New students should arrange an appointment as early as possible with the faculty adviser to plan the proposed program of study toward the Ph.D. degree. Continuing students are encouraged to confer with their adviser during the time of enrollment each quarter so that progress can be assessed and the study list approved.

Based on the quarterly transcripts, student records are reviewed at the end of each quarter by the department’s Graduate Student Affairs Office and the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs. Special attention is given if students are on probation. If their progress is unsatisfactory, students are informed of this in writing by the department’s Graduate Student Affairs Office.

Students are strongly urged to consult with the department’s Graduate Student Affairs Office regarding procedures, requirements and the implementation of policies. In particular, advice should be sought on the procedures for taking Ph.D. written and oral examinations, and on the use of the Filing Fee.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Artificial intelligence; computational systems biology; computer networks; computer science theory; computer system architecture; graphics and vision; information and data management; and software systems.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Normally, the student takes courses to acquire the knowledge needed to prepare for the written and oral preliminary examinations, and for conducting Ph.D. research. The basic program of study for the Ph.D. degree is built around the written qualifying examination, the major field requirement, and two minor fields. The major field and at least one minor field must be in computer science.

The written qualifying examination is common for all Ph.D. candidates in the department.

To satisfy the major field requirement, the student is expected to attain a body of knowledge contained in five courses, at least four of which must be graduate courses in the major field of Ph.D. research. Grades of B- or better, with a grade-point average of at least 3.33 in all courses used to satisfy the major field requirement, are required.

Each minor field normally embraces a body of knowledge equivalent to two courses, at least one of which must be a graduate course. Grades of B- or better, with a grade-point average of at least 3.33 in all courses included in the minor field are required.

Major and minor field courses are selected in accordance with the guidelines specific to each field. These guidelines for course selection are available from the department’s Graduate Student Affairs Office. All major and minor field courses must be completed before taking the Oral Qualifying Exam.

Breadth Requirement. Doctoral degree students must satisfy the computer science breadth requirement by the end of the 9th quarter of study and before taking the Oral Qualifying Examination. This requirement is satisfied by mastering the contents of five undergraduate courses or the equivalent: Computer Science 180, two of 111, 118, or M151B, one of 143, 161, or 174A, and one of 130, 131 or 132.

For the Ph.D. degree, the student must complete at least three quarters of Computer Science 201 with grades of Satisfactory (in addition to the three quarters of CS 201 that may have been completed for the M.S. degree).

Competence in any or all courses may be demonstrated in one of three ways:

(1) Satisfactory completion of the course at UCLA with a grade of B- or better.

(2) Satisfactory completion of an equivalent course at another university with a grade of B- or better.

(3) Satisfactory completion of a midterm and final examination in the course at UCLA.

Teaching Experience

At least one quarter of satisfactory performance as a teaching assistant, or equivalent teaching experience, is required.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to university requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

All committee nominations and reconstitutions adhere to the Minimum Standards for Doctoral Committee Constitution.

The written qualifying examination consists of a high-quality paper, solely authored by the student. This paper can be a research paper containing an original contribution, or a focused critical survey paper. The paper should demonstrate that the student understands and can integrate and communicate ideas clearly and concisely. The paper should be approximately 10 pages, single-spaced, and the style should be suitable for submission to a first-rate technical conference or journal. The paper must represent work that the student did as a UCLA graduate student. Any contributions that are not the student's, including those of the student's adviser, must be explicitly acknowledged in detail. The paper must be approved by the student's adviser prior to submission on a cover page with the adviser's signature indicating approval. After submission the paper must be reviewed and approved by at least two other members of the faculty. There are two deadlines a year for submission of papers.

After passing the preliminary examination, the breadth requirements, and course work for the major and minor fields, the student should form a doctoral committee and prepare to take the University Oral Qualifying Examination. A doctoral committee consists of a minimum of four members. Three members, including the chair, are inside members and must hold appointments in the student's major department in the School. The outside member is normally a UCLA faculty member outside the student's major department. The nature and content of the University Oral Qualifying Examination are at the discretion of the doctoral committee, but ordinarily include a broad inquiry into the student's preparation for research. The doctoral committee also reviews the prospectus of the dissertation prior to the oral qualifying examination.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student's ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of Dissertation)

Not required for all students in the program. The decision as to whether a defense is required is made by the doctoral committee.

Time-to-Degree

The student is expected to pass the Written Qualifying Exam within the first six quarters (two years), complete the breadth requirements and major and minor field courses within the first nine quarters (three years), pass the Oral Qualifying Exam within nine quarters ( three years), and complete the Ph.D. within eighteen quarters (six years).

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Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for termination of graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing termination of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

A recommendation for termination is reviewed by the school's Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs.

Master's

In addition to the standard reasons noted above, a student may be recommended for termination for

(1) Failure to maintain a grade point average of 3.0 in all courses and in those in the 200 series.

(2) Failure to maintain a grade point average of 3.0 in any two consecutive terms.

(3) Failure of the comprehensive examination.

(4) Failure to complete the thesis to the satisfaction of the committee members.

(5) Failure to satisfy the Computer Science breadth requirement.

(6) Failure to maintain satisfactory progress toward the degree within the three-year time limit for completing all degree requirements.

Doctoral

In addition to the standard reasons noted above, a student may be recommended for termination for

(1) Failure to maintain a grade point average of 3.25 in all courses and in any two consecutive quarters.

(2) Failure of the University Written Qualifying Examination.

(3) Failure of the University Oral Qualifying Examination.

(4) Failure of the final oral examination (defense of the dissertation).

(5) Failure to obtain permission to repeat an examination from an examining committee.

(6) Failure to satisfy the Computer Science breadth requirement.

(7) Failure to maintain satisfactory progress toward the degree within the specified time limits.

UCLA is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and by numerous special agencies. Information regarding the University's accreditation may be obtained from the Office of Academic Planning and Budget, 2107 Murphy Hall.