CoursePlan
From NetSecWiki
This is a suggested course plan. It is intended only as
a starting template for scheduling your own course plan. In particular, there is
no guarantee these courses will be offered in the semester listed below.
Discuss your proposed course plan with your advisor at Colorado State
University.
| Fall 1st Year | Spring 1st Year | Fall 2nd Year | Spring 2nd Year | Fall 3rd Year | Doctoral Dissertation (typically 2.5 more years) | |
| Networks (Primary Area) |
CS 457 Computer Networks (4 credits) | CS 557 Advanced Computer Networks (4 credits) | CS 657 Networking Seminar (4 credits) | - | - | - |
| First Breadth Area | - | OPTION1 500 Level Course (4 credits) | - | OPTION2 600 Level Course (4 credits) | - | - |
| Second Breadth Area | - | - | - | OPTION3 500 Level Course (4 credits) | OPTION4 600 Level Course (4 credits) | - |
| Additional Courses | Statistic 511 (4 credits) | - | CS 556 - Computer Security (4 credits) | - | OPTION5 500 Level Course (4 credits) | - |
| Research Graduate Seminar | CS 692 - Graduate Seminar (1 credit) | CS 692 - Graduate Seminar (1 credit) | - | - | - | - |
| Research Network Security Group | CS 696 - Network Security Group (2 credits) | CS 696 - Network Security Group (2 credits) | CS 696 - Network Security Group (2 credits) | CS 696 - Network Security Group (2 credits) | CS 696 - Network Security Group (2 credits) | CS 696 - Network Security Group (4 credits) |
| Research Directed Research | - | - | CS 695 - Research (2 credits) | CS 695 - Research (2 credits) | CS 695 - Research (2 credits) | - |
| Research Dissertation | - | - | - | - | - | CS 799 - Dissertation (10 credits) |
| Milestones | Initial coursework | Initial coursework, begin research in CS 557 | Develop first publications | More publications and potential dissertation topics | Awarded MCS Degree | Pass Research Exam, Preliminary Exam, and Final Exam |
| Total Credits | 11 credits | 11 credits | 12 credits | 12 credits | 12 credits | 14 credits |
Optional courses OPTION1 and OPTION2 should be in the same area. For example, a student interested in compilers might take CS 553, and CS 653.
Optional course OPTION3 can be any 500 level course. OPTION4 must be the 600 level course that matches OPTION3 or one of CS 656A or CS 656B.
Optional course OPTION5 can be any 500 level or higher course.
Contents |
Doctoral Course Requirements
| 5 Courses at the 500 level: (20 credits) | CS 557, CS 556, OPTION1, OPTION3, OPTION5 |
| 3 Courses at the 600 level: (12 credits) | CS 657, OPTION2, OPTION4 |
| Graduate Courses Outside CS (4 credits) | ST 511 |
| Other CS Courses Needed to Earn MCS Degree (5 credits): | CS 457 (4 credits), CS 692 (1 credits) |
| Research Credits: (31 credits) | CS 692 (1 credit), CS 695 (6 credits), CS 696 (14 credits), CS 799 (10 credits) |
Master of Computer Science Course Requirements
The requirements can change and students must refer to the official department and university requirements for satisfying course requirements. In the event there is a difference between this suggested plan and the requirements of the department and/or university, the rules of the department and university take precedence.
Note students interested only the MCS degree (not the Ph.D.) should complete the MCS degree in 2 years. Do not enroll in CS 695 or CS 696 and take OPTION5 in the first two years.
| 20 CS Credits at 500/600 Level | CS 557, CS 657, CS 556, OPTION1, OPTION3 |
| Graduate Seminar Requirements | Met by CS 692 in Fall and Spring of Year 1 |
| 4 Graduate Credits Outside CS | ST 511 |
| 16 Additional Credits | CS 457 (4 credits), OPTION2 (4 credits), OPTION4 (4 credits), and OPTION5 (4 credits), |
Master of Science Course Requirements
The requirements can change and students must refer to the official department and university requirements for satisfying course requirements. In the event there is a difference between this suggested plan and the requirements of the department and/or university, the rules of the department and university take precedence.
Note students interested only the MS degree (not the Ph.D.) should complete the MS degree in either 2 or 2.5 years. The coursework is completed by the end of the second year. To complete the MS thesis, students will need to work on their thesis in the summer following the second year and probably also work on their thesis the following fall.
| 20 CS Credits at 500/600 Level | CS 557, CS 657, CS 556, OPTION1, OPTION3 |
| 1 Credit Graduate Seminar Requirements | Met by CS 692 in Fall and Spring of Year 1 |
| 4 Credits Graduate Courses Outside CS | ST 511 |
| 16 Additional Credits | CS 457, OPTION2 (4 credits), CS 695 (4 credits), and C696 (4 credits), |
Selecting Breadth Area Tracks
The following are possible breadth area tracks in the department.
Doctoral students are required to take the 500/600 level series in their main research area and two additional areas. Consider the following when selecting your courses:
First, avoid areas that don't have a matching 600 level course. For example CS 511 does not have a matching 600 level course (as of Fall 2008) so doctoral students should not take this course.
Second, identify the tracks where you already have sufficient background. For example, CS 540/545 requires you to first take CS 440 (undergraduate artificial intelligence). If you haven't taken the undergraduate course, selecting this track will require taking an extra 400 level course. This 400 level course does not count toward your degree and thus slows your progress toward graduation.
Third, talk to the instructors to find out when the 500 and 600 level courses will be offered. Course scheduling can vary. You must make sure both the 500 and 600 courses will be offered in the next few semesters.
| Area | Background/Pre-Req | 500 level courses | 600 level courses | Faculty | Notes |
| Vision/Graphics | 410 or equivalent class | 510 | 612 | Beveridge, Draper | 510 typically offered in spring, 612 follows in fall |
| Software Engineering | ? | 514, 517, 518 | 614 | Bieman, France, Ghosh | need help understanding the differences between 514, 517, 518 and their relationship to 614 |
| Algorithms | 420 or equivalent class | 520 | 620 | McConnell | none |
| Fault Tolerance | does not require an undergrad course in Fault Tolerance | 530 | 635 | Malayia | none |
| Database | 430 or equivalent course | 533 Fall | 656B | IK Ray | no 653 exists, but take 656B as the 600 level course. |
| Artificial Intelligence | 440 | 540, 545 | 640 + 641 | Anderson, Howe, Whitley | 640 and 641 are each 2 credits. To meet the 600 level breadth requirement, students must take 640 one semester and 641 the following semester. 540 is listed as the prereq for 640, but 545 also prepares a student to take 640+641. |
| Operating Systems | 451 or equivalent course | 551 | - | Grit | This area does not currently have a 600 level course |
| Compilers | 453 or equivalent course | 553 | 653 | Strout | 553 is typically offered in fall and 653 follows in spring |
| Security | Does not require and undergraduate course in security. | 556 | 656A | IJ Ray | 556 does prepare a student to take 656A, but does not prepare a student to take 656B |
| Networking | 457 or equivalent course | 557 | 657 | Massey, Papadopoulos | 557 typically offered in Spring and 657 follows in fall |
| Reconfigurable Computing | 460 or equivalent course | 560 | - | Bohm, Rajopadhye | is there any 600 level course that follows this 500? |
| Computer Architecture | 470 or equivalent course | 570 | 670A.... 670F | who is teaching this? | what should students outside this area know about the 670A, 670B, etc. distinction? can/should a student count both 670A and 670B as distinct 600 level courses? |
| Parallel Processing | 475 or equivalent course | 575 | 675 | Bohm, Rajopadhye | is there a typical schedule for this? |
| Bio Informatics | ? | 580 | 680 | Ben-Hur | need to update course numbers here |
| Cross listed Courses | NA | EE/CS 658 (Internet Engineering) and EE/CS 674 (Heterogenous Computing) | None | Taught by EE Department Faculty | The 500/600 level distinction does not apply to EE courses. When viewed as a CS course, these should be counted as 500 level CS courses. They cannot be used to satisfy the 600 level course breadth requirement. |
