Computer Science and Engineering

Computer science is the study of information and algorithms within the context of real and abstract computing devices. Computer scientists are interested in such topics as the representation and storage of information; algorithms to access, display, edit, and transform information; programming languages to express algorithms; and hardware and software processors to execute algorithms. These concerns lead to practical developments in computer systems software, such as operating systems and compilers; in application areas, such as artificial intelligence, computer graphics, and computational biology; and also to theoretical investigations of computers, algorithms, and data.

Computer engineering is a closely related field concerned with the design and practical application of computer hardware and software systems to the solution of technological, economic, and societal problems. The computer engineer analyzes a problem and selects from a variety of tools and technologies those most appropriate for its solution. A computer engineer can expect to be involved in hardware design, software creation, and systems integration.

Undergraduate Program

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering offers the following programs of study:

• The Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering degree
• The Bachelor of Science degree with a major in computer science (see Computer Science section)

The core requirements of the two undergraduate majors are identical. The computer engineering major may be more appropriate for students who are interested in creating and building systems that include both hardware and software components and that must be engineered to meet a variety of cost and performance constraints. The program includes a general foundation in engineering fundamentals to enable interdisciplinary work with other departments in the College of Engineering and the University as a whole.

The computer science major may be more appropriate for students who want to earn a double major with another College of Arts and Sciences program (for example, mathematics or economics), who want the additional flexibility of the computer science requirements (the computer engineering major has more required courses and fewer electives), or who may be more interested in the theory, design, and implementation of software systems and applications (for example, the techniques of modern compilers or the algorithms behind computer graphics and animation).

Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering

Department Admission Requirements

1. Direct Admission: Computer Science and Engineering enrolls up to 20 percent of its incoming class directly out of high school, prior to completion of university-level prerequisites. Freshman applicants to the University listing Computer Science or Computer Engineering as their intended major are automatically considered. Competitive applicants will have taken calculus and at least one year of laboratory science (preferably physics) upon entering the University. Admission is for autumn quarter only.
2. Accelerated Admission: Intended as a fast track into the Computer Science and Engineering department for matriculated students who have excelled in the CSE introductory courses.
1. Course Requirements: CSE 142 or equivalent, CSE 143. At least 5 additional credits toward the Computer Science Upper Division Admission course requirements.
2. Other Requirements: Completion of at least 15 credits at the UW. 3.00 cumulative GPA. Competitive applicants for Accelerated Admission typically have received a high grade in CSE 143 at the UW on their first attempt.
3. Admission is considered for any quarter.

3. Upper Division Admission
   1. MATH 124, MATH 125, MATH 126 (or MATH 134, MATH 135, MATH 136); at least five credits of Natural World, including one of the following: PHYS 121 or CHEM 142/CHEM145 (or any approved science course that requires PHYS 121 or CHEM 142/CHEM 145 as a prerequisite; CSE 142, CSE 143; and at least five credits of English composition. In addition to any AP credit, at least one calculus or post-calculus mathematics course and one approved Natural World courses must be completed prior to applying to the department.
   2. Admission is for autumn or spring quarter. Application deadlines are July 1 for autumn quarter and February 1 for spring quarter.

Students may also declare into the Computer Engineering degree program through the College of Engineering Advanced Admission program (see the College of Engineering section for Advanced Admission entrance and continuation requirements).

Graduation Requirements

General Education Requirements (81-84 credits)

1. Written and Oral Communication (12 credits): 5-credit course in English composition from the University-approved list; T C 231; T C 333, or department-approved alternative.
2. Visual, Literary, and Performing Arts (VLPA) and Individuals and Societies (I&S) (30 credits): A minimum of 10 credits in each required area.
3. Natural World (39-42 credits):
   1. Mathematics (19-22 credits): MATH 124, MATH 125, MATH 126 (or MATH 134, MATH 135, MATH 136); MATH 308 or MATH 318 (waived if MATH 136 taken); MATH/STAT 390 or STAT 391 (or STAT 394, STAT 395).
   2. Science (20 credits): PHYS 121, PHYS 122, and 10 additional credits from the list of approved natural science courses in the CS&E Handbook. Courses that meet the department's science requirement include any course in biology, chemistry, physics, earth and space sciences, astronomy, or atmospheric sciences that requires PHYS 121 or CHEM 142/CHEM 145 as a prerequisite.

1. Required Courses (47 credits): CSE 142, CSE 143, CSE 303, CSE 321, CSE 322, CSE 326, CSE 341, CSE 370, CSE 378, CSE 451, CSE 461; E E 215
2. Either a hardware or a software specialization
   1. Hardware Specialization (28 credits): E E 233; CSE 466, CSE 467; CSE 471; 5-credit course chosen from the list of CSE hardware capstone courses in the CS&E Handbook; and 6 credits from courses on the approved computer engineering senior elective course list in the CS&E Handbook.
   2. Software Specialization (27 credits): CSE 403; 18 credits from the approved computer engineering senior elective course list in the CS&E Handbook, including at least three courses from CSE 401, CSE 421, CSE 444, CSE 466, CSE 471, CSE 484; 5 credit course chosen from the list of CSE software capstone courses in the CS&E Handbook.
3. Minimum 2.0 grade for any course applied to the major. Transfer students must earn a minimum of 24 graded credits toward the major at the UW.

Student Outcomes and Opportunities

• Learning Objectives and Expected Outcomes:
  1. Engineering Quality: Graduates will engage in the productive practice of computer engineering to identify and solve significant problems across a broad range of application areas.
  2. Leadership: Graduates will engage in successful careers in industry, academia, and public service, providing technical leadership for their business, profession and community.
  3. Economic Impact: Graduates will enhance the economic well-being of Washington State through a combination of technical expertise, leadership and entrepreneurship.
  4. Lifelong Learning: Graduates will adapt to new technologies, tools and methodologies to remain at the leading edge of computer engineering practice with the ability to respond to the challenges of a changing environment.

  The computer engineering undergraduate degree is housed in the College of Engineering and is thereby accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012, telephone: (410) 347-7700. The department has adopted the following student outcomes. Upon graduation from the computer engineering program, students will have:

  1. An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering
  2. An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data
  3. An ability to design a computing system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability
  4. An ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams
  5. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve computer engineering problems
  6. An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
  7. An ability to communicate effectively
  8. The broad education necessary to understand the impact of computer engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context
  9. A recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning
  10. Knowledge of contemporary issues
  11. An ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern computer engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.
  12. Knowledge of probability and statistics
  13. Knowledge of discrete mathematics

• Instructional and Research Facilities: In autumn 2003 the department moved to the new state-of-the-art Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science and Engineering. The Allen Center includes more than 20,000 square feet of laboratories, nearly 1,000 computer systems, and more than 50 terabytes of storage. Gigabit connectivity is provided to every desktop by more than 60 miles of data cabling, and wireless access is available throughout the building.

  CSE general-purpose laboratories support the diverse set of hardware and software platforms required for a cutting-edge education in the field. CSE special-purpose laboratories provide tailored support for activities such as mobile robotics, computer graphics, digital design, motion capture, embedded systems, laser scanning, educational technology, networking, and artificial intelligence.

  The Allen Center is one of the finest computer science and computer engineering facilities in the nation. All of its capabilities are available to all CSE students.

• Honors Options Available: With College Honors. With Distinction (Department Honors). See adviser for requirements.
• Research, Internships, and Service Learning: Internships and co-op opportunities are available for computer science undergraduates. See www.engr.washington.edu/coop and careers.washington.edu for information.
• Departmental Scholarships: CSE has a limited number of scholarships available to current CSE majors. Scholarship information is listed at www.cs.washington.edu/education/ugradscholars/scholarships.html.
• Student Organizations/Associations: A student chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) operates within CSE. The ACM helps to coordinate new student orientations, research nights, technical talks, and various tutorials.

Graduate Program

Graduate Program Coordinator
AC101 Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science and Engineering, Box 352350
206-543-1695
grad-admissions@cs.washington.edu

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering offers programs of study leading to the degrees of Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy. Students can pursue full-time graduate study leading to a Ph.D. with an integrated M.S. Students can also pursue part-time graduate study in the evening, leading to an M.S. Programs are designed to provide considerable breadth of knowledge, as well as depth in an area of specialization.

The department has 40 faculty and is authorized to grow over the next few years. In addition, there are nearly 40 adjunct, affiliate and emeritus faculty members. The faculty is currently conducting research in the following areas: embedded systems and reconfigurable computing; computer architecture; networking; operating systems and distributed systems; programming systems; information retrieval, database systems, and intelligent Internet systems; software engineering; computer graphics, vision, and animation; human interface to computing; artificial intelligence; theory of computation; and computing and biology.

Master of Science

Degree Requirements

• Non-Thesis Option:
  • Of the 40 credits required, 20 credits must be in courses numbered 500 or above, 30 credits must be in CSE courses, and 10 credits may be in one or more supporting fields.
  • Satisfactorily pass an M.S. Qualifying Evaluation. The faculty as a whole assesses whether the student has satisfactorily completed a breadth requirement and an independent project requirement as described below.
  • o A breadth requirement, satisfied through coursework. The required course list may change from time to time to reflect changes in the curriculum and faculty research interests. Students may choose to meet the requirements in place when they were admitted. Students must take one course in each of the four groups below and one additional course from two of the groups (18 credits) for graded credit (a waiver is possible for graduate courses taken elsewhere):
    • Either CSE 521 (3), CSE 525 (3), or CSE 531 (3)
    • Either CSE 548 (3), CSE 551 (3), CSE 561 (3), or CSE 567 (3)
    • Either CSE 501 (3), CSE 503 (3), CSE 505 (3), or CSE 544 (3)
    • Either CSE 510 (3), CSE 546 (3), CSE 557 (3), CSE 573 (3), or CSE 576 (3)
    • Two additional courses from two of the groups above
  • An independent project completed under the supervision of a primary and a secondary faculty adviser. A written summary and an oral presentation are required.
• Thesis option:
  • 9 credits CSE 700, Master's Thesis
  • Of the 31 remaining credits,
    • At least 16 credits must be in courses numbered 500 or above
    • 24 credits must be CSE courses
    • 7 credits may be in one or more supporting fields such as: engineering, mathematics, natural sciences, business administration, linguistics, philosophy, psychology, or medicine.
  • Thesis: Preparation of a written thesis acceptable to a CSE Supervisory Committee and satisfactorily passing an oral examination on the thesis work.

Professional Master's Program

Degree Requirements

Doctor of Philosophy

• Satisfactorily passing a Ph.D. Qualifying Evaluation. The faculty as a whole assesses whether the student has satisfactorily completed a breadth requirement and an independent project requirement as described below.
  • A breadth requirement satisfied through coursework. The required course list may change from time to time to reflect changes in the curriculum and faculty research interests. Students may choose to meet the requirements in place when they were admitted. Students are required to take one course from each of the four groups below and one additional course from two of the groups(18 credits) for graded credit (a waiver is possible for graduate courses taken elsewhere):
    • Either CSE 521 (3), CSE 525 (3), or CSE 531 (3)
    • Either CSE 548 (3), CSE 551 (3), CSE 561 (3), or CSE 567 (3)
    • Either CSE 501 (3), CSE 503 (3), CSE 505 (3), or CSE 544 (3)
    • Either CSE 510 (3), CSE 544 (3), CSE 546 (3), CSE 557 (3), CSE 573 (3), or CSE 576 (3)
    • Two additional courses from two of the groups above
    • Four additional courses taken for credit from CSE or related areas with approval.
  • An independent project completed under the supervision of two faculty advisers. A written summary and an oral presentation are required.
• Satisfactorily passing the General Examination. In this examination, the applicant must demonstrate depth of knowledge in a principal area acceptable to the Ph.D. Supervisory Committee.
• Completion of at least 90 credits of course work, at least 40 of which are to be in courses numbered 500 or above. 45 credits should be in courses chosen from the Computer Science course list. At least two CSE courses numbered 500 or above (or approved courses in related disciplines) must be taken for graded credit in addition to those courses taken to satisfy the breadth component of the qualifying evaluation. Coursework taken toward the M.S. degree is applicable toward the Ph.D. degree.
• Completion of two quarters of teaching assistantship within the department.
• Preparation of a dissertation that must be acceptable to the Supervisory Committee. Students must register for at least 27 credits of CSE 800 (Dissertation).
• Satisfactorily passing an oral examination on the dissertation work.

Application Requirements

Most entering graduate students are expected to have a solid background in computer science, including programming, machine organization, data structures, discrete mathematics, automata theory, and programming systems (i.e., the equivalent of CSE 378, CSE 326, CSE 321, CSE 322, and either CSE 401 or CSE 451). Some exceptions to these requirements are made for otherwise-promising students. Graduate Record Examination scores are required. Scores should be earned within the preceding five years. The Computer Science and Engineering Graduate Program homepage for perspective students gives full details of application procedures.

Complete applications must be received by December 15 for both U.S. and international students for autumn-quarter admission.

Assistantships

Research and teaching assistantships are available and are allocated on the basis of scholastic excellence and potential. All students accepted to the program are awarded three years of funding. Students who are applying for assistantships to start in autumn quarter should have all applications to the Graduate School and the department completed by December 15.