The Foundations of Computer Science Track

The Foundations of Computer Science track is intended for students who wish to develop state of the art knowledge of the theoretical foundations of Computer Science. The theory of computation plays a crucial role in providing solid foundations for all areas of Computer Science, including systems, artificial intelligence, security, and circuit design. This track will help you develop leading-edge knowledge of theoretical Computer Science and its applications.

SUMMARY OF REQUIREMENTS

Students must complete at least a total of 30 graduate points and must maintain at least 2.7 overall GPA in order to be eligible for the MS degree in Computer Science.

1. Foundations track requires:- Breadth courses
   – Required Track courses (6pts)
   – Track Electives I (3pts)
   – Track Electives II (9 pts)
   – General Electives (3pts)
2. 2 required courses: CSOR W4231 and COMS W4236.
3. 1 course chosen from the “Electives I” list: COMS W4203, COMS W4205, COMS W4241, COMS W4252, COMS W4261, or COMS W4281.
4. At least 9 additional points from the “Electives II” list, excluding the course chosen from the “Electives I” list to satisfy above. At least 6 of the points must be 6000-level courses.
5. Remaining points from any qualifying graduate course (4000- and 6000-level).

Please use the Degree Progress Checklist to keep track of your requirements.

1. BREADTH REQUIREMENT

Visit the breadth requirement page for more information.

2. REQUIRED TRACK COURSES

Students are required to complete the following courses. Students who have taken equivalent courses in the past and received grades of at least a B may apply for waivers and take other CS courses instead.

Course ID	Title
CSOR W4231	Analysis of Algorithms I
COMS W4236	Intro. to Computational Complexity

3A. TRACK PROGRAM: ELECTIVES I

Students are required to complete 1 of the following courses:

Course ID	Title
COMS W4203	Graph Theory
COMS W4205	Combinatorial Theory
COMS W4241	Numerical Algorithms and Complexity
COMS W4252	Introduction to Computational Learning Theory
COMS W4261	Introduction to Cryptography
COMS W4281	Introduction to Quantum Computing

3B. TRACK PROGRAM: ELECTIVES II

Students are required to complete 9 points out of the following list excluding the course already taken; at least 6 points must be at the 6000-level:

Course ID	Title
COMS W4203	Graph Theory
COMS W4205	Combinatorial Theory
COMS W4241	Numerical Algorithms and Complexity
COMS W4252	Introduction to Computational Learning Theory
COMS W4261	Introduction to Cryptography
COMS W4281	Introduction to Quantum Computing
CSEE E6180	Performance Analysis
COMS W4995	Visit the topics courses page to see which COMS 4995 courses apply to this track.
COMS E6204	Topics in Graph Theory
COMS E6232	Analysis of Algorithms II
COMS E6253	Computational Learning Theory II
COMS E6261	Advanced Cryptography
COMS E6291	Theoretical Topics in C.S.
COMS E6901	Projects in Computer Science (Advisor approval required)
COMS E6998	Visit the topics courses page to see which COMS 6998 courses apply to this track.
CSPH G4802	Incompleteness Results in Logic
SIEO W4150*	Intro. to Probability and Statistics
IEOR E4407	Game Theoretic Models of Operation
IEOR E6400	Scheduling: Deterministic Models
IEOR E6603	Combinatorial Optimization
IEOR E6606	Advanced Topics in Network Flows
IEOR E6608	Integer Programming
IEOR E6610	Approximation Algorithms
IEOR E6613	Optimization I
IEOR E6614	Optimization II
IEOR 6616	Convex Optimization
IEOR E6711	Stochastic Models I
IEOR E6712	Stochastic motels II
IEOR E8100	Doctoral Seminar on Convex Optimization
ELEN 6717	Information Theory
ELEN E6718	Algebraic Coding Theory
ELEN E6970	Resource Allocation and Networking Games

* STAT 4001 taken Spring 2018 or prior may count as a substitute for Probability and Statistics/Advanced Data Analysis

4. GENERAL ELECTIVES

Remaining points from any qualifying Computer Science graduate course (4000- and 6000- level). Students may take up to 3 points of non-CS/non-track course approved by the advisor. Please complete a non-track approval form, get your advisor’s approval, and forward it to CS Student Services.

*Due to a significant overlap in course material, MS students not in the Machine Learning track can only take 1 of the following courses – COMS 4771, COMS 4721, ELEN 4903, IEOR 4525, STAT 4240, STAT 4400/4241/5241 – as part of their degree requirements.

** Known non-track courses**

IEOR E4550y Entrepreneurial business creation for engineers

5. TRACK PLANNING

Please visit the Directory of Classes to get the updated course listings.

Please also note that not all courses are offered every semester, or even every year. A few courses are offered only once every two or three years or even less frequently.

6. TRACK ADVISOR

Please direct all questions concerning the Foundations Track to Prof. Henry Yuen.

7. GRADUATION

Candidates preparing for graduation should submit a completed application for degree to the Registrar’s Office and submit a track graduation form/checklist to CS Student Services.

Updated on 4/21/16