Each student must pass one star course from each of these areas:
Each area lists from one to three star courses offered for the year. Each star course is 12 university units.
Star courses differ from non-star courses in that (1) they assume an undergraduate background in the relevant area--no more and no less; (2) they are meant to be accessible to all Computer Science graduate students, not just those in the area; and (3) they are offered on a regular basis so students can plan ahead.
Through these star courses we expect students not only to learn a breadth of technical material in Computer Science, but also to learn about and appreciate the different areas' research styles. The problems of interest, approaches to solving them, and analyses of their solutions differ across areas; often someone working in one area can be inspired by following an approach from a different area.
We attempt to schedule these courses so that students can complete all five in a one-year period; however, since we expect students to be engaged in directed research at least half-time, a typical student should plan to complete their five star courses over a two-year period.
Below is a list of the star courses we offer; this list is subject to change over time and may not always reflect current status.
Algorithms