CSE Curriculum | Graduate Studies

Ph.D. Requirements

Course Requirements

Effective Fall 2022, CSE PhD requirements have changed.

PhD students who entered the program before the Fall 2022 quarter can choose to continue to follow the previous requirements, or can switch to the new requirements.

Students who entered in Fall 2022 or later must follow the new requirements. Please see below for summary:

Pre-Fall 2022 PhD Requirements (58 credits)	Fall 2022 PhD Requirements (58 credits)
18 credits of core courses: CSE 200 (3 credits); and CSE 201; and CSE 210A; and CSE 220	18 credits of core courses: CSE 200 (3 credits); and One course each from the three Core Categories: Programming Languages/Theory; Computer Architecture/Systems; and AI/ML/Data Science. (15 credits)
15 credits of breadth courses: Students must take one course each from 3 different Breadth Categories, for a total of 3 courses.	40 credits of regular, 5-credit graduate courses (ie electives): CSE 296 and all courses in the CSE 280 series do not count toward the 58-credit requirement. Up to 10 credits of CSE 297 or CSE 299 may be counted toward the 58-credit requirement. Students may take CSE 297/299 more than this, but only 10 credits total will count. Up to 10 credits can be from courses taught by departments other than CSE. To use a course from outside Baskin Engineering toward the PhD requirements, the student must obtain their faculty advisor’s written approval and forward it to the CSE Advising Team.
25 credits of regular, 5-credit graduate courses (ie electives): CSE 296 and all courses in the CSE 280 series do not count toward the 58-credit requirement. Up to 10 credits of CSE 297 or CSE 299 may be counted toward the 58-credit requirement. Students may take CSE 297/299 more than this, but only 10 credits total will count. Up to 10 credits can be from courses taught by departments other than CSE. To use a course from outside Baskin Engineering toward the PhD requirements, the student must obtain their faculty advisor’s written approval and forward it to the CSE Advising Team.

Pre-Fall 2022 PhD Requirements (58 credits)

Fall 2022 PhD Requirements (58 credits)

18 credits of core courses:

CSE 200 (3 credits); and
CSE 201; and
CSE 210A; and
CSE 220

18 credits of core courses:

CSE 200 (3 credits); and
One course each from the three Core Categories: Programming Languages/Theory; Computer Architecture/Systems; and AI/ML/Data Science. (15 credits)

15 credits of breadth courses:

Students must take one course each from 3 different Breadth Categories, for a total of 3 courses.

40 credits of regular, 5-credit graduate courses (ie electives):

CSE 296 and all courses in the CSE 280 series do not count toward the 58-credit requirement.
Up to 10 credits of CSE 297 or CSE 299 may be counted toward the 58-credit requirement. Students may take CSE 297/299 more than this, but only 10 credits total will count.
Up to 10 credits can be from courses taught by departments other than CSE. To use a course from outside Baskin Engineering toward the PhD requirements, the student must obtain their faculty advisor’s written approval and forward it to the CSE Advising Team.

25 credits of regular, 5-credit graduate courses (ie electives):

CSE 296 and all courses in the CSE 280 series do not count toward the 58-credit requirement.
Up to 10 credits of CSE 297 or CSE 299 may be counted toward the 58-credit requirement. Students may take CSE 297/299 more than this, but only 10 credits total will count.
Up to 10 credits can be from courses taught by departments other than CSE. To use a course from outside Baskin Engineering toward the PhD requirements, the student must obtain their faculty advisor’s written approval and forward it to the CSE Advising Team.

Undergraduate courses do not count toward the 58-credit requirement.

Letter Grade Requirement: All courses must be taken for letter grade, except for courses numbered CSE 200, CSE 296, and courses in the CSE 280, CSE 297, and CSE 299. Students can also request to take up to two regular courses (10 credits) for S/U grading instead of Letter Grade.

Course Transfer (Substitution) Credit Policy

Up to three courses (15 credits) can be transferred from another institution with approval by the CSE graduate director. Petitions should be submitted along with the transcript from the other institution or UC Santa Cruz extension. For courses taken at other institutions, copies of the syllabi, exams, and other coursework should accompany the petition. Such petitions are not considered until the completion of at least one quarter at UCSC.

Qualifying Examination

Upon completion of all coursework requirements, Ph.D. students are eligible to undertake the qualifying examination, by which they advance to doctoral candidacy.

A successful qualifying examination involves a student writing a research prospectus, a public oral presentation of the proposed research, evaluation of research prospectus and oral presentation by a qualifying examination committee that is approved by the Graduate Division, and an appointment of a reading committee for the dissertation (which may differ from the qualifying examination committee).

Detailed information on the advancement to candidacy process can be found on the Graduate Affairs website.

To continue in the Ph.D. program, students must advance to candidacy by the end of their third year. Students are advanced to candidacy after they have completed the course requirements, passed the qualifying examination, cleared all incomplete grades from their records, have an appointed dissertation reading committee, and paid the advancement to candidacy fee.

Qualifying Exam Committee
The members of the CSE or CS Qualifying Exam committee must include the following: The chair of the committee must be a tenured ladder rank BE faculty member who is not the student's advisor. A ladder rank CSE faculty member (may be the advisor). A ladder rank UCSC faculty member or a recognized expert in the student's research area as judged by the Graduate Committee. The outside member must be a tenured ladder rank faculty member from a department other than CSE at UCSC or a recognized expert in the student's research area from outside UCSC. The outside member may not be the student's advisor. In the event that the outside member is not from UCSC she/he must have credentials equivalent to a tenured faculty member as judged by the Graduate Committee and the Graduate Dean. The outside member's CV must be submitted along with the exam committee nomination form. Additional members may be added to the committee. Students should consult their advisors about the membership of their committee. If you are inviting someone from outside to serve on your committee and it is not clear whether their credentials will satisfy the requirements for the outside member, then it is advisable to list them either as the third member or an additional fifth member of the committee to avoid embarrassing them and delaying the appointment of the committee. A ladder rank faculty (Academic Senate member) holds the title of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor. Associate Professors and Professors have tenure. Those admitted to the Computer Engineering PhD program prior to fall 2019 can find Exam/Degree committees here.

Qualifying Exam Committee

The members of the CSE or CS Qualifying Exam committee must include the following:

The chair of the committee must be a tenured ladder rank BE faculty member who is not the student's advisor.
A ladder rank CSE faculty member (may be the advisor).
A ladder rank UCSC faculty member or a recognized expert in the student's research area as judged by the Graduate Committee.
The outside member must be a tenured ladder rank faculty member from a department other than CSE at UCSC or a recognized expert in the student's research area from outside UCSC. The outside member may not be the student's advisor. In the event that the outside member is not from UCSC she/he must have credentials equivalent to a tenured faculty member as judged by the Graduate Committee and the Graduate Dean. The outside member's CV must be submitted along with the exam committee nomination form.

Additional members may be added to the committee. Students should consult their advisors about the membership of their committee.

If you are inviting someone from outside to serve on your committee and it is not clear whether their credentials will satisfy the requirements for the outside member, then it is advisable to list them either as the third member or an additional fifth member of the committee to avoid embarrassing them and delaying the appointment of the committee.

A ladder rank faculty (Academic Senate member) holds the title of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor. Associate Professors and Professors have tenure.

Those admitted to the Computer Engineering PhD program prior to fall 2019 can find Exam/Degree committees here.

Dissertation and Defense

Once advanced to candidacy, each student writes a Ph.D. dissertation which must be submitted to the reading committee at least one month prior to the dissertation defense. The dissertation must show the results of in-depth research, be an original contribution of significant knowledge, and include material worthy of publication. Where appropriate, research internships with companies, government laboratories, or elsewhere are recognized (and may be required) as an integral part of the research leading to the dissertation.

The candidate presents their research results in a public seminar sponsored by the dissertation supervisor. The seminar is followed by a defense of the dissertation to the public and the reading committee. The latter then decides whether the dissertation is acceptable or requires revision. Successful completion of the dissertation fulfills the final academic requirement for the Ph.D. degree.

Dissertation Reading Committee
The members of the CSE or CMPS Dissertation Reading Committee must include the following: The advisor or supervisor of the student. This is the chair of the committee. A ladder rank SOE faculty member who is not the student's advisor. This member must be from CSE at UCSC if the advisor is not from CSE at UCSC. A ladder rank UCSC faculty or a recognized expert in the student's research area with credentials equivalent to a ladder rank UCSC faculty member as judged by the Graduate Committee. If you have two advisors you should list both as co-chairs. Additional members may be added to the committee. Students should consult their advisors about the membership of their committee. The Dissertation Reading Committee must be appointed in order to advance to candidacy. A ladder rank faculty (Academic Senate member) holds the title of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor. Associate Professors and Professors have tenure. Those admitted to the Computer Engineering PhD program prior to fall 2019 can find Exam/Degree committees here.

Dissertation Reading Committee

The members of the CSE or CMPS Dissertation Reading Committee must include the following:

The advisor or supervisor of the student. This is the chair of the committee.
A ladder rank SOE faculty member who is not the student's advisor. This member must be from CSE at UCSC if the advisor is not from CSE at UCSC.
A ladder rank UCSC faculty or a recognized expert in the student's research area with credentials equivalent to a ladder rank UCSC faculty member as judged by the Graduate Committee.

If you have two advisors you should list both as co-chairs. Additional members may be added to the committee. Students should consult their advisors about the membership of their committee. The Dissertation Reading Committee must be appointed in order to advance to candidacy.

A ladder rank faculty (Academic Senate member) holds the title of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor. Associate Professors and Professors have tenure.

Those admitted to the Computer Engineering PhD program prior to fall 2019 can find Exam/Degree committees here.

NOTE: This is an abbreviated version of the program requirements. Please review the Program Statement for a full explanation of all program requirements.

M.S. Requirements

Students in the CSE M.S. program can graduate by pursuing either Thesis Plan I or Capstone Plan II. The requirements for each plan are detailed below. Please also review the presentation slides from the Winter 2022 Forum for guidance on how to meet the MS Capstone requirements.

Thesis (Plan I)

CSE M.S. students are required to take 48 credits as follows:

Required core courses: All students must take CSE 200, plus two of the following three courses: CSE 201, CSE 210A, and CSE 220. (13 credits)
Each student must complete CSE 200 in their first year.
Breadth requirement: All students must take one course each from three different breadth categories. (15 credits)
Capstone requirement: All students must take 5 credits of CSE 299 while completing Thesis Plan I. (5 credits)
Additional coursework: All remaining courses must be regular, 5-credit graduate courses (not two-credit seminars like the CSE 280 series). Courses that do not count toward the 48 credits requirement in Thesis Plan I include all courses numbered CSE 296 and the CSE 280 and CSE 297 series. (15 credits)

Additional degree requirement information for students in Thesis Plan I:

Only for Thesis Plan I Students: Up to 10 credits of CSE 299 may be counted toward the degree requirements; 5 credits are required for the Capstone requirement.
Up to 10 credits of the required 48 credits can be from courses taught by departments other than CSE in the School of Engineering.
Upper-division undergraduate UCSC CSE courses may be taken as a graduate student to strengthen a student's knowledge base. At most, 5 credits of UCSC upper-division undergraduate CSE courses may be counted toward the 48 credits requirement as an elective.

Master's Thesis Requirements:

After the student has completed some coursework in the proposed area of research and become acquainted with the faculty conducting research in that area, a student electing Thesis Plan I submits a written proposal to a faculty member, usually by the third academic quarter. If the faculty member determines they are able to advise the student's thesis, they collaborate with the student to further develop the scope of the student's research and refine the proposal.

By accepting the proposal, the faculty member becomes the student's faculty/thesis advisor. In consultation with the advisor, the student forms a Master's Thesis Reading Committee with at least two additional faculty members, each of whom is provided a copy of the proposal. Membership criteria for the Thesis Reading Committee are detailed in the CSE Graduate Program Handbook.

Students must nominate their Thesis Reading Committee by submitting a nomination form to their Graduate Student Advisor before the end of the second week of the quarter in which they plan to graduate.

Capstone (Plan II)

CSE M.S. students are required to take 48 credits as follows:

Required core courses: All students must take CSE 200, plus two of the following three courses: CSE 201, CSE 210A, and CSE 220. (13 credits)
Each student must complete CSE 200 in their first year.
Breadth requirement: All students must take one course each from three different breadth categories. (15 credits)
Capstone requirement: All students must take 5 credits of CSE 297 while completing Capstone Plan II. (5 credits)
Additional coursework: All remaining courses must be regular, 5-credit graduate courses (not two-credit seminars like the CSE 280 series). Courses that do not count toward the 48 credits requirement include all courses numbered CSE 296 and the CSE 280 and CSE 299 series. CSE 297 may be taken more than once; however, only 5 credits of CSE 297 will be counted toward the required 48 credits. (15 credits)

Additional degree requirement information for students in Capstone Plan II:

Up to 10 credits of the required 48 credits can be from courses taught by departments other than CSE in the School of Engineering.
Upper-division undergraduate UCSC CSE courses may be taken as a graduate student to strengthen a student's knowledge base. At most, 5 credits of UCSC upper-division undergraduate CSE courses may be counted toward the 48 credits requirement.

Master's Project Requirements:

The M.S. project is an individual or a team-based project (up to five members) supervised by a faculty advisor and approved by a reading committee composed of the faculty advisor and a senate faculty member from the Baskin School of Engineering. If you are planning to complete your master's project as part of a team, please notify your Graduate Student Advisor before submitting the Master's Project form.

Master's Project Reading Committees are nominated by completing a Master's Project form. Membership criteria for Master's Project Reading Committees are detailed in the CSE Graduate Program Handbook.

Projects can either be proposed by the student or the student may bid on projects proposed by faculty members (please see the Master's Project Bulletin Board). It is also possible to have industry-sponsored or government-sponsored projects, in which case the industry/government supervisor can be invited to be an optional third member on the Master's Project Reading Committee.

The final project must be accepted by the Project Reading Committee before the M.S. degree is conferred.

Concentrations

The CSE Department discontinued "concentrations" in the 2022-23 year, and they are no longer available. Students who are interested in a particular area, e.g. Artificial Intelligence, should instead take courses and seek out research projects in that area.

Letter Grade Policy for Both Plans

With the exception of CSE 200, CSE 296, and all courses in the CSE 280, CSE 297, and CSE 299 series, all graduate courses and upper-division courses must be taken for letter grade. Only courses with a letter grade of B- or higher can be counted toward the M.S. degree requirements.

Students are responsible for selecting the appropriate grade option when enrolling in classes each quarter. Students must select the appropriate grade option by the quarterly Grade Option Change deadline listed in the Academic and Administrative Calendar, or their class may not be eligible to count toward their degree requirements.

Transfer Credit Policy for Both Plans

Up to three School of Engineering courses fulfilling the degree requirements of the M.S. degree may be taken before beginning the graduate program through the concurrent enrollment program.

Courses from other institutions may be substituted for equivalent courses at UCSC (with the approval of the Graduate Director) but may not count toward the 48-credit requirement. For example, an equivalent Computer Architecture course taken elsewhere may be used in lieu of CSE 220. However, the student will need to replace it with 5 credits of another graduate elective course. As another example, a student may substitute an equivalent graduate course for CSE 260 and count that for a breadth requirement, but may not count that course toward the 48-credit requirement.

At most, a total of three courses may be transferred from concurrent enrollment and other institutions.

NOTE: This is an abbreviated version of the 2021-2022 CSE M.S. program requirements. Please review your Program Statement for the academic year in which you enrolled for a full explanation of all program requirements.

Program Learning Outcomes (Ph.D.)

Recipients of a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering degree at UCSC are expected to have the following characteristics and experiences:

Mastery with the fundamental knowledge in algorithms, programming languages, and architecture.
Proficiency with fundamental knowledge in several specialized areas of research and expertise in at least one area of research.
Ability to apply reasoning, problem solving, and technical skills to solve problems with minimal guidance, and to conduct independent and innovative research.
Ability to communicate concepts and results to a technical audience in the form of conference papers, journal papers, and/or oral presentations.

Program Learning Outcomes (M.S.)

Recipients of a Master's in Computer Science and Engineering degree at UCSC are expected to have the following characteristics and experiences:

Proficiency with the fundamental knowledge in algorithms, programming languages, and architecture.
Proficiency with fundamental knowledge in at least one area of research.
Ability to apply reasoning, problem solving, and technical skills to solve problems with minimal guidance.
Ability to communicate concepts and results to a technical audience in the form of a technical paper and/or an oral presentation to a review committee.