These are slides I presented at Community College Day at UMass Amherst Spring 2013.

1. School of Computer Science
Program Overview
Community College Day
March 28, 2013
Dr. Tim Richards
Lecturer
Chief Undergraduate Advisor

2. CS Programs
• Graduate Program
– PhD, MS/PhD, MS
• Undergraduate Program
– Bachelor of Science in CS
– Bachelor of Arts in CS
– Minor in Computer Science
• Informatics Program
– New Program
– Likely to go live in the next year
or two

3. What We Are
• Major Research Institution
– Working to change the face of computing
– Nationally recognized professors
– Highly selected graduate students
– Competitive undergraduates
• Undergraduate Program
– Doing Computing
– Think About Computing

4. What We Are
• Major Research Institution
– Working to change the face of computing
– Nationally recognized professors
– Highly selected graduate students
– Competitive undergraduates
Teach programming
• Undergraduate Program and use programming
– Doing Computing as a tool. This is
important as a means
– Think About Computing
to an end, rather than
an end itself.

5. What We Are
• Major Research Institution
– Working to change the face of computing
– Nationally recognized professors
– Highly selected graduate students
– Competitive undergraduates
Understand computing
• Undergraduate Program to adapt to new
– Doing Computing machines, systems,
languages, and
– Think About Computing
applications in the
future.

6. By The Numbers
• 550 Majors
– 516 BS
– 34 BA
• 93 Applicants
• 112 Minors
• Graduate 80 UGs each year
(Feb, May, Sept)
• ~40 Faculty
• ~213 Graduate Students

7. Student Organizations,
Groups, & Events
• ACM (http://umass.acm.org)
• UMass Programming Team
• CS Women
• USpace
• Leadership Committees
– ACE Peer Advising
– ROCKs Recruiting & Outreach
• First Friday Events

8. Our Students
• Freshman
– Interest in CS
– Admitted directly
• Transfer Students
– Apply to UMass + CS
– Admitted directly or
evaluated to determine if ready
• Any UMass Student
– Can apply to CS internally
– Admitted directly or given contract

9. BS in Computer Science
• Technical Degree in CS
• Course Requirements
– 14 Computer Science
– 4 Math
– 2 Majors-Level Science
• BS-CMPSCI Students Prepared For
– Graduate Study in CS
– Most Technical Entry-Level Jobs in Industry

10. BA in Computer Science
• Computing Focus Degree in CS
• Course Requirements (Less CS)
– 10 Computer Science
– 3 Math
– Foreign Language
– 4-Course Concentration
• BA-CMPSCI Students Prepared For
– Application of computing to
a secondary area

11. Minor in Computer Science
• Background in CS
• Course Requirements (5)
– 2 Entry Level Computer Science
– At Least 2 200-Level Courses
– 1 200-Level or Above
• MINOR-CMPSCI Students Prepared For
– Background in CS that can make you
stand out from the crowd!

12. CS Courses For Majors
CMPSCI 121 CMPSCI 187
Introductory sequence
in Java programming

13. CS Courses For Majors
CMPSCI 121 CMPSCI 187
Introductory sequence
in Java programming
Often three-course
sequence at community
colleges.

14. CS Courses For Majors
CMPSCI 121 CMPSCI 187
Introductory sequence This course is called
in Java programming data structures
Often three-course
sequence at community
colleges.

15. CS Courses For Majors
CMPSCI 121 CMPSCI 187
200-Level Cores
CMPSCI 220 CMPSCI 250 CMPSCI 230 CMPSCI 240

16. CS Courses For Majors
CMPSCI 121 CMPSCI 187
200-Level Cores
CMPSCI 220 CMPSCI 250 CMPSCI 230 CMPSCI 240
Intensive Programming

17. CS Courses For Majors
CMPSCI 121 CMPSCI 187
200-Level Cores
CMPSCI 220 CMPSCI 250 CMPSCI 230 CMPSCI 240
Intensive Programming Mathematical Foundations
of Computing

18. CS Courses For Majors
Require 1 year
CMPSCI 121 CMPSCI 187
of Calculus
200-Level Cores
CMPSCI 220 CMPSCI 250 CMPSCI 230 CMPSCI 240
Intensive Programming Mathematical Foundations
of Computing

19. CS Courses For Majors
✓
CMPSCI 121 CMPSCI 187
✓
200-Level Cores
CMPSCI 220 CMPSCI 250 CMPSCI 230 CMPSCI 240
BS-CMPSCI: Must take all 4 200-level cores.
BA-CMPSCI: Must take at least 3 200-level cores.
MINOR-CMPSCI: Must take at least 2 200-level cores.

20. CS Courses For Majors
CMPSCI 121 CMPSCI 187
200-Level Cores
CMPSCI 220 CMPSCI 250 CMPSCI 230 CMPSCI 240
CMPSCI >=300 CMPSCI >=300 CMPSCI >=300 CMPSCI >=300 CMPS
300-Level and Above
BS-CMPSCI: Must take 8 to satisfy a track.
BA-CMPSCI: Must take any 5.

21. BS-CMPSCI Tracks
• General CMPSCI • Robotics, Vision, 7
• Artificial Intelligence Graphics
• Computer Architecture • Search & Data Mining
• Networking • Security & Privacy
• Programming • Software Engineering
Languages & • Software Systems
Compilers
• Theory of Computation

22. Other Requirements
• Math
– 2 semesters of engineering-level calculus
– Linear algebra
– Multivariate calculus OR calculus-based
statistics
• Science
– 2 majors-level science courses
– biology, chemistry, physics, geosciences

23. Other Requirements
• Writing
– Junior-year writing (CMPSCI 305)
• Foreign Language
– BA-CMPSCI only
• General Education
– UMass requirements
– Integrative Experience (CMPSCI 320)

24. Informatics Program
Informatics studies the design, application, use,
and impact of computational principles and
technology in the context of multiple disciplines
that encompass a wide range of human activity.
• Under Active Development
– Will go live in 1-2 years.
• Courses
– 12-14 in Total
– Tracks: Big Data, Health Informatics, Multimedia

25. Research Opportunities
• Research Labs
– Lots of opportunity to participate!
– Great for jobs and graduate school in CS!
• Independent Studies
– Work individually with a faculty member
• Honors Program (https://www.honors.umass.edu)
– Departmental honors / capstone experience
• Paid Undergraduates

26. REU Program
http://reu.cs.umass.edu
• Research Experience
for Undergraduates
• 9 ½ - week paid
summer research
program.
• Students participate on
a research team with
other students and
faculty.
• LOTS OF LEARNING
• LOTS OF FUN!

27. Bay State Program
• Tuition-Free Masters Degree
– Complete BS-CMPSCI degree
– GPA at least 3.6
– With Small Assistantship ($$)
• http://www.cs.umass.edu/admissions/bay-state-
fellowship-program

28. Internship Opportunities
• Where do CS students get internships?
– BBN/Ratheon, Cisco, EMC, Fiksu, Google,
Yahoo!, TripAdvisor, Vistaprint, Amazon,
Microsoft, LinkedIn, General Dynamics, …
• How do they do this?
– Attending Career Fairs (several at UMass)
– Solid Resume, Start Sophomore Year
– UMass CareerConnect
http://umass.experience.com/experience/login

29. Transfer Advising
How do I know what to do when
I transfer to UMass CS?
• Transfer Advising
– Summer & Winter
• Strategize
– Pick courses that are sensible for you.
– Identify any weak areas.
– Discuss strategies to be successful.
– Support during semester

30. Questions?
richards@cs.umass.edu
cua@cs.umass.edu