Michtom School of Computer Science

The COSI Master's Student Handbook should be read closely because it contains lots of useful information about being a master's student in our program. It contains course and registration information along with links to various important offices at Brandeis, such as the Registrar, ISSO, and the housing office that you can save to your contacts. On page 3 is a "To Do" checklist to help get you started.

Attend the following mandatory events hosted by the department:

Computer Science (COSI) Orientation:
Date: August 2025 (TBA)

By now, you should have started receiving updates and emails from both the Graduate Student Affairs office (OGA) and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). Be sure to check out the Before You Arrive link that will help you get started.

Dates to Mark in your calendar:

• Brandeis Grad English Language Diagnostic Exam (online)
• Brandeis TF/TA/CA Orientation. All students potentially interested in serving as a Teaching Assistant, Grader, or in any other course-related role at any point in their graduate career must attend. More information can be found here.
• Division of Science Grad Student Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Session
• In addition, there are other helpful presentations open to all, such as "Accessing Healthcare at Brandeis: What You Need to Know."

Log onto MOODLE,  our new course management portal, with your Brandeis username and password in order to access the  mini-courses listed below by searching for the course “Brandeis Graduate Student Affairs - Orientation for Graduate Students Summer 2024” and self-enroll. Courses include:

1. Renting in Boston

2. Transitioning to Graduate School

3. Brandeis Founding Values and History

4. International Student Support & Resources

5. Graduate Student Support and Resources

6. Information Security Basics
7. Creating a Budget
8. Navigating Registration

9. Academic Support and Resources

10. Getting Connected Digitally
11. Office of Equal Opportunity Orientation
12. Putting It All Together

Workday Student is the system for course enrollment which you will use to view and manage personal information, register for classes, add or drop classes, view class schedule and grades, view financial aid and more. This system does not allow graduate students to register for undergraduate courses (those with course numbers less than 100). For MS4's, we will work with the registrar to enroll you for the courses you need after you have an opportunity to take the placement test.

The registration period for classes will open for all students  will be announced later this year for Fall 2025. However, for MS4's (non-majors on the 12 course track), please note that we will be manually enrolling you in COSI 12b and 29a because the system does not allow you to enroll in undergraduate courses.

You are able to enroll in an elective that does not require a pre-requisite or a 100-level or higher cross listed class that you have the pre-requisites for. The electives are  COSI 102 - Software Entrepreneurship, COSI 104 - Introduction to Machine Learning (12b prerequisite waived for MS students), COSI 116 - Information Visualization (12b prerequisite waived for MS students). Here is the entire list of offered classes.

As master's students, you are guaranteed a spot in all foundation classes and most elective classes. Again, the system does not allow graduate students to register for undergraduate courses (those with course numbers less than 100).

MS4's have been sent a link to the Placement Test which should be taken once during the summer. This test will reopen in late August to allow students that did not pass, to test again before the start of classes on Aug. 31. For those MS4 students who have had little to no programming, we recommend taking an on-line programming course over the summer. Once you have passed the test, the registrar will enroll you in the appropriate course.

Please fill out this Google Survey that we will use to assign you an advisor. You can find a list of all faculty, their research and contact information on our website.

We ask that you please submit this by Monday, August 12. If you are unable to make this deadline, we will assign you an advisor. During orientation, you will receive your advisor's name and be asked to set up a meeting with your advisor during the first week of classes to discuss your curriculum and academic goals.

The CS Department hosts a webpage with student bios that is a great way for your colleagues to get to know you and may also be helpful in building your professional profile. If you would like to be included (and we strongly encourage you to participate), please fill out this Google survey by Friday, August 9. For an example, please see the current students bio page for master's students.