The Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) is Professor Liuba Shira. Her office is in Volen 260. Students can email her to request an appointment.
After orientation, it should be very clear what classes you need to take. You will also meet with your advisor within the first week of classes so you can make sure you’re on the right track.
We have designed the program so that a student should be able to comfortably take three classes per semester. However, there are those students who wish to take four, and though we do not recommend it, those with strong computer science backgrounds may be comfortable doing this. Regardless, you still have a residency requirement.
For Fall 2024, the add deadline for graduate students is September 11 and the drop deadline is November 14. See detailed academic calendar.
Students who believe that they have taken an equivalent course to to a course required for the COSI major or minor should contact the professor who teaches that class, and present the syllabus for the course they took and a copy of their transcript that shows the grade they received for the course. Exemptions are granted at the discretion of the professor. Once approved, a Brandeis student may transfer in courses as long as they have not been used toward fulfilling requirements for another degree.
Placement in your first computer science course is COSI 12b. We recommend all incoming studetns take the online COSI Placement Exam which is offered once per semester.. If you pass the exam, great. If you do not pass the exam, you will be required to attend a supplementary recitation in addition to COSI 12b.
We post a link to the exam in May, so students can take it at the beginning of the summer. Students can take the exam again in late August just before classes begin.
No. COSI 12b is a strict prerequisite to COSI 21a.
If you aren't sure about which elective to take, you should enroll in the course and attend the first couple of classes. You are required to go to the first lecture of any class you are interested in. You will have plenty of time to drop the class if you chose to do so. Please see the academic calendar for deadlines.
International master's students need to complete two academic semesters in residence on an F1 visa status to be eligible to gain CPT authorization and will enroll in COSI 293G, which counts for one academic credit. Usually students enroll in this class during the summer in between their first and second year, once they have found an internship. For further details, please see the COSI CPT Procedure.
The number of TA positions available varies per semester. Once you have taken the class and the faculty member is confident that you know the material well, you can apply for an open TA position. Normally, a new student would have to wait until their second semester or second year to be eligible for this kind of job, but it would depend on the student's experience. Sometimes an instructor will ask you; feel free to approach them about the position.
You may go to Student Financial Services and apply for any job you are qualified for on-campus. However, you cannot apply before you arrive.
The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences has a dedicated, Professional Development Office, that host many events and career seminars and where students can find resources such as one-on-one consultations about resumes.
Professor Dylan Cashman, a faculty member in the Computer Science department, also serves as the Industry Liaison for the graduate program. He leverages his connections in the tech industry to provide valuable guidance to students during their internship search.
MA students must receive a B- or better on all their 100-level or above classes. In addition, the MA4's must have an average of B+ in the three required undergraduate courses: 12b, 21a and 29a. At the end of each semester in the program, students who have an average of less than a B+ for the subset of these courses that they have taken thus far, will be subject to probation or withdrawal from the program.
It is possible to do an independent study. It can either be a faculty-supervised research project or ask them if they will supervise you. It is mostly a self-taught course that is not offered by the department. If you want to do an independent study approach a faculty member who knows you and ask them about doing it. Master's students are limited to two independent studies.
Please see the GSAS policy on leaves of absence.
To reserve Volen 101 for a meeting, please do the following:
Please note, per department policy, your reservation may be cancelled if the conference room is needed for a COSI department event. In those case, we will notify you as soon as we can and do our best to help you find alternative space.
The Director of Graduate Studies for the 2024 - 2025 academic year is Professor Liuba Shrira.