Why Brandeis for Computer Science?
Brandeis blends the best of two worlds: the breadth and scope of a world-class research university and the closeness and accessibility of a medium-sized college. With approximately 3,600 undergraduates and 800 students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, computer science students become part of a larger university community.
The Department of Computer Science is small enough to provide interactive and engaging learning with professors who are leading scholars and researchers in their fields, yet large enough to access resources that provide students with top-rate educational and research opportunities, as well as an interdisciplinary collaboration that is so highly valued at Brandeis and by future employers.
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Our department prides itself on its faculty, who have been recognized locally and internationally with a variety of academic awards and honors. Students deeply benefit from faculty in a department that, while renown for its research strength, emphasizes teaching and learning that is interactive and engaging. As researchers, our faculty can design their courses to incorporate the latest knowledge and approaches — enabling them to more productively help students to stay ahead in an ever-evolving field. We encourage you to visit our faculty section for more information.
The opportunity to develop employer contacts while strengthening your skills and using classroom theories in real time is invaluable. With our location near Boston and Route 128, opportunities to get specialized, hands-on training and personal mentoring abound.
You can afford graduate school. Brandeis is committed to helping students whose records indicate scholarly promise. To help students make graduate school possible, Brandeis makes available special scholarships and fellowships, as well as a variety of awards and work opportunities.
Most full-time MS students receive a scholarship equivalent to just under half the cost of tuition. PhD students normally receive a full tuition scholarship and stipend. Students enrolled in the BA/MS program are considered undergraduate students in their senior year, thus they receive aid from the undergraduate financial aid office. In the fifth year, the Brandeis Alumni Scholarship ($10,000 scholarship) is granted, with no additional aid awarded.
Visit the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences for more details about financing your education at Brandeis.
Help to determine future directions of the industry or discover a new theory or concept. Conduct cutting-edge research. In Brandeis' collaborative and interdisciplinary environment, our computer science graduate students receive the support they need to further develop strong research skills. Some of our labs are highlighted in our faculty and research section. In addition, you can visit individual faculty members' webpages to learn more about their exciting, innovative research.
The Boston area is ranked as one of the top ten tech regions in the country by Brookings Institution. Brandeis, just outside of Boston in Waltham, Massachusetts, is minutes away from Route 128, a premier technological concentration and Boston's own Silicon Valley. The technological resources of this area go back decades to the time of Wang and Digital Equipment, and therefore provide a very well-established infrastructure of technology, financial backing and professional contacts.
One of the Boston area's newest players is the Google office in Cambridge, Mass. According to Google, "Opening an office in Cambridge was a great strategic decision for Google with the greater Boston area having such a rich combination of universities, innovative high tech companies, and many Google business partners and customers."
Another recent company to enter the Boston market is Microsoft, having opened its first East Coast research lab in Cambridge just 13 miles from campus. On its website, Microsoft expressed "commitment to collaborate with the broader research community and to advance the state of the art in multiple areas of computing research. The lab is pursuing new, interdisciplinary areas of research." CNet quotes from a Microsoft press release, "The new lab will enable Microsoft Research to interact closely with the large community of scientists in New England, notably the faculty and students at the many premier academic institutions in the vicinity."
One such researcher is Brandeis' own Mitch Cherniack, associate professor of computer science.
"It isn't who you know, but who knows you and knows what you know." — Matthew Moran, CiscoPress.com
Your Brandeis graduate program gives you an invaluable academic credential — and also the possibility of professional networks for life. From your classmates to the alumni association, to whole new webs of colleagues, a graduate degree from the Brandeis Department of Computer Science will enhance your professional network, helping you to create opportunities and to organize for innovations in high tech.
Our dynamic department hosts monthly meetings and a colloquium series with speakers on all aspects of computer science.
Brandeis is dedicated to student success in aspects of students' lives both inside and outside of the classroom. Visit the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences student services page, which describes our array of services, including the International Students and Scholars Office, our graduate student centers, off-campus housing, health insurance, English as a Second Language (ESL) program, disability resources, university counseling, career services and the Graduate Student Association.
