Professor Terence Parr
Email: gradadvisor@cs.usfca.edu
Phone: +1 415
422 5707.
Check the application
status page. Note that applications remain in the general graduate admissions
office until all application items have been received at USF at which time they
arrive at the Computer Science department. It is usually a two to four-week period while we
process the application, after which an admission letter is mailed to you.
Applicants are usually admitted either as graduate students with regular admission or conditional admission. Those admitted as regular graduate students
ordinarily complete their M.S. degree work in two years. Those admitted
as graduate students with conditional admission must satisfy all the admission requirements
and prerequisites for becoming a regular graduate students before they can
enroll in CS 690 (Master's Project).
Admission Requirements for Regular Graduate Students:
- Must either have a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from an
accredited institution, or have some other Bachelor's degree or
equivalent and have passed CS courses (or can prove experience)
equivalent to the following undergraduate courses at USF:
- Data Structures and Algorithms (CS 245)
- Computer Architecture (CS 315)
- Operating Systems (CS 326)
- Compilers (CS 414) or both Programming Language Paradigms (CS 345)
and Automata Theory (CS 411).
- Must meet all other requirements listed below for Graduate Students with conditional admission.
Admission Requirements for Graduate Students with Conditional Admission:
- Must have a Bachelor's degree in any subject from an accredited U.S. institution or equivalent.
- Undergraduate GPA must have been at least B- (2.7 on a scale
of 0.0 to 4.0) in all upper division courses and at least B (3.0) in
upper-division courses in the applicant's major field. Must also meet
the TOEFL requirements.
- Must have a GRE General Test quantitative score of at least 700, though applicants should be advised that the average GRE
quantitative score is 750 for accepted applications.
- Must have passed CS and Math courses (or can prove experience)
equivalent to the following undergraduate courses at USF:
- Intro to CS I (CS 110)
- Intro to CS II (CS 112)
- Assembly Language and Systems Programming (CS 210)
- Calculus I (Math 109, differential and integral calculus)
- Linear Algebra (Math 130)
- Discrete Math (Math 322)
- You do not need the GRE Subject test in Computer Science.
Visit How to Apply for more information on the application process and required application items.
Applicants who hold a Bachelor's degree in any field from an accredited institution and have fulfilled the foundation requirements are considered for admission as a graduate student with regular status.
The following foundation requirements are not required
for admission to the graduate program, but must be completed while at
USF to achieve regular status as a graduate student. The foundation
requirements can be waived if met by previous studies or work
experience equivalent to the requirements:
-
Introductory programming (two courses)
-
Upper-division programming (one course)
-
Discrete math (one course)
-
Data structures (one course)
If an applicant believes that they may have
fulfilled these requirements by previous study or experience, please
attach a statement to the application form with a descriptive
explanation.
Those who have not fulfilled the foundational requirements will be considered for admission as a graduate student with conditional status. Regular status is attained after completion of any required foundational coursework at USF.
Visit How to Apply for more information on the application process and required application items.
Yes, the MSCS Program requires the Computer Science Experience and Background Essay, which is equivalent to the Statement of Purpose.
The average GRE
quantitative score for accepted applications is 750. We will, however, accept
applications whose math GRE score is 700 or above. The verbal score is
not considered, but the analytical writing scores are often a useful
indicator. Minimum AW score is 3.5 for non-native English speakers.
These scores are strictly enforced unless you have significant work
experience.
For MSWS, we expect good performance on the GRE
general exam but we examine all aspects of a person's record,
including work experience, to make an admission decision. In
some cases, the GRE requirement can be waived for accomplished
applicants.
The reporting codes to give to the GRE people are:
USF
: 6996 or 4850
CS Dept
: 0402
Verify with testing service in case of changes.
Please click here for the MSCS and MSWS policies on English Proficiency skills
(including TOEFL, IELTS, and PTE guidelines and scores) for
international students.
The
Certification of Finance Form is required for all international students who will hold an F1 or J1 visa. This form is required by
all U.S. schools in order to show evidence that the student has enough
money to pay for tuition, fees, and living expenses. The student or
sponsor must sign the Certification of Finance Form and also provide an
official bank letter or official account balance showing at least the
required amount depending on the program. You can find more detailed instructions on how to complete the Certification of Finance on the form itself. If you are receiving a
fellowship, an official fellowship award letter is required and will
also count toward fulfilling the certification of finance requirement.
The total estimated cost of the 2012-2013 school year for the
Master's in Computer Science is at least $37,950.
The total estimated cost of the 2012-2013 school year for the Master's in Web Science is at least $35,675.
For more info about tuition and fees, go to One Stop.
The Certification of Finance Form can be faxed or mailed to:
Office of Graduate Programs
University of San Francisco
2130 Fulton Street
San Francisco, CA 94117 USA
Fax: 415-422-2066
As an international student you will need to enter the United States
on an F-1 student visa, or transfer your present visa to USF. As soon
as we verify your
Certification of Finance, you will receive your
I-20. If you are an international F-1 student currently living in the
U.S., please contact the Computer Science Office (415-422-6530) to get
a SEVIS I-20 form. Note that some students try several times before successfully obtaining a visa.
Students may acquire their MSWS in 5 years by altering the last 2
years of their undergraduate work and then taking an extra year of
course work as follows:
|
Year 3
|
Fall
|
Spring
|
OO Software Development
Operating Systems
|
Computer Architecture
Compilers
|
|
|
Year 4
|
Fall
|
Spring
|
undergrad elective
Artifical Intelligence
|
Internet Systems Research
Distributed Software Development
|
|
|
Summer Residency
|
|
|
Year 5
|
Human Computer Interaction
Grad elective
|
Masters Project
Digital Society
|
Students normally following this structure:
|
Year 1
|
Fall
|
Spring
|
OO Software Development
Artifical Intelligence
|
Internet Systems Research
Distributed Software Development
|
|
|
Summer Residency
|
|
|
Year 2
|
Human Computer Interaction
Elective
|
Masters Project
Digital Society |
Yes. Before classes begin, all computer science graduate students
must attend a one-day, Computer Science Orientation. This is usually one or two days
before classes begin. During this orientation you will be advised
about courses and then you will register for classes for the semester. The orientation is always in our main classroom: Harney
Hall, Room 235. The building code is HR on
this map.
International students must also attend the International
Student Orientation.
All new students are also encouraged to go to the University's Graduate Student Welcome Reception for all graduate students.
Graduate program tuition for Computer Science is US $1,130 per credit for the 2012-2013 school year. Because you will
probably take 18 credits your first year, tuition will be about
US $20,470 per year.
Graduate program tuition for Web Sciences for the 2012-2013 school year is US $18,195.
See the complete fee structure.
As for payment, people either write checks to the Bursar or they pay
online (this requires a USFConnect account which you will receive
when you arrive). There is no service charge for an e-check payment online. One Stop has much more information about what forms of payment they
accept. The US Mail address for payments is:
University of San Francisco
P.O. Box 742427
Los Angeles, CA 90074-2427
You have to pay before the registrar will let you register for classes.
Yes, each admitted student must deposit $300 within 30 days to hold
their position; even students not receiving a fellowship must make the
deposit by sending a check, money order, or international money order
(for international students) made out to the University of San Francisco to:
USF Computer Science Dept.
2130 Fulton St. HR545
San Francisco, CA 94117-1080
U.S. students that have health insurance must be prepared to
show proof of coverage when registering for classes. If you do not
have coverage, you must either enroll in the USF insurance plan or
purchase a plan of your choosing.
All international students are automatically enrolled in USF's health
insurance plan.
Preferable housing: Most graduate students prefer to live off campus in one of the many apartments in the neighborhoods around USF.
Average rent for 2-bedroom hall apt: $2,400 (3 can live in such an apartment, so around
$800 per student). Deposit for house: first months rent.
Average monthly expense including food and light, gas, and all
utilities: $500-$600
You should start looking for roommates as soon as possible. The
University provides off-campus advice for housing.
If one wants to live alone, a studio (one room + kitchen + bathroom)
will be around $1,400 per month.
Yes, both American and international students may decide to take the
practicum option, which allows exceptional
International and domestic students to work after the second semester.
Also there is a webpage on the USF website that lists other
on-campus jobs. The
computer science department also has a number of TA positions, though they do not come with a tuition waiver.
You can also check with Residence Life;
they offer a few Graduate Assistantships that are the
only
full-support graduate positions on campus. Experience with managing
undergraduate dorm life is required, but they do interview over the
phone, so the support can appear on an I-20.
All graduate students who desire employment usually find campus
jobs--all such jobs pay hourly wages only, no tuition waiver or other
benefits. Currently teacher's assistants and research assistants make
$12/hour, except for service courses. Internships for working graduate
students are about $20/hour. Students are allowed to work
a maximum of 20 hours per week.
Yes. Fellowships pay some or all of your tuition up to $15,000 and are
given to students based upon a general competition every year. All
applicants are considered for fellowships automatically. There is no
main determining factor, but the
Computer Science
Experience and Background Essay tells us a great deal about
you. Fellowship competition occurs until March 1 each year and money
is applied starting in the Fall term usually. If fellowship money
remains, then it will be offered to students for the Spring term.
Some students may also be interested in the
Soros fellowship for "New
Americans". The fellowship provide $20K spending money and
1/2 tuition for one year. The deadline is November 9, 2012.
Eligibility:
"A New American is an individual who (1) is a resident alien; i.e.,
holds a Green Card or, (2) has been naturalized as a U.S. citizen or
(3) is the child of two parents who are both naturalized
citizens
No, the classes are not offered at other USF satellite branches outside of San Francisco.
No. Receiving a scholarship from USF does not influence the ability to obtain a visa. If
you are admitted and have a completed a certificate of finance along with an I-20, we
encourage you to try for a visa right away. Students may need to try several times before successfully obtaining a visa, so we encourage students to try multiple times if necessary.
Yes, we have a very diverse student population. We can have
students from your region who can contact you to help out. The two largest
non-U.S. groups are Chinese and Indian students.
-
Fill out an application for graduation and commencement and fax or mail the completed form to:
USF Graduation Center
2130 Fulton St.
San Francisco, CA 94117
Fax: (415) 422-6329, or
-
File the form on line:
Go to USF web site, under Current
Students click on Registrars, click on forms, select "Graduating
Student survey and ..." submit the form.
Application dead line is: Fall - September 1st. Spring and Summer - February 1st.
You'll find hard copies of the form in Rosa Maria's (CS dept) office, HR 545.
Diplomas are not issued until all outstanding accounts with the University are paid.
