University of San Francisco Computer Science Graduate Programs

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University of San FranciscoComputer
ScienceGraduate Programs

• Professor Terence Parr
• Graduate program director

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Introduction

• My background
• USF
• Programs
• MS Computer Science
• MS Web Science
• Entrepreneurship option
• Practicum, internships
• Faculty
• What are we looking for in students?
• Cost and fellowship awards

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Who am I?

• Graduate program director in CS
• Purdue University PhD, computer engineering
• Postdoctoral fellow at army supercomputing center
• 10 years as entrepreneur in silicon valley
• Professor USF 2003 - present
• I review and decide on all applicants and
  fellowship () awards

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Univ. of San Francisco

• Oldest university in San Francisco
• USF in US top rank (top 130 schools)
• According to Forbes Princeton Review 2004, USF
  is ranked among the Top 25 of "America's Most
  Entrepreneurial Campuses
• Very high faculty to student ratio
• Small class sizes (in CS usually lt 20 students)
• Individual attention from professor
• Students gateway to the Silicon Valley

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Strongly endorsed
"I wish there had been an entrepreneurship
emphasis like USF's when I was in computer
science graduate school my career has been a
combination of just that technology and
management. I hope USF's MS students, particularly
those taking the emphasis in entrepreneurship,
will consider Adobe upon graduation. Dr.
Charles M. Geschke co-founder and Chairman of the
Board, Adobe Systems
"Today's business world demands both deep
technical skills and expansive business acumen.
Excellent USF CS graduates demonstrate both these
traits and BEA looks forward to hiring more
outstanding talent." Alfred S. Chuang, Former
USF CS student Chairman, co-founder, CEO BEA
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USF at night
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MS Computer Science

• Goal to produce top quality programmers
• 9 courses in these areas
• Software development
• Concurrent computing
• Software/hardware interface
• Masters project
• 2 elective courses
• 2 years (4 semesters)
• Students have 20 hours / week project work for
  each course
• 2 courses / semester is full time

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MS Web Science

• Focused on developing internet applications
• Students study algorithms and methods behind
  internet applications and sites (Google, amazon,
  ebay, )
• 7 courses and has fewer reqts than MSCS
• Topics software engineering, distributed
  computing, artificial intelligence, networking,
  interface design, and Internet systems
• 2 semester sequence of masters project work
• Normally 4 semesters (2 years), can be done in 3
  (12 months)

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Entrepreneurship emphasis

• Partnership with the Entrepreneurship MBA
  program
• MBA661 Entrepreneurial Management
• MBA662 Global Product Development
• MBA664 Creativity and Innovation
• Teaches how to form company around their ideas
  and what product to build
• Requires TOEFL iBT gt99
• Available with MSCS and MSWS

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Practicum option

• International students can work in Silicon Valley
  while going to school (after first 9 months)
• Income is between 12 and 35 per hour
• 20 hours / week during Fall/Spring, 40 hours /
  week in summer
• Must work as part of course (CPT not OPT)
• Excellent way to secure job for after graduation
• Students work at Salesforce, BEA, SAP,

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OPT Sci/Tech Extension

• OPT optional practicaltraining
• F-1 visa holders can work12 months after
  graduation
• New rule USF MSCS, MSWS graduates may be
  eligible for 17 MORE months on OPT
• More time to get work visa, green card

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CS classroom (2.5M)
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Interactive courses, small classes
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Practical courses
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CS Faculty
Benson
Wells
Cruse
Parr
Wolber
Brooks
Galles
Rollins
Pacheco
Buckwalter
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What were looking for

• Excellent programming background
• Average GRE Quant. 760/800
• TOEFL gt 85 iBT preferred
• Good undergraduate grades, good university
• CS background essay needs to say specifically
  what student has done
• We accept some non-BSCS students such as
  engineers, biologists, mathematicians, and even
  have had some very successful non-science
  students
• Students can take missing background at USF

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Cost and Merit Fellowships

• 36 units for CS 38700 (1075 per unit)
• 27 units for WS 30100
• Cost is similar to UC Berkeley,
• Best students get tuition assistance
• From 4000 to 12000 for first year
• Some students get fellowship in second year
• Expensive to live in San Francisco
• Starting US programmer salaries in Silicon
  Valley 70,000/year to 110,000/year

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Sending students to USF

• You contact me directly with questions
• Gradadvisor_at_cs.usfca.edu
• I can do a quick review of student by email to
  see if student is a good fit for USF and if they
  are likely to get accepted. Can save application
  fee
• Direct communication with me is convenient and
  useful to you and your student clients