USF Computer Science New Grad Student Orientation

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USF Computer ScienceNew Grad Student Orientation

• Terence Parr
• Chris Brooks

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Professors on Parade

• Chris Brooks
• Allan Cruse
• David Galles
• Oliver Grillmeyer
• Terence Parr
• Peter Pacheco
• Dave Wolber
• Greg Benson
• Pete Wells
• Jeff Buckwalter

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Alex on Parade

• Alex Fedosov
• Learn to know him
• The answers you seek are often on the CS support
  page www.cs.usfca.edu/support.shtml
• Sign up for class mailing lists.
• Sign up for students_at_cs.usfca.edu
• Go to main mailing list page.

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ITS Accounts

• This is your ltnamegt_at_usfca.edu account
• This is the account you use to log in in the
  library, University Center and Cowell labs.
• Your username and password/PIN was mailed to your
  home address. Or, visit Help Desk in Harney 222
• Format first initial of first name, first
  initial of middle name (if available), full
  lastname _at_usfca.edu.
• USFconnect site can obtain grades, degree
  audits, financial records, and other personal
  records onlinehttp//usfconnect.usfca.edu

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CS Accounts

• This is ltusernamegt_at_cs.usfca.edu
• Same username as ITS
• Default password is the last 6 digits of your
  student ID. (not SSN)
• Please change this immediately.
• Use passwd under linux (not Windows or Mac)
• Quota 2 GB
• This is the account you will use to log into the
  machines in Harney 235 and the 5th floor labs.
• Problems? Talk to support_at_cs.usfca.edu or Cody
  Nivens / Alex Fedosov

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Access

• Mail
• Can be accessed on stargate.cs.usfca.edu with
  pine or mutt
• Can be accessed remotely using IMAP to
  nexus.cs.usfca.edu
• This is separate from your USFconnect email.
• Remote login
• SSH to stargate.cs.usfca.edu, then use rusers to
  find out which machines are available, then ssh
  (hrnxxxyy_at_cs.usfca.edu)
• Do not use stargate for programming or
  compute-intensive programs
• Web
• Web pages may be placed in /home/web/username
• URL http//www.cs.usfca.edu/username

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Available Resources

• HRN 235 (aka Starship Kudlick)
• 30 dual-boot Linux/Windows boxes
• Classes during day, lab at night (9pm-1am)
• 5th floor labs (HRN 530, 535)
• 12 dual-boot Linux/Windows boxes
• 12 G5s running OS X
• Graduate Research Lab Harney 536
• Reserved for student research projects.
• Wireless is available in HRN 235 and all of the
  5th floor.

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Available Resources

• Other labs (campus-wide ITS accounts)
• University Center
• Cowell
• Gleeson Library
• Keck Cluster
• 64 Node Beowulf cluster
• Used for parallel programming classes, research

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Academic Honesty

• All students are expected to do their own work
• Collaboration is not allowed unless specifically
  authorized by the instructor.
• Cheating is taken very seriously
• Best case you will fail the class
• If you are caught more than once, you will be
  expelled.
• It is very easy to recognize cheating and
  plagiarism in student projects.
• If you are unsure whether something is permitted,
  please ask!

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Academic Honesty

• Examples
• Discussing general parameters of an assignment
  OK
• Are we supposed to use a hashtable or an array?
• Copying someone elses assignment NOT OK
• Looking at and directly using someone elses
  code NOT OK
• Let me see how you did that
• Downloading code from the Web and claiming it as
  your own NOT OK
• Unauthorized collaboration on an exam NOT OK

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Academic Honesty

• Brooks rule (although I heard this somewhere
  else)
• Youre talking about an assignment with a fellow
  student. When youre done, could you go and watch
  six hours of soap operas before continuing with
  your work?
• If yes, you probably discussed general principles
  and all is well.
• If no, you were probably discussing specific
  details, which is not allowed.

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English Proficiency

• TOEFL scores
• 600(paper)/250(CBT) ok
• 530/213-550/250 must take Adv Intensive English
  course Fall 2004
• 530/197-550/213 must improve to 550 before
  taking gt1 CS course
• ESL classes http//www.usfca.edu/esl/

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Workload

• Graduate classes typically require a significant
  amount of work outside of class
• Rule of thumb 1 hour in class requires 3-4 hours
  outside of class.
• Get used to spending time in the labs
• Also a great way to get to know your fellow
  students.

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Respect for Fellow Students

• USF is a diverse environment we want to be
  respectful of all of our fellow students.
• This means creating an environment where everyone
  feels comfortable
• No
• Sexual or suggestive content in labs (including
  desktops)
• Off-color or offensive humor
• Harassment or inappropriate conduct to other
  students.

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Grades

• All graduate students are required to maintain a
  3.0 average.
• Fellowship students are required to maintain a
  3.3 average.
• If your grades fall below this, you will be
  placed on probation.
• If you do not bring your grades up to 3.0 or
  higher in the following semester, you may be
  asked to leave.

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Required Courses

• 36 units are required ( 9 courses)

MSCS track OO Software Development 2 courses in
Software Development 1 course in Concurrent
Computing and Networking 2 courses in
Hardware/Software interface 2 electives Masters
thesis or project.
MSIE track Internet Systems Research Distributed
Software Development HCI Design Digital
Society OO Software Development AI programming 1
elective Masters project Residency
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Typical Path
MSCS Track - systems orientation Fall 1 CS 601
OO Software Development (sd) CS 662 AI
Programming (sd) Spring 1 CS 652 Programming
Languages (sd) CS 635 Advanced Systems
Programming (hw/sw)
Fall 2 CS 625 Parallel and Distributed
Computing (ccn) CS 615 Architecture
(hw/sw) Spring 2 CS 690 Masters Project CS
636 Operating Systems (elective) CS 630
Advanced Microcomputer Programming (elective)
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Typical Path
MSCS Track - software orientation Fall 1 CS
601 OO Software Development (sd) CS 662 AI
Programming (sd) Spring 1 CS 652 Programming
Languages (sd) CS 625 Network Programming (ccn)
Fall 2 CS 625 Parallel and Distributed
Computing (ccn) CS 615 Architecture
(hw/sw) Spring 2 CS 690 Masters Project CS
636 Operating Systems (hw/sw) CS 682
Distributed Software Development (elective)
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Typical Path
MSCS Track - theory orientation Fall 1 CS 601
OO Software Development (sd) CS 662 Automata
Theory (elective) Spring 1 CS 652 Algorithms
(sd) CS 625 Network Programming (ccn)
Fall 2 CS Theory of Computation (elective) CS
615 Architecture (hw/sw) Spring 2 CS 690
Masters Project CS 636 Operating Systems
(hw/sw) CS 652 Programming Languages (sd)
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Typical Path
MSIE Track Fall 1 CS 601 OO Software
Development (sd) CS 662 AI Programming
(sd) Spring 1 CS 682 Distributed Software
Development CS 625 Internet Systems Research
Summer CS 689 Residency
Fall 2 CS 684 HCI Design CS 615 Parallel and
Distributed Computing (elective) Spring 2 CS
690 Masters Project CS 687 Digital Society
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Financial Aid

• Merit Scholarships
• Available jobs
• Visa issues
• 20 hours/week max work study
• no outside work
• ITS
• Lab monitors (apps from Rosa Maria)
• Research and TA positions

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Questions?
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New Student Surveys