nyu computer science undergraduate research

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NYU Computer Science

Sunoo Park, Anupam Gupta, Matus Telgarsky, Benedikt Bünz, David Fouhey, and Nir Bitansky (clockwise) are joining the faculty.

Anirudh Sivaraman has been awarded an NSF CAREER Award. Congratulations!

Yann LeCun Announced as Inaugural Jacob T. Schwartz Chair

PhD student Trieu Trinh, advised by He He, has built AlphaGeometry, an AI that can solve most of the geometry problems at the International Mathematical Olympiad.

Lerrel Pinto has been awarded a Packard Fellowship!

Yann LeCun has recieved honorary degrees from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and from University of Siena (pictured)

Anasse Bari was the Distinguished Faculty Speaker at the NYU College of Arts and Science graduation.

The NYU-RTFP team competed at the North American Championship of the ICPC, advancing to the World Finals. L to R: Sparsh Sanchorawala, Peiliang Liu, Andy Polizzotto, and coach Yang Tang.

Subhash Khot has been elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Congratulations!

NYU's Golden Dozen Award for outstanding contributions to teaching in the classroom has been awarded to Craig Kapp. Congratulations!

Nur Muhammad "Mahi" Shafiullah has been nameed an Apple Scholar in AI/ML. Congratulations!

Joseph Bonneau has been awarded an NSF CAREER award. Congratulations!

Rajesh Ranganath was awarded an NSF CAREER award. Congratulations!

Julia Kempe has been appointed a Silver Professor. Congratulations!

Dennis Shasha has been named a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors. Congratulations!

Denis Zorin has been named an ACM Fellow. Congratulations!

Jean Ponce joins the department as Global Distinguished Professor

Joseph Tassarotti and Mengye Ren are joining the department as Assistant Professors

Four of our doctoral students have been awarded fellowships. L->R: Lily Li (NSF), Betty Hou (NSF), Nikhil Bhattasali (Hertz), and Alexander Bienstock (Google).

Welcome new faculty!

Welcome to Lerrel Pinto, who is joining the department as assistant professor.

Zachary Ferguson has been awarded a 2022 Adobe Research Fellowship. Congratulations!

Patrick Cousot is awarded an honorary doctorate in Computer Science from Università Ca'Foscari Venezia. He has also received the EATCS Award 2022. Congratulations!

Aashish Khubchandani, Shailesh Vasandani, and Avery Greenberg (L to R) will receive CAS Dean's Awards at the 2022 graduation.

Ulyana Piterbarg has been awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. Congratulations!

Anasse Bari has won NYU's Golden Dozen award for outstanding contributions to learning in the classroom. Congratulations!

Andrew Wilson has been awarded an NSF CAREER Award for his proposal, "New Frontiers in Bayesian Deep Learning". Congratulations!

Aahlad Puli is awarded an Apple Scholars in AI/ML PhD Fellowship

AUROJIT PANDA has been awarded an NSF CAREER award. Congratulations!

MARSHALL BALL has recently joined our department as Assistant Professor. Welcome!

Terri Burns, Courant'16, Becomes Youngest Member of the NYU Board of Trustees

At age 27, Terri Burns , graduate of NYU Courant's Computer Science department in 2016 and first Black female partner at GV (formerly Google Ventures) recently became the youngest member of the NYU Board of Trustees.

National Academy of Sciences

Yann LeCun has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences . Congratulations!

Sumit Chopra is joining our department as Associate Professor. Welcome!

Benjamin Peherstorfer has been awarded an NSF Career award.

Ted Rappaport has been elected as Member of the National Academy of Engineering. Congratulations!

2020 ACM Fellow

Patrick Cousot has been named a 2020 Fellow of the ACM, "for contributions to programming languages through the invention and development of abstract interpretation." Congratulations!

Turing Award

Yann LeCun shares the 2018 Turing Award with Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio, "the fathers of the deep learning revolution." Congratulations!

Academia Europaea

Julia Kempe has been elected as a member of the Academia Europaea. Congratulations!

Recognition for our Students

Our students have won an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, an Adobe Research Fellowship, an NYU Presidential Service Award, and a GSAS Outstanding Dissertation Award (L to R: Alex Wang, Zhongshi Jiang, Ananditha Raghunath, Noah Stephens-Davidowitz)

• Algorithms / Theory
• Computational Biology
• Formal Methods and Verification
• Graphics / Vision / User Interfaces
• Machine Learning
• Natural Language Processing
• Scientific Computing
• Systems / Networking
• Data Science
• Media and Games Network
• Technology Development & Economics
• Genomics & Systems Biology
• NYU Wireless

News & Highlights

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• More Information and How to Apply

Undergraduate Research

NYU's College of Arts and Science has long been focused on promoting a variety of undergraduate research. Students at the College spend time working with teams of scientists in laboratories, picking through boxes in archival libraries, or interviewing eyewitnesses to cultural and historical events in foreign countries. 

The opportunity for research is open to all students! Each of the College's majors offer Honors tracks that require a Senior Honors thesis, a capstone project requiring research within their major - and this is just one way that students can become involved in research. 

Click on the links below to learn more about the ways CAS supports and celebrates research:

Dean's Undergraduate Research Fund  (DURF) - Apply for a DURF grant to help support pre-research training, your own research project, or a presentation at a conference

• Click here to see a selection of faculty who have previously sponsored DURF projects
• Click here to see other sources of research funding, both NYU and non-NYU affiliated

Undergraduate Research Conference - Present your research at our yearly Undergraduate Research Conference

• Participants in the Undergraduate Research Conference will have a research abstract published in Inquiry , CAS's undergraduate research journal

Research+ - DURF recipients conducting their research in New York in the summer can participate in Research+, a research-focused professional development series. Eligible students may have the opportunity to receive a housing stipend for the summer. 

Women in Science (WinS) - The College of Arts and Science at NYU has established a Women in Science (WINS) program that seeks to create a more inclusive environment in research and related careers in STEM. A core group of undergraduate WINS Scholars are selected each year based on academic achievement, a demonstrated interest in research, future plans for a career in STEM, and a commitment to making STEM fields more inclusive for traditionally underrepresented groups, including women. 

Summer Undergraduate Research Incubator  (SURI) - Students interested in exploring and developing their research goals can participate in SURI, a summer research workshop series accompanied by a stipend to support living expenses during the program. 

NYU Center for Data Science

Harnessing Data’s Potential for the World

Undergraduate Program

• Major in Data Science
• Minor in Data Science
• Joint Majors

Undergraduate Declaration Period

The Spring Undergraduate Declaration Period is now open through Tuesday, March 12, 2024. Below you’ll find each declaration form:

• Data Science Major/Minor Declaration Form
• Computer Science and Data Science Joint Major Declaration Form
• Data Science and Math Joint Major Declaration Form

Data science is the language of the 21st century and is a cornerstone of a liberal arts education. Data science skills are also increasingly a requirement for graduates entering the workforce, government, or research. As more academic disciplines, industries, and media outlets rely on data-driven decision making, research, and evidence, being a sophisticated consumer of data, as well as being empowered to analyze and generate discoveries, is naturally becoming a prerequisite for being a global citizen, scientist, and leader. Students in both the major and the minor have opportunities for hands-on experience with real datasets. The major and minor are not centered on professional or vocational training. Instead, the development of skills in the data science curriculum unfolds within a broader context of scientific and theoretical frameworks for understanding and pursuing deeper objectives, novel knowledge generation, and robust discovery.

The data science program provides students with access to courses and faculty from three of NYUs most distinguished programs – data science, computer science and mathematics.

For more information on data science courses, please visit the NYU College of Arts & Sciences Course Offerings page .

Requirements for Ph.D. in Computer Science

To receive a Ph.D. in Computer Science at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, a student must:

• satisfy a breadth course requirement, intended to ensure broad knowledge of computer science,
• satisfy a depth requirement, consisting of an oral qualifying exam presentation with a written report, to ensure the student’s ability to do research,
• submit a written thesis proposal and make an oral presentation about the proposal,
• write a Ph.D. thesis that must be approved by a dissertation guidance committee and present an oral thesis defense, and
• satisfy all requirements for the Ph.D. degree, as described in the NYU Tandon School of Engineering bulletin, including credit points, GPA, and time-to-degree requirements.

Upon entering the program, each student will be assigned a faculty advisor who will guide them in formulating an individual study plan directing their course choice for the first two years. The department will hold an annual Ph.D. Student Assessment Meeting, in which all Ph.D. students will be formally reviewed.

1. Credits Requirements and Transfer Credits

In order to obtain a Ph.D. degree, a student must complete a minimum of 75 credits of graduate work beyond the B.S. degree, including at least 21 credits of dissertation. If a student has previously obtained a Master of Science in Computer Science or Computer Engineering, then the credits earned in obtaining that degree may be transferred as blanket credits, subject to rules concerning equivalence of credit hours, up to a maximum of 30 credits. A student who has a Master of Science in another field related to Computer Science may also be eligible for such a blanket transfer of credits, if approved by the departmental Ph.D. Committee (PHDC). If the student has taken computer science courses in a graduate program and is not receiving blanket credits for earning an M.S. degree in that program, those courses are eligible for transfer credits on a course-by-course basis. If the courses are not in computer science, such course-by-course transfer is only allowed with the approval of the Ph.D. Committee (PHDC). The NYU Tandon School of Engineering places some limits on the number and types of transfer credits that are permitted. Applications for transfer credits must be submitted for consideration before the end of the first semester of matriculation. Further details can be found in the section on Graduate Academic Requirements and Policies in the NYU Tandon School of Engineering bulletin.

2. Individual Study Plan

Each incoming Ph.D. student will be assigned to a research advisor, or to an interim advisor, who will provide academic advising until the student has a research advisor. The advisor will meet with the student when the student enters the program to guide the student in formulating an Individual Study Plan. The purpose of the plan is to guide the student’s course choice for the first two years in the program and to ensure that the student meets the breadth requirements. The plan may also specify additional courses to be taken by the student in order to acquire necessary background and expertise. Subsequent changes to the plan must be approved by the advisor.

3. Breadth Requirement

Each Ph.D. student must complete a breadth requirement consisting of 6 courses. To remain in good academic standing, students must fulfill the breadth requirement within 24 months of entering the Ph.D. program.

Students who do not fulfill the breadth requirement within 24 months will be dismissed from the program, unless an exception is granted by the PHDC. The PHDC will consult with the student’s research advisor to decide whether an exception is granted and to determine the conditions the student needs to meet.

Details of Breadth Requirement

The breadth requirement consists of 6 courses: 4 approved list courses, and 2 free choice courses.

The courses used to fulfill the breadth requirement must satisfy the following:

(a) Approved list courses: Four of the courses must be taken from the approved list of courses given in the appendix. The 4 courses must satisfy the following two requirements:

i) Theory requirement: At least one of the 4 courses must be taken in the Theory area.

ii) Systems & Applications Requirement: At least two of the 4 courses must be taken in Systems & Applications.

Exemptions from approved list courses: With the approval of the Ph.D. Committee, students who have previously received a grade of A or A- in a course that is on the approved list, while enrolled in another NYU graduate program, can use that course towards the breadth requirement in lieu of taking it while in the Ph.D. program. Also, students who have previously received a grade of A or A- in a graduate course similar to one on the approved list, while enrolled in a graduate program at NYU or at another university with standards comparable to those at NYU, can use that course in lieu of taking the course on the approved list. The determination of whether a previously taken course, not on the approved list, can be used in this way, will be made by the PHDC. However, any student who uses courses taken prior to entering the CS Ph.D. program to fulfill one or both of the Systems & Applications course requirements must work on a medium-sized or larger software project while in the CS Ph.D. program. This project can be part of coursework or the student’s research. A brief report on the project must be produced and approved by the PHDC.

Approved Course List: The list of approved courses will be reviewed regularly by the PHDC and is subject to change. Any changes must be approved by the CSE Department. In order for a course to be considered for inclusion in the list, the course must be rigorous and the students in it must be evaluated individually. Examples of inappropriate courses include those in which students are traditionally not differentially evaluated (e.g., all students receive A’s or “pass”) and courses in which grades are based on attendance or making a presentation of someone else’s work, rather than on tests and assignments.

Students, under their advisors’ guidance, should select their courses from the approved list so that they are exposed to a broad set of topics in computer science.

(b) Free choice courses: Students must take 2 free choice courses in addition to the 4 required courses from the approved list. Students can use any graduate course at NYU as free choice courses, but must obtain advisor approval to use a course not on the approved list. Students cannot use independent study courses (such as Advanced Project CS-GY 9963 or Readings in Computer Science, CS-GY 9413 and CS-GY 9423) or dissertation. Both free choice courses must be taken while in the CS Ph.D. program. No exemptions are available for free choice courses. 

(c) GPA requirement: Students must receive a grade of at least B in each of the six courses used to fulfill the breadth requirement. The average in the 4 approved list courses used to fulfill the breadth requirement must be at least 3.5. Students who take more than 4 approved list courses can choose which ones to apply towards the breadth requirement, and the average will be calculated using just those courses. (For students who receive exemptions allowing them to take fewer than 4 approved list courses while in the CS Ph.D. program, the average will be calculated over the approved list courses that were taken while in the CS Ph.D. program . Students may choose not to use all exemptions which have been granted to them, and may instead take additional approved list courses to be used to satisfy the breadth requirement.)  The average in the 2 free choice courses must also be at least 3.5.

(d) Requirement for Students who have never taken an Algorithms Course:  Any student who has not taken a course in Algorithms prior to entering the Ph.D. program, at either the undergraduate or the graduate level, must take a graduate course in algorithms while in the Ph.D. program.  Students may take CS-GY 6033 (Design and Analysis of Algorithms I), CS-GY 6043 (Design and Analysis of Algorithms II), or CSCI-GA.3520 (Honors Analysis of Algorithms) to fulfill this requirement. The department may revise this list in the future depending on course offerings. Alternatively, students may petition the PHDC to use another course. The grade received in the course must be at least B.

4. Depth Requirement

By the end of a student’s third semester in the program, at the latest, the student must be involved in a research project under the guidance of a faculty research advisor. It is the responsibility of each student to find a faculty advisor and a research project, and to inform the PHDC Chair about their choice of advisor. Students must inform the PHDC chair if they change their research advisor.

To satisfy the depth requirement, students must take a qualifying exam (QE) based on their research. The QE must be passed before the start of the student’s fifth semester in the program. Students are required to form a QE committee, select an exam topic, and a tentative date approved by the advisor and committee, by the end of their third semester.

Scheduling the QE less than two months before the start of the fifth semester is strongly discouraged. If a student does not pass the QE before the fifth semester, the student will not be allowed to continue the Ph.D. in the fifth semester, unless an exception is granted by the PHDC and the Office of Graduate Academics.

Students must register for RE-GY 9990 CS01, a 0-credit course, at the start of the semester in which they will take the QE.

The QE committee must consist of the advisor and at least two other members. The committee must be approved by the advisor and the PHDC. The advisor is the designated chair of the committee. All members of the QE committee must be CSE faculty, faculty from other departments at NYU, or individuals of like standing from outside the university. At least two of the QE committee members must be tenured or tenure-track members of the CSE department, unless permission is obtained from the PHDC to include only one such member.

For the QE, the student must give an oral presentation of their research accomplishments to the QE committee and write a detailed document describing those accomplishments. The document must be submitted to the QE committee and the PHDC no later than one week before the oral presentation. A student is expected to have conducted original research by the time of the exam. This research may have been carried out independently or in collaboration with faculty, research staff, or other students. Students are encouraged, but not required, to have publication-worthy results by the time of the exam. It is not sufficient for a student to present a survey of previous work in an area or a reimplementation of algorithms, techniques, or systems developed by others.

The committee, by majority vote, gives a grade for the QE as either “Pass” or “Fail”. The chair of the QE committee will send this grade in writing to the student and to the PHDC chair, together with a written evaluation of the student’s performance, approved by the QE committee members. A student who does not receive a “Pass” may request permission from the PHDC to retake the exam. The PHDC will consult with the QE committee, review the case and make the final decision as to whether a retake is allowed or not. A student may petition the PHDC to change one or more members of the QE committee, but approval of the request will be at the PHDC’s discretion.

If the request for a retake is approved, the QE committee will determine the date for the second attempt. If the student is not allowed to retake the exam, the student will not be allowed to continue in the Ph.D. program in the following semester. If the student does not pass the qualifying exam on the second attempt, or otherwise does not satisfy the conditions given to them upon failing the exam the first time, the student will not be allowed to continue in the Ph.D. program in the following semester.

If a student has passed the QE and then changes their area of research, the student need not retake the QE.

5. Thesis Proposal and Presentation

Within 6 months of passing the QE, each student is required to form a dissertation guidance committee. This committee must be approved by the student’s research advisor and by the PHDC. The committee must include at least four members, including the research advisor. The committee members can be CSE faculty, faculty from other departments at NYU, or individuals of like standing from outside the university. At least one member of the dissertation guidance committee must be a tenured or tenure-track CSE faculty member, and at least one member of the committee must be from outside the CSE department. The committee chairperson may or may not be the research advisor, but must be a tenured or tenure-track faculty member in Tandon or have a cross-appointment of at least Associate level.

By the end of the student’s fifth semester in the program, the student and committee must set a tentative date for the thesis proposal presentation. The presentation must be done prior to the start of the student’s seventh semester in the program.

Before finalizing the date of the presentation, the student must submit a written thesis proposal to the dissertation guidance committee which should include:

• a description of the research topic
• an explanation of how the research will advance the state of the art, and
• a tentative research plan

After the dissertation guidance committee has approved the thesis proposal, the student should schedule the thesis proposal presentation and notify the PHDC chair once this has been finalized. The presentation should be announced to the faculty by the PHDC chair at least one week before it occurs. The presentation is open to all faculty. It may also be open to others at the discretion of the research advisor.

Substantial subsequent changes to the thesis topic must be approved by the dissertation guidance committee.

6. Thesis and Thesis Defense

The last, and most substantial, aspect of the Ph.D. program is the dissertation. The research for the dissertation should be conducted in close consultation with the research advisor. When the advisor determines that the student is ready to defend the thesis, a dissertation defense will be scheduled. For the defense, the student will give an oral presentation describing the thesis research, which is open to the public. Following the oral presentation and an initial question and answer session, the dissertation committee and CSE faculty may ask the student further questions in closed session.

Other requirements for the Ph.D. dissertation and defense can be obtained from the Office of the Associate Dean for Graduate Academics in the NYU Tandon School of Engineering.

7. Annual Ph.D. Student Assessment Meeting

All Ph.D. students will be formally reviewed each year in a Ph.D. Student Assessment Meeting. The review is conducted by the entire CSE faculty and includes at least the following items (in no particular order):

• All courses taken, grades received, and GPAs.
• Research productivity: publications, talks, software, systems, etc.
• Faculty input, especially from advisors and committee members.
• Student’s own input.
• Cumulative history of the student’s progress.

As a result of the review, each student will be placed in one of the following two categories, by vote of the faculty:

• In Good Standing: The student has performed well in the previous semester and may continue in the Ph.D. program for one more year, assuming satisfactory academic progress is maintained.
• Not in Good Standing: The student has not performed sufficiently well in the previous year. The consequences of not being in good standing will vary, and may include being placed on probation, losing RA/GA/TA funding, or not being allowed to continue in the Ph.D. program.

Following the review, students will receive formal letters which will inform them of their standing. The letters may also make specific recommendations to the student as to what will be expected of them in the following year. A copy of each student’s letter will be placed in the student’s file.

8. NYU Tandon School of Engineering Requirements

Other requirements can be found in the NYU Tandon School of Engineering Bulletin. Students must meet all applicable requirements, including credit points, GPA, and time-to-degree requirements.

The following courses at NYU Tandon School of Engineering can be used to satisfy the breadth requirements:

• CS-GY 6043 Design and Analysis of Algorithms II 3 Credits
• CS-GY 6703 Computational Geometry 3 Credits
• CS-GY 6753 Theory of Computation 3 Credits
• CS-GY 6763 Algorithmic Machine Learning and Data Science 3 Credits

Systems & Applications

• CS-GY 6083 Principles of Database Systems 3 Credits
• CS-GY 6093 Advanced Database Systems 3 Credits
• CS-GY 6143 Computer Architecture II 3 Credits
• CS-GY 6243 Operating Systems II 3 Credits
• CS-GY 6253 Distributed Operating Systems 3 Credits
• CS-GY 6313 Information Visualization 3 Credits
• CS-GY 6413 Compiler Design and Construction 3 Credits
• CS-GY 6513 Big Data 3 Credits
• CS-GY 6533 Interactive Computer Graphics 3 Credits
• CS-GY 6543 Human Computer Interaction 3 Credits
• CS-GY 6553 Game Design 3 Credits
• CS-GY 6613 Artificial Intelligence I 3 Credits
• CS-GY 6643 Computer Vision 3 Credits
• CS-GY 6823 Network Security 3 Credits
• CS-GY 6843 Computer Networking 3 Credits
• CS-GY 6913 Web Search Engines 3 Credits
• CS-GY 6923 Machine Learning 3 Credits
• CS-GY 6943 Artificial Intelligence for Games 3 Credits
• CS-GY 9163 Application Security 3 Credits

The following courses, offered by the Computer Science Department at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at NYU , can also be used to satisfy the breadth requirements:

• CSCI-GA 3520 Honors Analysis of Algorithms
• CSCI-GA.2243 High Performance Computer Architecture
• CSCI-GA.2270 Computer Graphics
• CSCI-GA.2271 Computer Vision
• CSCI-GA.2434 Advanced Database Systems
• CSCI-GA.2560 Artificial Intelligence
• CSCI-GA.2565 Machine Learning
• CSCI-GA.2566 Foundations of Machine Learning
• CSCI-GA.2590 Natural Language Processing
• CSCI-GA.2620 Networks and Distributed Systems
• CSCI-GA.3110 Honors Programming Languages
• CSCI-GA.3130 Honors Compilers
• CSCI-GA.3250 Honors Operating Systems

Students who began the program before Fall 2015 have the option of completing the requirements that were in effect at the time they began the program.

Students who began the program before Fall 2017 may count CS-GY 6903 Applied Cryptography    as a breadth course in the Theory category, and CS-GY 6063 Software Engineering I    as a breadth course in the Systems and Applications category.

Mathematics and Computer Science (BA)

Program description, honors program in computer science and mathematics.

An interdisciplinary major offered jointly by the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, providing the opportunity to study both computer science and such relevant mathematics courses as analysis, algebra, probability, and statistics.

The prerequisite for declaring this major is completion of either CSCI-UA 101 Intro to Computer Science or CSCI-UA 102 Data Structures (depending on placement) with a C or better.. This is a twenty-course (80-credit) interdisciplinary major offered by the Departments of Computer Science and Mathematics.

The honors degree will be awarded to students with outstanding performance in the program. To be eligible for this distinction students must:

• Complete all college BA requirements including at least 64 credits of graded work in the College of Arts & Science.
• Complete all of the course requirements for the program.
• Maintain a grade point average of  3.65  or better  in the major sequence  (including honors requirements)  AND  maintain a  general  grade point average of  3.65  or better.
• Request admission to the honors program by completing the  Honors Admission Request Form .
• Meet with the computer science Program Administrator and Director of Undergraduate Studies to discuss the program requirements once you have been admitted.
• Meet with your mentor at least twice during the academic year, once in October and once in March, prior to registering for the following semester.
• Students are required to submit a copy of their completed thesis to their Faculty Advisor, as well as to the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Marsha Berger - [email protected].

Guided research, sponsored by either department, should be presented at the Dean’s Undergraduate Research Conference which takes place in late April. Students are expected to dedicate 10 to 20 hours per week toward their research. The research project can also be completed through the mathematics summer research program (SURE or AM-SURE). Students who participate in the SURE program are required to present their research at the undergraduate research forum at Courant in the fall semester of their senior year.

New York University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions supports the application process for all undergraduate programs at NYU.  For additional information about undergraduate admissions, including application requirements, see How to Apply . 

Program Requirements

The prerequisite for declaring this major is completion of either CSCI-UA 101 Intro to Computer Science or CSCI-UA 102 Data Structures (depending on placement) with a C or better. This is an interdisciplinary major (eighteen courses/72 credits) offered by the Department of Mathematics with the Department of Computer Science.

Students may double-count no more than two courses towards both this joint major and the requirements of another major or minor. A grade of C or higher is necessary in all courses used to fulfill joint major requirements (courses taken under the Pass/Fail option cannot be counted toward the major). Interested students should consult with the directors of undergraduate studies in both departments for additional information.

The foreign language requirement is satisfied upon successful completion through the Intermediate level of a language. This may be accomplished in fewer than 16 credits, but those credits must then be completed as elective credit.

The mathematics requirements (ten courses/40 credits) are as follows. Students must choose one calculus sequence or the other and cannot mix courses from both. Students also cannot register simultaneously for separate courses within the two sequences.

If MATH-UA 235 Probability & Statistics is taken, then MATH-UA 233 Theory of Probability or MATH-UA 238 Honors Theory of Probability and/or MATH-UA 234 Mathematical Statistics may not be counted toward the major requirements; also note that if MATH-UA 233 Theory of Probability or MATH-UA 238 Honors Theory of Probability and/or MATH-UA 234 Mathematical Statistics is taken, then MATH-UA 235 Probability & Statistics may not be counted toward the major requirements. In addition, all mathematics electives for the joint major must be numbered at or above MATH-UA 120 Discrete Mathematics .

Students who take MATH-UA 252 Numerical Analysis or MATH-UA 258 Honors Numerical Analysis as one of their mathematics electives for this major must contact the director of undergraduate studies in computer science before registering for CSCI-UA 421 Numerical Computing .

This course does not count towards the joint major but is a required prerequisite for CSCI-UA 101 Intro to Computer Science .

Sample Plan of Study

Two of the three must be drawn from a list of specific advanced electives in the program of study

Recommended Sequence for Majors in Mathematics

For students placing into Calculus I (MATH-UA 121):

• First semester: Calculus I (MATH-UA 121), possibly with Discrete Mathematics (MATH-UA 120)
• Second semester: Calculus II (MATH-UA 122), and Discrete Mathematics if not yet taken
• Third semester Calculus III (MATH-UA 123) and Linear Algebra or Honors Linear Algebra (MATH-UA 140 or 148)
• Fourth semester: Analysis or Honors Analysis I (MATH-UA 325 or 328)

For students placing into Calculus II (MATH-UA 122):

• First semester: Calculus II (MATH-UA 122) and Discrete Mathematics (MATH-UA 120)
• Second semester: Calculus III or Honors Calculus III (MATH-UA 123 or 129), and Linear Algebra or Honors Linear Algebra (MATH-UA 140 or 148)
• Third semester: Analysis or Honors Analysis I (MATH-UA 325 or 328)

For students placing into Calculus III (MATH-UA 123):

• First semester: Calculus III or Honors Calculus III (MATH-UA 123 or 129), possibly with Discrete Mathematics (MATH-UA 120)
• Second semester: Linear Algebra or Honors Linear Algebra (MATH-UA 140 or 148), and Discrete Mathematics (MATH-UA 120) if not yet taken

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of program requirements, students are expected to have acquired:

• Skills in writing computer programs and designing software systems.
• An understanding of the foundational algorithms and data structures used in computer software.
• An understanding of what is going on "under the hood" of computer software in terms of the underlying computer architecture and operating systems.
• Advanced knowledge of some specific areas of computer science and its applications.
• Proficiency in the foundations of modern mathematics, including discrete mathematics, calculus, analysis, and algebra.
• The ability to communicate mathematically, including understanding, developing, and critiquing mathematical arguments and rigorous proofs.
• The ability to apply mathematical ideas and methods to questions and problems both within and outside of the mathematical sciences.
• Advanced knowledge in some specific areas of mathematics, such as differential equations, geometry and topology, complex analysis, probability and statistics, number theory, or numerical analysis.

Policies Applying to the Major

Restrictions on majors, nyu policies, college of arts and science policies.

Note: Students must complete CSCI-UA 101, Introduction to Computer Science (or higher) with a grade of C or better before they may declare a major in this department.

Please note the following restrictions on the majors in our department:

• Tandon students are not permitted to declare a major in Computer Science, Computer Science/Math, Computer Science/Economics, or Computer Science/Data Science at CAS, as there are similar programs available at Tandon.
• Data Science majors are not permitted to declare a double major in Computer Science, Computer Science/ Math or Computer Science/Economics, as there is significant course overlap. Students interested in Computer Science, Data Science and Math should consider a joint major in Computer Science/ Data Science.

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages .

A full list of relevant academic policies can be found on the CAS Academic Policies page . 

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New CS Major Requirements in AY 2024-25

By Ravi Chugh April 1, 2024

The computer science major at the University of Chicago has grown dramatically in the past decade. Compared to 34 students graduating with either a BA or BS in computer science in AY 2013-14, last year 156 students graduated with a CS major. Also according to the census reports from the registrar , computer science is now the second most common declared major in the College.

During this time, the number and breadth of courses offered has grown significantly, with the curriculum requirements being reviewed and revised along the way.

• In AY 2018-19, the number of courses available to fulfill the Theory C requirement was increased from two to seven (that number is now ten).
• In AY 2019-20, the major was extended with an option to complete a three-course specialization, chosen from among seven curriculum areas within computer science.
• Also in AY 2019-20, the physical sciences general education requirement was revised to allow BA students to choose from among a broader range of courses.
• In AY 2022-23, the introductory sequence was restructured.
• Also in AY 2022-23, the requirements for completing a bachelor’s thesis were formalized.

Throughout these changes, however, the basic structure of the major has remained largely the same. As detailed in the latest College Catalog , we have made some structural changes to the requirements for both the BA and BS degrees in computer science starting AY 2024-25. Changes to the BS include some “regular maintenance” to help refresh the aims of the degree: to prepare students with a depth of foundational knowledge in computer science. Changes to the BA aim to allow students to study a greater breadth of topics en route to various careers in computer science and beyond.

In addition to changes to the major requirements described below, we are also working to streamline some of the information in the Catalog, the department’s Undergraduate pages , and Course Info . Take a look around, and check back for more updates in the future.

Please note that students who are already on their way to fulfilling the existing BA or BS requirements are allowed to do so. As usual, currently enrolled students may choose to fulfill the existing requirements or adopt the new Catalog for their degree audits.

Current Bx Requirements

As background to discuss the changes, first we depict the current major requirements below. The current major requirements comprise the four-course Introductory Sequence, a three-course Theory ABC sequence, two courses in Programming Languages and Systems, and five electives. Students may elect to take three of the electives in a specific specialization area. In addition, currently BS students must take three courses in an “approved field outside computer science.”

BS Requirements Starting AY 2024-25

There are four components to the revised BS requirements, indicated by maroon circles in the following diagram and then discussed in turn.

1. Total Number of Courses

The three-course related field requirement has been eliminated, and the total number of CS courses has been raised from 14 to 15.

In the current era, in which many if not all fields are impacted by computer science and computing in some way — and in which the CS faculty and course offerings have expanded in countless directions — the related field requirement no longer serves a meaningful role in the major requirements.

Furthermore, increasing the total number of CS courses helps facilitate the goal for BS students to pursue greater depth in core computer science topics.

2. Systems Requirement

For many years, the CS major required students to complete three courses in the Programming Languages and Systems area. This number was decreased to two when the introductory sequence was revised and expanded from three courses to four.

The growth of the department has led to the creation of many courses in a variety of curriculum areas, and many of these courses have been included under the umbrella of PL and Systems. This explosion in the breadth of course offerings is undoubtedly positive in its own right. However, the sheer size of the current PL and Systems list — which now includes 21 courses — means that the PL and Systems requirement no longer achieves a clear and coherent set of objectives.

The new BS degree program eliminates the PL and Systems requirement in favor of a one-course Systems requirement, fulfilled by a much narrower list of core systems classes. This list includes:

• CMSC 22200 Computer Architecture
• CMSC 22240 Computer Architecture for Scientists
• CMSC 22600 Compilers for Computer Languages
• CMSC 23000 Operating Systems
• CMSC 23320 Foundations of Computer Networks
• CMSC 23500 Introduction to Database Systems

Each of these courses is rooted in studying the principles of systems that are intimately concerned with low-level architectural design factors, leading to a detailed understanding of the hardware/software system stack and the use of complex data structures in performance-critical systems.

3. Machine Learning Requirement

It goes without saying that recent advances in the mathematical foundations and applications of machine learning play an influential role in modern computer science. As such, the new BS program requires that students take at least one machine learning class, such as CMSC 25300 Mathematical Foundations of Machine Learning, CMSC 25400 Machine Learning, TTIC 31020 Machine Learning, or more advanced courses in the Machine Learning curriculum area.

4. Required Specialization

Lastly, in line with the aim for BS students to pursue greater depth in foundational computer science, the new BS degree requires students to complete a three-course specialization. Adding up the different requirements leaves three free electives to reach the required 15 CS courses to earn a BS in computer science.

BA Requirements Starting AY 2024-25

Compared to the BS changes, the changes to the BA are larger in overall scope though simple to explain. These changes are indicated by maroon circles in the following diagram and then discussed in turn. 

0. Total Number of Courses

The zeroth consideration is the total number of CS courses, which remains 14 as in the current BA (and BS) requirements.

1. Fewer Required Courses

The primary structural change, compared to the BS, is that only the Introductory Sequence and Theory AB courses are required. There is no Systems (or PL and Systems) requirement, nor a Theory C requirement.

2. Breadth Requirement

The reduction in required courses enables an increase in the number of electives, now eight. To facilitate the goal for BA students to obtain broad training in the many fields of computer science, the eight electives must span at least five different curriculum areas . Curriculum areas include all of the existing specialization areas (currently there are seven), plus several other areas of computer science in which we offer multiple courses but not enough to sustain three-course sequences of specialized study (currently there are four: Quantum Computing, Robotics, Software Engineering, and Visual Computing). There is also a Miscellaneous area for nascent corners of our curriculum.

As detailed on Course Info , individual courses may be tagged as part of multiple curriculum areas. But for the purposes of the breadth requirement, any single course can only count toward one curriculum area.

Furthermore, students pursuing a BA degree do not have an option for specialization. Even if a student completes three courses in a particular curriculum area, the conferred degree will not include a designation indicating a specialization in that area.

To recap, the new requirements for the BS degree are a natural evolution of existing (BA and BS) requirements. The changes to the BA are larger in structure, differentiating its focus more toward breadth as opposed to depth in computer science, providing students an even greater variety of pathways for studying computer science and related fields at UChicago.

In addition to the changes above, there are also changes to the policies for earning Honors in computer science. The structure remains the same: Students must either pursue a Bx Thesis or three approved courses, and also earn a B or higher in all CS courses counted toward the major.

The first change lies in the definition of “approved courses.” Currently, the list of courses contains only graduate courses, in particular, drawing from among PhD Core and PhD Elective courses. Starting AY 2024-25, the list of approved courses will be expanded to include some CMSC 200-level courses with “Honors” in the title. See Course Info for a complete list of courses that satisfy the Honors requirement.

The second change is that two of the three courses counted towards the Honors requirement must be completed at least one quarter prior to graduation.

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to the rest of the undergraduate team (Adam Shaw and Jessica Garza), the department’s undergraduate committee, and the CS faculty as a whole for working on these changes. Special thanks to Professor Anne Rogers who, while serving as DUS for the previous five years, led all of the curriculum efforts described at the beginning of this article, as well as the structural changes to the major requirements announced here. Thank you, Professor Rogers!

Additional References

CS Catalog pages

• ​​ AY 2018-19