New Student Orientation Fall 2013

1. New Student OrientationFall 2013

2. Masters Program in Computer Science Administrative Staff • Professor Janos Simon • Director, Masters Program in Computer Science • Dr. BorjaSotomayor • Associate Director, Technology • Curriculum Development, Course Planning • Molly Stoner • Associate Director, Administration • Karin Czaplewski • Student Services Representative

3. MPCS Office Hours • Staff offices Ryerson 151 and 155 • Office Hours are: • Monday - Thursday 9 AM – 6:00 PM • Friday 9:30 AM – 3 PM • Or by appointment

4. 9-Course Program Requirements • Nine (9) courses required for an M.S. degree (+ immersion phase courses) • 5 core courses • At least one course in each of the following topics: • Programming • Algorithms • Databases • At least two courses in Computer Systems, Networks and Architectures.

5. 12-Course MS Specialization Program • Specialization in: • Software Engineering • High Performance Computing • Data Analytics • 15 month program full time • Six (6) core courses – can be additional core course or practicum • Three (3) concentration courses – listed on program website • Internship – usually in summer quarter • For 2013-2014 academic year, we will be accepting applications for the 12-course program during the Fall quarter.

6. Course Schedule for 2013-2014

7. Elective Course Planning • All new students should be taking core courses during the Fall quarter • Career tracks are found on the website for: • Software Engineering, Start-up, Finance and Research • Course Schedule Diagram shows prerequisite courses • Courses outside MPCS: • CS courses at level 20000 or above • PSD graduate level courses (i.e., math, statistics) • Graduate level courses from other divisions and schools (i.e., Booth) Any class taken outside MPCS requires approval to count for credit towards graduation

8. Practicum • Allows students to work on projects with an advisor (U of C / ANL faculty and staff) and earn elective credit. • Offered in Winter 2014 and Spring 2014 • MPCS will publish a list of projects offered by advisors before the start of the quarter. • Students must apply to participate in the Practicum program.

9. Add/Drop • Students make changes on-line during the first week of the quarter.   • Any changes after the first week (but before the third week) should be sent to Karin Czaplewski at karin@cs.uchciago.edu • Please make sure your registration is correct in my.uchicago before the end of the third week. • Fees may apply to any registration changes. • Details online at the Bursar’s Office website.

10. Rules and Policies • Under Current Students on website:http://csmasters.uchicago.edu/page/rules-and-policies • Review them, understand them, ask questions • No phone and email during class

11. Academic Honesty Cheating, copying and all forms of plagiarism and academic dishonesty are considered a serious offence at the University of Chicago. • Penalties may include: • A “0” on the assignment • A “F” in the course • Suspension from the program • Expulsion from the University of Chicago • Instructors may use plagiarism detection software to determine if assignments are close to other students or code found on the internet. All violations of this policy are reported to the administration and documented in the student's file. All students must sign the Academic Honesty Statement

12. What is Academic Honesty? Academically honest work is typically understood to be the following: • Work that has been done exclusively by you, without any outside assistance. • Work that has involved some outside assistance (such as other students and reference materials found in the library or the Internet), but which includes proper attribution. Instructors will let you know if you are allowed to use outside sources in homework and projects. Never submit something you did not write by yourself without saying where it is from.

13. Grade Requirements • You must earn a grade of C+ or better in each of the 9 courses that apply toward the degree requirement. • For the Immersion Phase courses a C+ is required or your status will be re-evaluated. • Pass/Fail is not an option. • If a student is not making satisfactory progress in the program, the student may be placed on Academic Probation.

14. Incomplete course options(not for Immersion Phase courses) • We recognize that our students have to deal with emergency or otherwise unexpected situations and therefore may require some extra time beyond the normal length of the quarter to complete the requirements of a course. In such case a student is offered two options: • Short term option • You will receive a blank grade • You will be offered 4-8 weeks to complete your coursework • You will forfeit the chance of earning an A in the course • Long term option • You will receive a blank grade • You will have to retake the course (at no cost) next time it is offered

15. Accessibility • You have 24/7 access to Ryerson Hall during quarters you are registered by using your UChicago ID card. • Access to the 4th floor is restricted to students in the Masters Program. You must have a key to use the facility ($20 security deposit). • Lockers are available on the 4th floor.

16. Mail Lists • masters-students@cs.uchicago.edu • This is mailing list where important announcements are made. You are required to monitor this list and keep your information current. • Instructors also create email distribution lists for their courses and provide subscription instructions during the first meeting of the class.

17. CS Student Activities Committee • Student run CS group that organizes technical events on campus including: • Hack Nights every Friday • Weekly Tech Talks by industry experts (usually Thursdays @ 4:30) • Hackathons • Programming contests More information can be found at studentactivities.cs.uchicago.edu CS job opportunities through the department can be found on the CS Job Posting Board - https://jobboard.cs.uchicago.edu/

18. Transportation & Parking • Plenty of parking around campus after 4 p.m. City restrictions still apply. • Earlier in the day, street parking can be difficult. • Ellis Parking Garage (55th and Ellis) - $80/month • Metra stop on 57th

19. Food & Drink • Closest food places are the C-Shop (Einstein's Bagels) and Hutch Commons (Subway, Pizza, Sushi, Indian, Noodles) • Open during the academic year until 10:30 p.m. • Vending machines on 3rd floor

20. How to Contact Us • masters-admin@cs.uchicago.edu • MPCS Staff • Karin - karin@cs.uchicago.edu • Molly - molly@cs.uchicago.edu • Borja - borja@cs.uchicago.edu • MPCS Director Janos Simon – janos@cs.uchicago.edu • PSD Dean of StudentsMiranda Swanson – miranda@uchicago.edu

21. Tonight’s Checklist! • Create cNet ID and CS account • Obtain UChicago ID card • Health insurance waived by: October 25th at 5 p.m. at my.uchicago.edu • Sign Academic Honesty statement • Key deposit for 4th floor key - $20 • ESPO forms due by Tuesday, October 1st