Graduate Degrees and Concentrations

The UCI General Catalogue is the official guide to all degree and graduation requirements; the information below is intended for general planning purposes only.

General M.S. Degree

The Information and Computer Science (ICS) general M.S. concentration is designed for students who do not wish to specialize in any specific area. Students can explore many of the advanced fields in computer science. more »

Fall 2001 to Current General M.S. Requirements
Degree Core:

All courses must be passed with a grade of B or better. Five courses from the set of Core Requirements, with at least one from each category listed below:

  • One course from Theory:
    • CS 260: Fundamentals of the Design and Analysis of Algorithms
    • CS 261: Data Structures
    • CS 263: Analysis of Algorithms
  • One course from Architecture/CAD/Hardware:
    • CS 232: Internet
    • CS 244: Introduction to Embedded & Ubiquitous Systems
    • CS 250A: Computer Systems Architectures
    • CS 252: Introduction to Computer Design
  • One course in Software and Systems:
    • INF 211: Software Engineering
    • INF 231: Human-Computer Interaction
    • CS 222: Principles of Data Management
    • CS 230: Distributed Computer Systems
    • CS 241: Advanced Compiler Construction

Seven additional courses which are either Bren School graduate courses or Bren School undergraduate project courses. At most, two undergraduate courses can count toward this requirement. A course taken as an undergraduate student cannot count toward this requirement.

  • Undergraduate Project Courses:
    • CS 133: Advanced Computer Networks
    • CS 142B: Language Processor Construction
    • CS 143B: Project in Operating System Organization
    • CS 153: Logic Design Laboratory
    • CS 154: Computer Design Laboratory
    • CS 165: Project in Algorithms and Data Structures
    • CS 175: Project in Artificial Intelligence
    • CS 176: Introduction to Expert Systems
    • INF 117: Project in Software System Design
    • INF 118A-B: Comprehensive Project in Software System Evolution
    • INF 119: Advanced Project in Software Engineering
    • INF 132: Project in Human Computer Interaction & User Interfaces
    • INF 163: Project in the Social and Organizational Impacts of Computing
  • Notes
    1. 2x9s, 398A & B and 399 do not count towards the seven additional courses.
    2. A maximum of two 295s are allowed.
    3. CS 132/232 and 133/233 cannot both be taken for credit.
Comprehensive Examination

Each student must pass a written comprehensive examination administered and evaluated by a committee assembled by the Bren School Associate Dean for Student Affairs. Students cannot pursue the Thesis option for this degree.

More about the degree...

The general M.S. concentration is designed for students who do not wish to specialize in any specific area.

Students can explore many of the advanced fields in computer science, including:

  • Embedded systems
  • Networking
  • Databases
  • Computational geometry
  • Neural networks
  • Data mining
  • Machine learning
  • Graph algorithms
  • VLSI
  • Parallel architectures
  • User interfaces
  • Bioinformatics
  • Graphics and visualization
  • Security and cryptography
  • HCI/CSCW
  • Software engineering
  • Data structures
  • Ubiquitous computing.