Electrical and Computer Engineering

Quick Start Master's Program - BS/MS

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Logistics

A BS/MS student with fewer than 128 credit hours is considered an undergraduate, subject to the department undergraduate regulations and not eligible to be a graduate assistant. 

A maximum of 6 credit hours of ECE courses at the 4000 or 5000 level may be counted toward both the undergraduate and MS degree requirements, subject to the approval of the student's advisor and the ECE Graduate Coordinator.

A BS/MS student must secure a faculty advisor and submit a plan of study by advising week of his/her first semester in the program. A committee will be put together at the same time.

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EE Core Courses

• EE 2220 Circuits & Signals
• EE 3220 Signals & Systems
• EE 3310 Intro to Electronics
• EE 2390 Digital Systems
• EE 3150 Electromagnetics 

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Computer Science

The MSCS Quick Start program in Computer Science (COSC) is designed to present highly qualified UW students with the opportunity to begin graduate study while they complete their bachelor of science (BS) degree in COSC. These students may apply for admission to the Quick Start program during the second semester of their junior year or during their senior year.

This program allows for early planning of the graduate portion of a student’s education and provides more flexibility in the number of required courses and the order in which they are taken. The more efficient and better-planned use of time should result in reduction of the time required for obtaining the Master of Science in Computer Science (MSCS) degree. Students who enter the Quick Start program must accept the primary responsibility for actively planning their programs of study to assure timely completion of their coursework and research programs.

The Quick Start program contains two essential elements:

1. Qualified students may receive provisional admission to the COSC graduate program prior to completing the normal application This provisional admission will permit students to make their long-term educational plans earlier in their studies, thus providing enhanced opportunities for course selection and involvement in research.
2. Students in the program may apply up to six credit hours of 5000-level courses toward both the BS and graduate degree By completing successfully up to six credit hours of graduate classes during their senior year, these students will have demonstrated their ability to do graduate-level course work as undergraduates, easing their transition to the COSC graduate program.

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Admission

Students are eligible to apply to the MSCS Quickstart program in the second semester of their Junior year. Applications must be submitted through the Office of Admissions and approved by the COSC Graduate Admissions Committee. Minimum requirements for admission to the joint program are:

1. the successful completion with a grade of B or better of at least two courses from two of the four areas required for admission to the COSC S. program (see list below.)
2. having Junior standing and having completed 75 credit hours with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.4 in courses taken at UW (Faculty can submit GPA exception requests to the Graduate Committee)
3. a minimum GPA of 3.0 in COSC courses, and
4. names of three references; at least two of which must be from full-time UW COSC faculty

In lieu of requirement (1) above, undergraduate transfer students must have successfully com- pleted, with a grade of B or better, two equivalent courses from two of the four areas listed below. Course equivalents are determined by the graduate admissions committee. Transfer students must have also completed at least 12 credit hours of courses at UW in order to be eligible for admission. 

Area	Course	Title
ALG	COSC 3020	Algorithms and Data Structures
TH	COSC 4200	Computability and Complexity
PL	COSC 4780 COSC 4785	Principles of Programming Languages Compiler Construction I
OS	COSC 4740	Operating Systems Design

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Retention requirements

Prior to completion of all requirements for the BS degree, students in the Quick Start program must complete all requirements for admission to the COSC graduate program. The Graduate Records Examination may be waived. Failure to complete admission requirements will result in suspension from the program.

A student in the Quick Start program must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00 in his or her undergraduate courses, a GPA of at least 3.0 in COSC courses and a GPA of at least 3.0 in 5000-level courses in order to remain in good standing in the program. Failure to meet the GPA requirement places a student on probation for one semester. If the GPA requirement is not met after that semester, the student will be suspended from the program.

Students in the Quick Start program must begin full-time graduate study in the semester following completion of the BS degree. A student who fails to remain continuously enrolled at UW will need to apply for readmission to the graduate program.

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Program of Study

The program of study may include courses to be taken from the senior year through the end of the MS program. This plan must be submitted to the students faculty advisor and filed in the students COSC Department records by the end of the first semester in which the student has been admitted into the program. The plan of study is to be submitted to the registrar by the end of the students first semester in the graduate program.