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Professional Degree in Computer Science

Department:	Computer Science
Transcript Designation:	Computer Systems Engineer
Program Advisor:	Academic Questions: e-mail advisor@cvn.columbia.edu Administrative Questions: e-mail cvn@cvn.columbia.edu

Program Description:

The Professional Degree in Computer Science provides the student with the opportunity to specialize beyond the level of the Master of Science program. The program leading to the degree of Computer Systems Engineer is particularly suited to those who wish to further develop their knowledge of the area and advance their professional development after a period of industrial employment. There are no specific course requirements, but an independent project is required

Admission Requirements:

Degree required for admission: Generally, a master's degree in Computer Science is required, but individuals with a master's degree in a related field are considered on a case-by-case basis.

GPA required: Minimum of 3.2

GRE requirements: The GRE requirement is waived for Professional Degree applicants.

Applicants to this program must find a research advisor who would be willing to direct them for the research component of the degree before they apply. A listing of current faculty members and their research interests is available in the Computer Science Department's Faculty Research Guide. In order to facilitate finding an advisor, we recommend that students take courses under the non-matriculated Video Special status with a professor that specializes in their research interests before applying to the PD program.

Other application requirements: Applicants must submit a brief (about 1 page long) essay outlining the general areas in which they propose to do their project work as well as the name of the faculty member that has agreed to supervise this project work. Two recommendation letters, transcripts, resume, and a personal-professional statement are required. TOEFL test scores are required of all students who received their bachelor's degree in a country where English is not the official and spoken language. All application requirements in the Graduate Application must be completed as specified in the application.


Degree Requirements:

Required course work:

· Candidates must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours, 24 in graduate course work and 6 in an independent project.

· Of the 24 credits in course work earned at Columbia, at least 9 of these credits must be in regular computer science courses at the 6000 level.

· The program can include approved courses from other departments such as Electrical Engineering, IEOR, Applied Mathematics, etc.

Thesis/Project: Students are required to carry out an independent project under the supervision of a faculty member on a topic chosen jointly by the students and the faculty member. This culminates in a formal report and counts for six course credits.

Scholastic average required for graduation: 3.0

Time Limit: All degree requirements must be completed within 5 years of the beginning of the first course credited toward the degree. This includes courses taken in the non-degree program.


Transfer of Credit:

Up to 6 credit hours (points) of acceptable graduate-level academic work from an accredited academic institution earned prior to enrolling at Columbia may be transferred to Columbia, subject to departmental approval. Students must request the transfer of credit while applying to the PD program. Credit will only be considered for transfer if the grades earned were at least 3.0 on the 4.0 scale. An official college transcript and copy of the class syllabus and/or course description from the school's bulletin must accompany the "Transfer of Credit Request" form. Please note that courses already used towards completion of another degree program can not be re-used for transfer credit.