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Set up a CSE Account
You will receive your CSE computer account (@cs.washington.edu, aka “@cs” or “CSE NetID”) in May. Your CSE NetID will be the same as your UW NetID.
After your account is set up, you will receive your CSE NetID and initial password to your current/updated mailing address. If you have problems or questions setting up your account, email Support.
Please read the UW/Allen School Lab Policies. This is what you agree to when you accept our offer of admission and receive a CSE computer account.
Your CSE account gives you access to storage for your course and research work. It also gates many of the “internal only” distributions. If you’re planning to TA in the fall, the TA scheduling coordinator will ask you to register on the CSE TA webtool. You’ll get an email explaining this before TA sign-up starts.
You also have a UW account (@uw.edu, aka “uw” or “NetID”). You’ll need this account to:
- Access MyUW, to register for classes and access other university tools
- Access online resources and software (like your Zoom account)
- Receive official emails from the university.
- Interacting with the Graduate School
- Opening files shared with “any UW student” through Google.
What about computing hardware?
In July, you will receive a an email with a menu of computing hardware and instructions as to how to indicate your selection. You will need your CSE NetID to complete a survey and submit your computing hardware and platform selection. Please keep an eye out for this rather time-critical message. In the meantime, if you have questions about any aspect of computing at the Allen School, you can send mail to: support@cs. (We have a really great crew of people who can help you!)
Mailing Lists
When you arrive in the fall, you will be added to a required mailing list for all active graduate students (cs-grads@cs.washington.edu). You are expected to check it regularly, as it will contain official announcements from the school as well as regular instructions from the grad-advising team. Consider setting up email rules or filters.You will also be added to researchers@cs, which includes postdocs and faculty and is where talk announcements are shared. misc@cs is an optional mailing list for chatter, social events, etc.
Registration
When to Register
You may register beginning June 20, 2023 (Tuesday). You may not be able to register if you haven’t submitted immunization documentation (see below).
What to Register For
You will need to complete 7 courses during your PhD: 5 breadth courses and 2 CSE++ courses.
You will need 3 breadth courses and 2 additional Breadth or CSE++ courses to come up for your first milestone, the qualifying evaluation
You can check out the course requirements for the program and what Breadth Courses will be offered in the upcoming academic year (check back later for updates–instructors, additions, cancellations). You can check out the quals course content at the course home pages –note the instructors and check their respective course pages
Here’s the UW Time Schedule of CSE courses that includes time and room of courses, instructors, course registration number (Schedule Line Number or “SLN”). At the Allen School New Student Orientation in September, faculty who will teach the quals courses in the upcoming academic year will present their courses. Sometimes content changes and evolves, so be prepared to make changes in your schedule if you find the course isn’t what you want. Or you can wait until you get here to register. You should consult with your temporary advisor about your final schedule for autumn quarter.
Credits Per Quarter
You must register for a minimum of 10 credits to hold a TA, RA, or fellowship. 10 credits is a reasonable load that allows you to take one course and some seminars through your first year. Your RA/TA/Fellowship covers anything between 10 to 18 credits. Keep in mind that graduate level credits are not equivalent to undergraduate credits — we strongly recommend sticking to one class per quarter for your first quarter (if not your entire time with us). You’ll still need time for research!
A Sample Schedule
CSE 5XX (“500-level”) Breadth or CSE++ course (4 credits).
CSE 519 colloquium (1 credit).
CSE 520 colloquium. (1 credit).
CSE 590, 591 research seminars and group meetings–any number that suits your interests (discuss with your temp advisor, variable credits).
CSE 600 independent study/research to reach 10 credits (variable credits).
10 cr. minimum. (10-18 allowed.)
Explanation of Courses
4 cr. CSE 5XX Breadth for CSE++ course of choice (graded); see the list above for fall quarter Breadth Courses.
1 cr. CSE 519 Colloquium. Visiting researchers from other schools, research labs, industry. Required each quarter you are registered in the program. (non-graded; credit/no credit).
1 cr. CSE 520 Colloquium. Same as above. Required each quarter you are registered in the program. (non-graded; credit/no credit).
CSE 590 is for graduate research seminars. You can explore research areas by registering for them. Discuss these with your temp advisor!
IMPORTANT NOTE: The final course offerings — especially the 590s — don’t settle down until just before the quarter begins. There are additions, cancellations, meeting time changes, etc. Check the Time Schedule for listings.
CSE 591 is for group projects: research group meetings, reading groups, project groupsDiscuss these with your temp advisor!
CSE 599 is for “special topic” courses which can be one-time offerings or experimental coursesDiscuss these with your temp advisor!
CSE 600 is for independent study and research with a faculty member. Once you’ve arranged study or research for CSE 600, look at MyCSE for the faculty code to register for the course.
Your TA/RA/fellowship will cover tuition for any amount between 10-18 credits. Again, you need a minimum of 10 credits to receive your tuition waiver.
How do I register?
MyUW is the UW information and services portal. You register your courses through this portal. If you have time you may want to explore MyUW for useful links. Your Workday page, for example, holds a lot of important information about your bi-monthly checks, direct deposit activation and taxes. This page will activate after you fill out employment paperwork.
Anything else?
Immunization Requirement
Send in your proof of recent measels & mumps immunizations! You’ll see a request on your application status page as well. Without this proof entered into the UW system, you will not be able to register.
International Students
Once you arrive in the U.S., you will need to complete a number of post-arrival tasks: https://iss.washington.edu/post-arrival-checklist/
Undergraduate Breadth Requirement
- Do you have a BS in Computer Science or Computer Engineering? If yes, you’ve met this requirement.
- Students who not have an undergraduate degree in Computer Science or Computer Engineering should submit an Undergraduate Breadth Review request by SEPTEMBER 1.
The Quals Committee will review all submissions and provide feedback to the incoming student and their advisor prior to the start of their first quarter in the program. This feedback will either indicate that the student has already fulfilled the undergraduate-level breadth requirement or will provide details on how to satisfy the undergraduate-level breadth requirement per the options on the Qualifying Evaluation page.
All Allen School students are required to satisfy the “undergraduate breadth requirement.” Most students meet this requirement in one of three ways:
- Student holds a BS in CS or CE
- Student has equivalent coursework in their transcript that would meet the undergraduate breadth requirement.
- Student completes 3 500-level courses across 3 of 4 breadth groups.
There is an option to take 400-level courses to meet this requirement if you and your advisor agree that this path would be best for you; however, these courses would not be counted toward your doctoral degree.
Course Waivers: Petitioning
If you took graduate-level courses at another university that are equivalent to one of our own, you can apply for a course waiver. This allows you to count the course towards your coursework requirements, including meeting the breadth group requirements. You can receive a maximum oftwo waivers: one to meet a breadth requirement prior to the qualifying evaluation, and one to meet a CSE++ requirement course after your General Exam.
- Compare your transcript to our courses.
Here’s a list of our breadth courses and a list of what qualifies as a CSE++ course. There is also a list of course descriptions. - Gather your materials.
We’ll evaluate every waiver request. However, successful waiver requests frequently include a course URL, a syllabus, the name of the instructor, the department and institution. Make sure to have your course materials available before leaving your current school to include in the petitions when you prepare them. The more information you can submit for a petition, the better. The course must be passed with a grade of 3.4 (B+) or equivalent. Ungraded courses are not accepted (with exceptions for the COVID-19 period). - Submit your waiver petitions by September 1.
You will need your CSE NetID and password to submit a petition. Please submit no more than three waivers. You will be permitted to submit more if your waivers are denied, but please limit your initial waivers to your best 3 matches. This saves everyone time and labor.
NOTE: if your graduate level courses were taken at the University of Washington, you do not need to submit a petition.
Please read the instructions before filling the form out and don’t hesitate to ask questions. The goal of the petition is to show that the graduate course you took is of a similar enough nature and rigor as our required courses or non-required courses, so as much information as you can provide is very important. The courses do not need to be identical to those in our curriculum.
For Ph.D. students entering Autumn 2023: Due to COVID-19, if you have grades of CR on your transcript for courses that otherwise would have been graded we can make the following accommodations to the usual graded requirement:
- Self-assess and tell us whether you believe you grade would have been at a B+ level or above
- Include in your petition, via Google Docs or other easily accessible link, examples of your best work in the course — whether it is a project report, graded assignment, etc. plus AN EXPLANATION FOR THE EVALUATOR of what the challenges were for the assignments and how these challenges were addressed by you.
We will continue to rely on area-specific faculty to help evaluate the petitions.