UMassCSDepartmentalHonorsOverview

Prof.BenjaminMarlinHonorsProgramDirector

CollegeofInformationandComputerSciencesUMassAmherst

askCSHonors@cs.umass.edu

Nov7,2016

GeneralStudies:Focusesonbreadthofstudythroughhonorsgeneraleducationcourses.

AdvancedScholarship: Givesstudentsachancetoconductoriginalresearchovertwosemestersunderthesupervisionofafacultymember.

• DepartmentalHonors:Forstudentswhowishtoundertakeadvancedresearchwithintheirmajor.

• MultidisciplinaryHonors:Forstudentswhowanttodesignhonorsprogramsofstudyoutsideoftheirmajororbetweentheirmajorandotherdisciplines.

HonorsProgramCurriculum

Source:https://www.honors.umass.edu/curriculum-overview

AdvancedScholarshipOptionsDepartmental

HonorsMultidisciplinary

HonorsGeneralStudiesHonors Only

OneCShonorscourseanylevel(excluding servicecourses).OneCShonorscourseatthe300+level.

Canalsousesome500/600

4-5Honorscoursesfrommorethanone

discipline including theHonorsThesisorProject.

5GeneralStudiesHonorscourses,including Honors

Writing112H.

HonorsThesisorProjectadvisedbyaCSfaculty

member.

Honors ThesisorProjectadvisedbyafaculty

member inadifferentdepartment.

Nohonors thesisor project.

CommonwealthHonorsScholarondiplomaandtranscript. DepartmentalHonors listedontranscript.

CommonwealthHonorsScholarondiplomaand

transcript.MultidisciplinaryHonors listedontranscript

GeneralStudiesHonorsontranscript.

Applyusing formonCShonorswebsite.

AllstudentsareintheMHtrackbydefault.

Meet withaCHCAdvisor tooptoutofadvanced

studies.Source:https://www.honors.umass.edu/sites/honors.umass.edu/files/forms/curriculum/CHCCurriculumCharts/CurriculumComparisonChart.pdf

PartI– Preparation: Studentsspendonesemesteracquiringthebackgroundneededtodoresearchintheirdesiredareaanddevelopingathesis/projectproposal.Twooptions:individual(499Y)orcourse-based(691DD).Typically3credits.

PartII– Project/Thesis: Studentsspendonesemesterperformingresearch.Thefinaldeliverableisawrittenthesisdocument(499T)-- orawrittenprojectreport(499P).Bothrequireaprojectpresentation.Typically3credits.

CSHonorsTrack:ResearchRequirements

Source:https://www.honors.umass.edu/capstone-experience

CSHonorsTrack:Admissions

Source:https://www.cics.umass.edu/cics-honors-admission-application

CourseRequirement: Studentsmusthavecompletedthe200-levelcorerequirementsfortheirdegreetypetobeadmittedtothetrack(allof220,230,240,250 forBSstudents;threeofthefourforBAstudents).

GPARequirement: TheminimumGPAtobeadmittedtothetrackis3.4.WegenerallyliketoseestudentswithaGPAabove3.5atthestartofresearch.

ConditionalAdmission: Admissionstothetrackisconditionalonsubmittinga499Ycontractandsemesterplan,orfindinganadvisorandregisteringfor691DD.

CSHonorsTrack:RecommendedTimeline

Source:https://www.cics.umass.edu/ugrad-education/cs-departmental-honors-timeline

FallJuniorYear

FallSenior

Year

SpringJuniorYear

SubmitApplication

499YProposalFind

ResearchAdvisor

ChoosePrepOption

Take499Y

Take691DD

499T/PProposal

Take499T/P

691DDApproval

SubmitThesisorProject

CSHonorsTrack:AlternateTimeline

Source:https://www.cics.umass.edu/ugrad-education/cs-departmental-honors-timeline

SpringJuniorYear

SpringSeniorYear

FallSeniorYear

SubmitApplication

499YProposal

FindResearchAdvisor

Take499Y

499T/PProposal

Take499T/P

SubmitThesisorProject

CSHonorsTrack:Admissions

Source:https://www.cics.umass.edu/cics-honors-admission-application

ApplyassoonasyouareeligibleifyouareinterestedintheDHtrack.

Ifyourapplicationisconditionallyapproved,IwillsendyouCS-specificinstructionsforpreparinga499Ysemesterplan.

CSHonorsTrack:ResearchAdvisorListings

Source:https://www.cics.umass.edu/ugrad-education/cs-departmental-honors-research-advisors

Wemaintainalistoffacultywhoareactivelylookingforhonorsresearchstudents.

Youcanalsocontactanyfacultymemberbyemailorinperson.

Thenumberofhonorsresearchpositionsislimitedbytheavailabilityoffacultyadvisors.Findinganadvisorcanbecompetitive.

CSHonorsTrack:499YProposal

Source:https://honorsweb1.honors.umass.edu/chc-paths/

499YcontractandsemesterplanarepreparedusingCHCPaths.Due12/9/2015.

CSHonorsTrack:691DD– ResearchMethods

Source:https://www.cs.umass.edu/ugrad-education/spring-15-course-descriptions

CMPSCI691DD:Seminar- ResearchMethodsinEmpiricalComputerScience

Thiscourseintroducesgraduatestudentstobasicideasaboutconductingapersonalresearchprogram.Studentswilllearnbasicmethodsforactivitiessuchasreadingtechnicalpapers,selectingresearchtopics,devising researchquestions, planningresearch,analyzingexperimentalresults,modelingandsimulatingcomputationalphenomena, andsynthesizingbroadertheories.Thecoursewillbestructuredaroundthreeactivities:lecturesonbasicconceptsofresearchstrategyandtechniques,discussionsoftechnicalpapers,andpreparationandreviewofwrittenassignments.Significant reading, reviewing,andwritingwillberequired,andstudentswillbeexpectedtoparticipateactivelyinclassdiscussions.3credits.

Restrictions:Yourresearchmusthaveasuitableempiricalcomponentandyoumustworkwithyourhonorsadvisorthroughoutthesemestertoselectaprojecttopic.ThisoptionrequirespriorHPDapproval.

CSHonorsTrack:499T/PProposal

ResearchProposal (5-10pages)

Source:https://honorsweb1.honors.umass.edu/chc-paths/

499T/PcontractandproposalsaresubmittedonlineusingCHCPaths.

CSHonorsTrack:ThesisorProject

Deliverables: Finaldeliverableforhonorsresearchisathesisorprojectdocumentdescribingthework.Typically20pagesinlength.Studentsmustalsogiveanoralpresentationontheirwork.

CSMajorCredit: CSmajorallowsforupto3creditsfrom499T/Porindependentstudiestocounttowardthemajor.Sometracksunderthe“oldrules”alsoallowtheuseof499T/Pasatrackcourse.The“newrules”allowfortheuseof499T/Pasa400+levelelective.

WhataretheBenefitsofHonorsResearch?

1. Getachancetoworkdirectlyunderaworld-classcomputerscienceresearcherandalongsidetopgraduatestudents.

2. Getachancetocontributenewknowledgetoasub-fieldofcomputersciencebypublishingyourresearch.

3. Increasethecompetitivenessofyourgraduateschoolandjobapplications.

4. Improveyourcriticalthinking,problemsolving,timemanagement,programming,andwrittenandoralcommunicationsskills.

CSHonorsTrack:MoreInformation

Source:https://www.cics.umass.edu/ugrad-education/honors-track

Questions?