Michael J. Pazzani, Chair
444 Computer Science
Undergraduate Counseling: (714) 824-5156
Graduate Counseling: (714) 824-5597
World Wide Web: http://www.ics.uci.edu/
Faculty
Mark S. Ackerman, Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Assistant Professor of Information and Computer Science (computer-supported cooperative work, information retrieval, sociology of computing, human-computer interaction)
Nader Bagherzadeh, Ph.D. University of Texas at Austin, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and of Information and Computer Science (parallel processing, distributed computing, computer architecture, neural networks)
Yannis Bakos, Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Associate Professor of Management and of Information and Computer Science (management information systems, strategic uses of information technology, economics of computing)
Lubomir Bic, Ph.D. University of California, Irvine, Professor of Information and Computer Science and of Electrical and Computer Engineering (parallel processing; multiprocessor architectures; semantic and object-oriented database systems)
Douglas M. Blough, Ph.D. The Johns Hopkins University, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and of Information and Computer Science (parallel architectures, fault-tolerant computing, computer architecture)
Alfred M. Bork, Ph.D. Brown University, Professor Emeritus of Information and Computer Science (computer-based learning; production systems for computer-based learning; screen design; simulation; computer graphics)
Rina Dechter, Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles, Associate Professor of Information and Computer Science (complexity of automated reasoning models: constraint-based reasoning, distributed connectionist models, causal models, probabilistic reasoning)
Michael Dillencourt, Ph.D. University of Maryland, Associate Professor of Information and Computer Science (computational geometry, analysis of algorithms, data structures)
Nikil Dutt, Ph.D. University of Illinois, Associate Professor of Information and Computer Science and of Electrical and Computer Engineering (design modeling, languages and synthesis, CAD tools, computer architecture)
David Eppstein, Ph.D. Columbia University, Associate Professor of Information and Computer Science (analysis of algorithms, computational geometry, graph theory)
Julian Feldman, Ph.D. Carnegie Institute of Technology, Professor Emeritus of Information and Computer Science (management of computing resources; problems involved in managing the computer resources of an organization, including resource allocation and financing organizations; the teaching of programming, and development of techniques which will facilitate the learning of programming)
Michael Franz, D.Sc. Techn. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Assistant Professor of Information and Computer Science (programming languages and their implementation; extensible systems; software architectures, component-ware and portable software that migrates across computer networks)
Daniel D. Gajski, Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania, Professor of Information and Computer Science and of Electrical and Computer Engineering (computer and information systems, software/hardware codesign, algorithms and methodologies for embedded systems, CAD environments, science of design)
Richard H. Granger, Ph.D. Yale University, Professor of Information and Computer Science and of Cognitive Sciences (computational and cognitive neuroscience)
Jonathan T. Grudin, Ph.D. University of California, San Diego, Associate Professor of Information and Computer Science (computer-supported cooperative work; interactive systems development; human-computer interaction)
Vijay Gurbaxani, Ph.D. University of Rochester, Associate Professor of Management and of Information and Computer Science (economics of information systems management, impact of information technology on organization and market structure)
Daniel Hirschberg, Ph.D. Princeton University, Professor of Information and Computer Science and of Electrical and Computer Engineering (analysis of algorithms; concrete complexity; data structures; models of computation)
Donald Hoffman, Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Professor of Psychology and Information and Computer Science (human and machine vision; cognitive science; artificial intelligence)
Sandra S. Irani, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, Assistant Professor of Information and Computer Science (analysis of algorithms; on-line algorithms; graph theory and combinatorics)
Dennis F. Kibler, Ph.D. University of California, Irvine, and Ph.D. University of Rochester, Professor of Information and Computer Science (learning control knowledge; planning and problem solving; parallel processing of logic programs)
K. H. (Kane) Kim, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and of Information and Computer Science (distributed real-time computer systems, fault-tolerant computer systems, real-time learning systems)
John Leslie King, Ph.D. University of California, Irvine, Professor of Information and Computer Science and of Management (economics of computing; policies for computer management and use in organizations; public policy and social aspects of computer use)
Rob Kling, Ph.D. Stanford University, Professor of Information and Computer Science and of Management (social analysis of computing computer technology and public policy, sociology of computing)
Kenneth L. Kraemer, Ph.D. University of Southern California, Professor of Management and Information and Computer Science, and Director of the Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations (economics and management of computing; organizational and social impacts of computing; information technology and public policy; management information systems/decision support systems)
Fadi Kurdahi, Ph.D. University of Southern California, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and of Information and Computer Science (VLSI structures; design automation of digital circuits)
Tomas Lang, Ph.D. Stanford University, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and of Information and Computer Science (computer architecture, digital design, numerical processors and multiprocessors)
Richard H. Lathrop, Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Assistant Professor of Information and Computer Science (modeling structure and function, machine learning, intelligent systems and molecular biology, protein structure/function prediction)
Kwei-Jay Lin, Ph.D. University of Maryland, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and of Information and Computer Science (real-time systems, distributed systems, object-oriented databases, scheduling theory, computer networks)
George S. Lueker, Ph.D. Princeton University, Professor of Information and Computer Science (computational complexity; probabilistic analysis of algorithms; data structures)
Gary S. Lynch, Ph.D. Princeton University, Professor of Biological Sciences, Information and Computer Science, and Cognitive Sciences (learning and memory, synaptic change, computational neuroscience)
Alexandru Nicolau, Ph.D. Yale University, Professor of Information and Computer Science and of Electrical and Computer Engineering (architecture, parallel computation, and programming languages and compilers)
Michael J. Pazzani, Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles, Chair and Associate Professor of Information and Computer Science (human and machine learning, natural language understanding, cognitive science)
Mark S. Poster, Ph.D. New York University, Professor of History and of Information and Computer Science (modern European intellectual history)
David F. Redmiles, Ph.D. University of Colorado, Assistant Professor of Information and Computer Science (design environments, human-computer interaction, usability engineering, knowledge-based support)
Debra J. Richardson, Ph.D. University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Associate Professor of Information and Computer Science (software engineering; program testing; life-cycle validation; software environments)
Isaac Scherson, Ph.D. Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel), Professor of Information and Computer Science and of Electrical and Computer Engineering (parallel computing architectures, massively parallel systems, parallel algorithms, complexity, orthogonal multiprocessing systems)
Richard W. Selby, Ph.D. University of Maryland, Associate Professor of Information and Computer Science (software engineering testing; software metrics; empirical evaluation of software methodologies)
William Rodman Shankle, M.D. Brown University Medical School, Assistant Adjunct Professor of Neurology and of Information and Computer Science (application of learning systems, informatics, image processing, and other methods of artificial intelligence to the diagnosis, treatment, and management of persons with memory problems due to Alzheimer's disease and related disorders)
Phillip C.-Y. Sheu, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and of Information and Computer Science (database systems, multimedia information management, simulation, object-oriented systems)
Padhraic Smyth, Ph.D. California Institute of Technology, Assistant Professor of Information and Computer Science (statistical pattern recognition, automated analysis of large data sets, applications of probability and statistics to problems in artificial intelligence)
Thomas A. Standish, Ph.D. Carnegie Institute of Technology, Professor of Information and Computer Science (algorithms and data structures)
Einar A. Stefferud, M.B.A. University of California, Los Angeles, Assistant Adjunct Professor of Information and Computer Science (strategic management planning for internetwork environments; standards development; electronic mail systems)
Tatsuya Suda, Ph.D. Kyoto University, Professor of Information and Computer Science and of Electrical and Computer Engineering (computer networks; distributed systems; performance evaluation)
Richard Taylor, Ph.D. University of Colorado, Professor of Information and Computer Science (software engineering, user interfaces, environments, team support)
Wei Kang (Kevin) Tsai, Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and of Information and Computer Science (data communication networks, neural networks, parallel algorithms and architectures, CAD for VLSI systems engineering)
Lecturers
Stephen Franklin, Ph.D. University of Chicago, Lecturer in Information and Computer Science (computer-based educational technology, computer graphics, teaching of programming)
Steven Hampson, Ph.D. University of California, Irvine, Lecturer in Information and Computer Science (connectionism, neural networks)
Norman Jacobson, B.S. University of California, Irvine, Lecturer in Information and Computer Science (formal models, software engineering, programming methodologies, data structures)
David G. Kay, J.D. Loyola Law School, Los Angeles; M.S. University of California, Los Angeles, Lecturer in Information and Computer Science (computer law, including protection of proprietary right in software and liability for failure of computer systems; ethics in computing; computer science education, including curricular development and evaluation of student software)
Raymond Klefstad, Ph.D. University of California, Irvine, Lecturer in Information and Computer Science (programming languages, compilers, software engineering)
Computers and communications technologies have changed the world. From the largest information processing problems to the control of the engines in our automobiles, these technologies play a vital role. This revolution is only a few decades old, but already futurists talk about the twenty-first century in terms of the "information economy," the "information society," and even the "information age." UCI's Department of Information and Computer Science (ICS) is in the center of this revolution, with programs of instruction and research in a variety of areas within computer and information technology.
ICS faculty cover a broad spectrum of important topics in their research and teaching interests including: formal and mathematical methods for improving the performance and power of computational systems; advanced processes for design and engineering of computer systems and communication networks; the software that makes the computer useful, with particular concern for the design and engineering of large software systems for critical applications; the fascinating area of intelligence, and the connections between natural and artificial intelligence; the economics, sociology, and application of the technology in modern organizations, and the use of interactive multimedia in computer systems that facilitate learning. The faculty are concerned with more than just technology, however. The fundamental intellectual features of the information and computer sciences are applicable to many scholarly and scientific fields. ICS is truly an interdisciplinary department, simultaneously grounded in science and oriented toward application.
Computer resources available for campuswide use include the Maspar and Hypercube parallel processors, which are made available by various departments at UCI. Additionally, systems available from the UCI Office of Academic Computing (OAC) include Convex C3840 (UNIX), DEC VAXstation (VMS), Sun SPARC servers, numerous workstations, and color scanners and printers. Campus dial-up lines provide support for home connections to many of these systems as well as systems within the Department of Information and Computer Science. X terminals, Pentium PCs, and Power Macintoshes also are available via laboratories open 24 hours a day. Additional information may be obtained by calling OAC at (714) 824-6116 or by sending electronic mail to oac@uci.edu.
Computer resources within the Department of Information and Computer Science include a wide range of instructional and research machines. For instructional computing, these include two UNIX servers (a Sun SPARCserver 1000 multiprocessor and a Sun 670MP multiprocessor), 50 SPARC workstations, 180 Macintoshes, and some additional PCs and general purpose terminals. For research computing, resources include a Sequent multiprocessor and over 250 varying types of Sun workstations and servers.
Information and Computer Science B.S., M.S., Ph.D.
Honors
Honors at graduation, e.g., cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude, are awarded to approximately 12 percent of the graduating seniors. Students are nominated for honors based on criteria such as grade point average (including overall, ICS, mathematics); number of upper-division ICS courses completed beyond the minimum; courses taken outside ICS beyond required breadth; and research activities. To be eligible for honors, a general criterion is that students must have completed at least 72 units in residence at a University of California campus. Other important factors are considered (see page 55).
Many career opportunities exist for students with an undergraduate degree in computer science. Entry-level positions have included systems programmer, systems analyst, network administrator, management information systems consultant, and software engineer. The Career and Life Planning Center provides services to UCI students and alumni including career counseling, information about job opportunities, and a career library, as well as workshops on resume preparation, job search, interview techniques, and internship opportunities. Additional information is available in the Career and Life Planning Center section.
The ICS undergraduate program prepares students for professions and careers in industry and provides students with the tools for advanced education at the graduate level. Many ICS graduates follow career paths immediately after graduation; others go on to advanced study in a variety of fields, including computer science, management, engineering, law, medicine, and so on. An ICS undergraduate education is a blend of scholarship, science, technology, and practical application that forms an excellent foundation for professional life in the twenty-first century and prepares a student with serviceable skills useful for a lifetime.
The basis of the ICS undergraduate program is a set of fundamental courses in mathematics and computer science, supplemented by breadth requirements from other academic disciplines. A premium is placed on writing and quantitative skills. Students start early with hands-on experience with advanced computing systems, and intense use of computer and network technologies continues throughout the undergraduate program. ICS students study data organization, algorithm design and analysis, design and organization of hardware and network systems, software engineering, artificial intelligence, social aspects of system design and use, and management of technology. In the process, students work with state-of-the-art hardware and software technologies, learn several contemporary programming languages, and make extensive use of computer-based utilities such as electronic mail. ICS students can send and receive electronic mail over the Internet, read and respond to Internet bulletin boards, and browse the World Wide Web.
Students who are doing, or planning to do, extensive work with numerical problems are advised to consider courses in numerical analysis, statistics, probability, or other applied mathematics areas.
Students may also wish to consult the list of courses offered by the School of Engineering.
Students enrolled in other degree programs who are interested in digital computer programming and the field of computer science will normally begin their studies with Introduction to Computer Science I (ICS 21) and continue in the programming sequence with Introduction to Computer Science II and III (ICS 22 and 23) as far as their interests require and their programs permit.
The ICS Undergraduate Student Affairs Office is staffed by professional academic counselors and peer advisors. These individuals are available to assist students with program planning, questions on University and departmental policies and procedures, progress toward graduation, and other questions that arise in the course of a student's education. Faculty also are available for advising, generally for suggestions of additional course work in the student's area of specialization and on preparation for graduate school.
Students who transfer to UCI are held to the following requirements:
1. One year of college mathematics. Courses equivalent to Mathematics 6A-B-C are preferred as this facilitates scheduling after transfer to UCI. If not available, students should take first-year calculus. A semester of precalculus and a semester of calculus may not be used to satisfy this requirement.
2. Completion of one year of computer science courses. The year of computer science course work must contain one programming course involving concepts such as those found in Pascal, C, C++, Ada, or another modern, high-level language. Programming-only courses in BASIC, FORTRAN, and COBOL are not sufficient. Additional classes beyond the programming course must be taken to satisfy the year of computer science. It is strongly recommended that these courses be selected from classes that do not focus strictly on learning a programming language, such as courses in data structures or computer architecture, if such courses are available.
3. Completion of one course in approved lower-division writing.
NOTE: The lower-division requirement in ICS consists of five courses which must be taken in a certain order and which are prerequisites for upper-division courses. Students who transfer to UCI as juniors and must complete all or part of this sequence will therefore find that it will take longer than two years to complete their degrees.
To ensure admission consideration for the fall quarter, students should be sure to file their application by November 30 of the prior year. The selection criteria include grades, test scores, and other considerations. Note, however, that in cases where the number of incoming freshmen and advanced standing students who elect ICS as a major exceeds the number of positions available, not all applicants will be accommodated.
Alternately, students can come to the campus without declaring a major and take the courses necessary to meet the ICS change-of-major requirements, Once the course work is completed, and the other conditions for changing majors met, students may then apply for a change of major to ICS. Additional information is available from the ICS academic counselors.
University Requirements: See pages 57-61.
Information and Computer Science Major Requirements
Lower-division (some or all of these are prerequisites for required upper-division ICS courses):
A. Mathematics 6A-B-C and 2A-B-C.
B. ICS 21, 22, 23, 51, 52.
Upper division:
A. ICS 121, 131, 141, 151, 161, 171.
B. One intermediate course in each of two areas, selected from ICS 132; 142, 143, 144, 147, 148; 152, 153; 162, 163, 164; 172, 173. (However, 142 and 143 may both be used to satisfy the intermediate course requirement.)
C. Two project courses selected from ICS 125B, 135, 145A or 145B, 155A or 155B, 156, 165, 175A or 175B.
D. Three upper-division mathematics courses selected from the following groups of courses such that at least two of the three courses are selected from the same group: Mathematics 105A-B, 107 (with accompanying laboratories); 120 A-B, 121A-B, 123; 130A-B-C, 131A-B-C, 132A-B-C (with accompanying laboratories); 140A-B-C-D, 146, 147; 162A-B; 171A-B-C; 150, 151, 152, Philosophy 105A-B-C.
Specializations: Students may elect to complete one or more specializations within the major in Information and Computer Science. Courses taken for a specialization may be used to satisfy upper-division requirements for the major. Courses may also be used to satisfy requirements of more than one specialization, subject to the following limitation: four of the courses used to satisfy the requirements for any one specialization may not be used to satisfy the requirements for any other specialization.
One individual study course (ICS 198 or 199) in the area of specialization may be substituted for one designated course (indicated by *) in the specialization requirements, upon prior approval of the ICS Associate Chair for Undergraduate Affairs.
Artificial Intelligence: four courses* selected from ICS 163 or 165, 170-179 (excluding 171).
Computer Systems: four courses selected from ICS 140-159 (excluding 141 and 151).
Implementation and Analysis of Algorithms: two courses selected from ICS 163, 164, 165; two courses* selected from ICS 125B, 145A, 145B, 156, 175A, 175B.
Information Systems: ICS 125B, 132, 135; one course* selected from ICS 137, 153, 175B, 184.
Networks and Distributed Systems: three courses selected from ICS 143, 147, 148, 153; one course* from ICS 145B, 156.
Software Systems: ICS 125B, 142, 143, 145A, 145B.
Honors Program in Information and Computer Science
The honors program in ICS provides an opportunity for selected students majoring in ICS to pursue advanced work in one of the research areas in the Department. Admission to the program is based on a formal application submitted to the Department in the spring. Applications are available each year beginning May 15 and must be submitted by June 15 to ensure consideration.
For an application to be considered, the following conditions must be met (although exceptions may be granted in unusual circumstances):
1. The student must have completed the required lower-division ICS courses and Mathematics 6A-B-C by the end of the spring quarter in which the application is made.
2. The student must have the following grade point averages:
a. an overall grade point average of at least 3.2;
b. a grade point average of 3.5 or higher in the required lower-division ICS courses;
c. a grade point average of 3.5 or higher in Mathematics 6A-B-C.
3. Application must be made in the spring of the student's sophomore year. Certain exceptions are available, for example, for transfer students whose completion of the lower-division courses is delayed.
In selecting students for the honors program, the Department also considers evidence of ability and interest in research. Students admitted to the program participate in the ICS Honors Seminar (ICS H197), which provides an introduction to research areas in the Department, followed by a minimum of two quarters of independent supervised work (ICS H198). Passing these two 198s counts for one of the project courses required for the major, provided that the other project course taken is in a different area. In order for the student to be considered to have successfully completed the honors program, the work must be certified to be of honors quality by the student's advisor and by the program advisor.
Outstanding students who are interested in a career in management may wish to apply for entry into the Graduate School of Management's 3-2 Program. Students normally apply for this program early in their junior year. See the Graduate School of Management section for additional information.
Upper-division students have the opportunity to experience a different culture while making progress toward degree objectives through the Education Abroad Program (EAP). EAP is an overseas study program which operates in cooperation with host universities and colleges throughout the world. Additional information is available in the Center for International Education section.
