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If you plan to pursue graduate studies in computer science or computer engineering, Fast Track can help you take the lead. This program speeds up the process if you're committed to earning a master's degree from our department. With Fast Track, you can begin graduate studies at the end of your junior year and may complete both the Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees within five years.

Fast Track is an identification of specific pairs of advanced undergraduate and graduate courses. This identification helps excellent undergraduates avoid some repetition and move further into advanced studies during their undergraduate days.

Starting fall 2023, computer science and computing undergraduate students can earn up to 12 credits of graduate credit; computer engineering undergraduate students can earn up to nine credits of graduate credit. This can reduce the needed period for a graduate degree. This credit is received by taking a graduate course and other work that may be required by the instructor. At the end of the semester, the student is also awarded Credit by Examination by the professor based upon satisfactory academic performance of an A or a B in the graduate course.

The necessary steps to take advantage of this opportunity are:

  1. Make excellent grades as an undergraduate. A GPA of 3.5 is required.
  2. Visit with an advisor (in EABA 100C) to review your progress and explore the Fast Track possibilities. This normally will be done no earlier than the first semester of the third year. It should be done with at least two semesters remaining.
  3. Select the courses that you plan to take for Fast Track and ask the advisor to make sure of the expected schedule for those courses to be offered (some graduate courses are offered once per year, or less often).
  4. Each time you plan to enroll in a Fast Track course, you should:
    • Meet the instructor for the course and discuss his/her requirements.
    • Enroll for the course.
    • Complete the required form for taking a graduate course. You will check one box reserving the course for graduate credit.
  5. Once the course grades are available in the semester that you are taking a graduate course for Fast Track credit, check with the advising office to remind them to process the Credit by Examination paperwork to give you the appropriate credit for the course on your degree plan.

Fast Track Course Pairs

The set of course pairs has been expanded starting fall 2023. Courses with an asterisk must be taken fall 2023 or later to be used for Fast Track.

  • Software Engineering
    CSCE 606 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 431, Software Engineering.
  • Database Systems*
    CSCE 608 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 310, Database Systems.
  • Operating Systems*
    CSCE 611 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 410, Operating Systems.
  • Applied Networks and Distributed Processing*
    CSCE 612 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 463, Networks and Distributed Processing.
  • Computer Architecture
    CSCE 614 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 469, Advanced Computer Architecture.
  • Introduction to Hardware Design Verification*
    CSCE 616 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 416/ECEN 416, Hardware Design Verification.
  • Artificial Intelligence
    CSCE 625 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 420, Artificial Intelligence.
  • Theory of Computability
    CSCE 627 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 433, Formal Languages and Automata.
  • Analysis of Algorithms
    CSCE 629 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 411, Analysis of Algorithms.
  • Machine Learning*
    CSCE 633 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 421, Machine Learning.
  • Quantum Algorithms
    CSCE 640 is taken for Graduate Credit. it is paired with CSCE 440, Quantum Algorithms.
  • Computer Methods in Applied Sciences*
    CSCE 653 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 442, Scientific Programming.
  • Computers and New Media
    CSCE 656 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 445, Computers and New Media.
  • Distributed Processing Systems*
    CSCE 662 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 438, Distributed Systems.
  • Wireless and Mobile Systems*
    CSCE 664 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 464, Wireless and Mobile Systems.
  • Advanced Networking and Security*
    CSCE 665 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 465, Computer and Network Security.
  • Information Storage and Retrieval
    CSCE 670 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 470, Information Storage and Retrieval.
  • Distributed Systems and Cloud Computing*
    CSCE 678/ECEN 757 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 412, Cloud Computing.
  • Data Visualization*
    CSCE 679/VIZA 676 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 447/VIST 476, Data Visualization.
  • Computer-Human Interaction
    CSCE 671 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 436, Computer-Human Interaction.
  • Law and Policy in Cybersecurity*
    CSCE 702/CYBR 602 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 402/CYBR 402, Law and Policy in Cybersecurity.
  • Cybersecurity Risk*
    CSCE 703/CYBR 603 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 477/CYBR 403, Cybersecurity Risk.
  • Data Analytics for Cybersecurity*
    CSCE 704/CYBR 604 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 439, Data Analytics for Cybersecurity.
  • Software Security*
    CSCE 713 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 413, Software Security.
  • Parallel Computing
    CSCE 735 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 435, Parallel Computing.
  • Computational Photography*
    CSCE 748 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 448, Computational Photography.
  • Robotics and Spatial Intelligence*
    CSCE 752 is taken for Graduate Credit. It is paired with CSCE 452, Robotics and Spatial Intelligence.

Requesting Placement in a Fast Track Course

To request placement in one of our CSCE graduate courses, you will need to complete a Petition for Undergraduate Students to Enroll in a Graduate Course form with the instructor's signature (or approval email attached). You can attach the petition to the Undergraduate Request to Enroll in Graduate CSCE Courses form, which will be open throughout the registration period.

Keep in mind that placement is not guaranteed, so students should register for a backup class in the event the request cannot be accommodated. Placements will not be made until two weeks before a semester begins.