To: Incoming Computer Science Graduate Students From: Mary Lou Soffa, Owen R. Cheatham Professor and Chair Date: July 11, 2007 Welcome to the Computer Science Department at the University of Virginia! We are delighted that you are joining our Department. This is an exciting time for you as well as the Department. You are approaching a new phase in your career and we are looking forward to working with you and doing all we can to meet your expectations and to make your graduate career a success. Our Department continues to prosper in research and graduate student education and training. This coming year, we will have two new faculty members, and our new building is in discussion. Our research funding continues to increase as does our publication record. This past year, 75 papers published in top venues were coauthored by graduate students. Our graduate students are highly sought after upon the completion of their Ph.D. and are getting superb job offers. We are eager to have you participate in the exciting research of our faculty. Orientation To ease your transition of becoming a graduate student, and in most cases, to a new university, we have planned a week of orientation. At the orientation, you will be exposed to technical and administrative information, and to the culture in the Department. The Orientation is mandatory for all incoming Computer Science graduate students, and lasts a full week. At the initial meeting on August 26th, you will be given a detailed schedule, but plan on orientation consuming much of your time. The enclosed packet will provide some idea of what to expect upon your arrival in August. All international students will be assigned a time slot on either Monday, August 20th or Tuesday, August 21st to take the required SPEAK TEST. There is also a teaching workshop on Wednesday, August 22nd and Thursday, August 23rd from 9:00 a.m. until approximately 1:30 p.m. You are expected to attend the teaching workshop also, since teaching and giving presentations is an important part of a graduate education. Classes will begin on August 28, 2007. Graduate Courses There are two required core courses in the fall semester. One is CS 654, Computer Organization, and the primary prerequisites are CS 333 and some of the computer organization material from CS 414. Thus, you should concentrate on this material to be sure you can take this graduate course in the fall. The second required course is CS 696, Computer Science Perspectives, which introduces you to the research ongoing in the department. In addition to CS 654 and CS 696, students, in consultation with their advisor, generally select two additional graduate level courses. The core course in the Spring is CS 660, Theory of Computation. The primary prerequisite for Theory of Computation is CS 302. Ideally, you will be familiar with this material before you arrive in the fall. If you have questions on any of these matters, please contact the Department (434) 924-7605 or send email to Brenda Perkins, Administrative Assistant, bhp6a@cs.virginia.edu We look forward to seeing you in August, and to a fun and productive semester!