Grad School Curriculum
I was accepted and have been enrolled in UNM's Electrical and Computer Engineering Masters program since late 2004. Classes started on January 18th 2005. I'm taking the Computer Networks and Systems track of Computer Engineering with thesis option. This plan requires 24 hours of coursework + one hour of seminar + 6 hours of thesis. Here's a tentative list of work that will be continuously updated as progress is made:
| Next Semester | In Progress This Semester | Complete |
| Hrs | Computer Networks and Systems Core Track Courses (9 hrs) | |
| 3 | ECE536
Spring 2005 A |
Computer Systems Software: Course considers design principles, implementation issues, and performance evaluation of system software in advanced computing environments. Topics include resource allocation and scheduling, information service provider and manipulation, multithreading and concurrency, and security for parallel and distributed systems. |
| 3 | ECE537
Fall 2006 B+ |
Foundations of Computing:
Computational aspects of engineering problems. Topics include machine models and computability, classification, and performance analysis of algorithms, advanced data structures, approximation algorithms, introduction to complexity theory and complexity classes. |
| 3 | ECE540
Spring 2005 A |
Advanced Network Topics: Research, design, and implementation of high-performance computer networks and distributed systems. High speed networking technologies, multimedia networks, enterprise network security and management, client/server database applications, mobile communications and state-of-the-art internetworking solutions. |
| Core Class From Another Track (3 hrs) | ||
| 3 | ECE538
Fall 2005 A |
Advanced Computer Architectures:
In-depth analysis of computer architecture techniques. Topics include high speed computing techniques, memory systems, pipelining, vector machines, parallel processing, multiprocessor systems, high-level language machines, and data flow computers. |
| Department Seminar (1 hr) | ||
| 1 | ECE590
Fall 2005 credit |
Department Seminar: The student must attend 10 seminars during the semester. Of these seminars, at least 5 must be a seminar given in the EECE Graduate Seminar Series. The remaining seminars can be any technical seminar given at UNM, or some other venue (like in one of the Labs or even during a conference). In order to receive credit for having attended a seminar, for EECE seminars the student must sign the attendance sheet. For non-EECE seminars, the student must prepare a one-page summary of the seminar she or he attended. |
| Master's Thesis (6 hrs) | ||
| 3 | ECE599
Fall 2007 |
Master's Thesis: Parallel Panoramic Photo Mosaics |
| 3 | ECE599
Spring 2008 |
Master's Thesis: Parallel Panoramic Photo Mosaics |
| Technical Electives Options (12 hrs needed, of which only 6 may be ECE classes at the 400 level) | ||
| 3 | ECE432
Spring 2006 A+ |
Introduction to Parallel Processing: Machine taxonomy and introduction to parallel programming. Performance issues, speed-up and efficiency. Interconnection networks and embeddings. Parallel programming issues and models: control panel, data parallel and data flow. Programming assignments on massively parallel machines. |
| 3 | ECE437
Spring 2006 A+ |
Operating Systems Principles: Basic principles of modern operating systems design: emphasis on concurrency including problems (nondeterminism), goals (synchronization, exclusion) and methods (semaphores, monitors); resource management including memory management and processor scheduling; file systems; interrupt processing. |
| 3 | CS471
Fall 2006 A+ |
Introduction to Scientific Computing: Introduction to scientific computing fundamentals, exposure to high performance programming language and scientific computing tools, case studies of scientific problem solving techniques. Course allowed for graduate credit to students enrolled in a graduate program. |
| 3 | CS522
Spring 2007 A |
Digital Image Processing: Introduction to the concepts and methods of image and pattern analysis: topics include perception of images, image representation, image transformations, enhancement, restoration, feature extraction, segmentation, computer vision. Survey of applications. |
| 3 | ECE547
Fall 2007 A |
Neural Networks: The operational principles found in the nervous systems of animals will be used to motivate the design of artificial neural networks. These artificial models will be analyzed and their theory developed. Topics will include an introduction to neurobiology, simple models, learning processes, the Perceptron, LMS Algorithm, the Multilayered Perceptron, radial baisis nets, self organization, neuro-dynamics, adaptive resonance theory, electronic and optical hardware implementations, operational systems, and applications. |
I'm also adding the Computational Science & Engineering Certificate to my program, which only adds a 3-hour elective and requires that my thesis contain a significant computational component. CS481/ECE437L (Operating System Principles) wasn't on the last of acceptable electives, but I asked, and it has now been accepted as a suitable elective (for me at least).
How much does it cost to get an MS in Computer Engineering at UNM with in-state tuition? The following is an in-progress accounting of my major expenses:
| Semester | Item | Cost |
| Spring 2005 |
Tuition and fees:
ECE 536 (Distributed Systems - 3 credits) |
$ 1,107.50 |
|
Books:
ECE 536 - $73.50 (used at bookstore) |
$175.00 | |
| Parking (South Lot) | $ 41.00 | |
| Fall 2005 |
Tuition and fees:
ECE 538 (Advanced Computer Architecture - 3 credits) |
$812.80 |
|
Book:
ECE 538 - $85.45 (new at Amazon.com) |
$85.45 | |
| Parking (South Lot) | $ 76.00 | |
| Spring 2006 |
Tuition and fees:
ECE 432 (Parallel Computing - 3 credits) |
$ 1,209.20 |
|
Books (all new from Amazon):
ECE 432 - An Introduction to Parallel Computing - $86.40 |
$ 296.15 | |
| Fall 2006 |
Tuition and fees:
ECE 537 (Foundations of Computing - 3 credits) |
$ 1,246.30 |
| Books: | ||
| Parking (South Lot) | $ 99.00 | |
| Spring 2007 |
Tuition and fees:
CS 522 (Digital Image Processing - 3 credits) |
$ 680.65 |
|
Books:
CS 522 Digital Image Processing |
$131.00 | |
| Fall 2007 |
Tuition and fees:
ECE 547 (Neural Networks - 3 credits) |
$1,340.80 |
|
Books:
ECE 547 (Neural Networks) - Neural Networks - A Comprehensive Foundation |
$128.74 | |
| Parking (South Lot) | $112 | |
| Spring 2008 |
Tuition and fees:
ECE 599 (MS Thesis - 3 credits) |
$682.90 |
| TOTAL | $ 8,224.49 | |
January 9th, 02007 at 8:27 pm
Thats quite a bio. The only resson I stumbled across this cool document was while doing reasearch on Linux Parallel Processing - LCI, symetric procssing, super nodes, and then of course
your interface to it all. I too live in Albuquerque, only for 1 month now, and I am just starting school at NMU. So, remeber my name, you will see some cool papers from me- well Best Regards
Bob Tripp
p.s your home page is one of the best personal pages I seen in a while - simple with good grapahics, and with what just seemed very expressive - two thumbs up, go show old boy.
January 10th, 02007 at 8:36 am
Thank you Bob. Welcome to Albuquerque!