Department of Computer Science
Graduate Comprehensive Examination Spring 2012
Examination Date: Saturday February 25, 2012, 9am – 11am & 1pm – 3pm
Registration Date: Tuesday January 3, 2012 – Friday February 10, 2012

The Graduate Comprehensive Examination (GCE) is offered to students enrolled in a graduate degree program, in the fall (last Saturday in September) and spring (last Saturday in February) semesters of each year. The GCE seeks to assess the graduate students’ mastery of a range of fundamental computer science topics, beyond that of the undergraduate level. Students will be allowed two (2) attempts at passing the GCE; any request for additional sitting of the examination must be by way of a petition to the Department of Computer Science Graduate Program Committee. There is a single sitting of the examination each semester. A set of selected textbooks will constitute the recommended review material for the GCE.

Students will select four (4) of the six (6) areas of computer science to be examined on:

1. Algorithms and Data Structures,
2. Artificial Intelligence,
3. Data Communications Systems (operating and network systems),
4. Database Systems,
5. Software Development, and
6. Theoretical Foundation.

A list of selected reading material, which constitutes the recommended review material for the GCE, follows:

Theoretical Foundation

1. Theory of Computing--A Gentle Introduction, Kinber-Smith (2001) (Chapters 1 – 6)
2. Computational Complexity, Papadimitriou (1994) (Chapters 1 – 5, 9)

Database Systems

1. Fundamentals of Database Systems, 5^th edition, Elmarsi/Navathe (Chapters 1 - 12, 17 - 19, 23).

Software Development

1. Software Engineering 9^th ed., Ian Sommerville (2010) (Chapters 2, 4 – 7, 9, 16 – 18, 25 – 26)
2. Software Testing (A Craftsman's Approach), Paul C. Jorgensen (Chapters 5 – 7, 9 – 10, 12 – 14)

Artificial Intelligence

1. Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, 2^nd ed., Russell & Norvig, Prentice Hall (Chapters 1 - 10, 13 - 14, 26)

Algorithms and Data Structures

1. Introduction to Algorithms, second edition, Thomas H. Cormen (Chapters 1 – 4, 6 – 8, 10 – 13, 15 – 16, 18, 21 – 24, 26, 34)

Data Communication Systems

1. Computer Networks: A Systems Approach (Fourth Edition), Larry L. Peterson and Bruce S. Davie, Morgan Kaufmann, 2007
2. Communication Networking: An Analytical Approach (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Networking) Anurag, Kumar, D. Manjunath, Joy Kuri Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann; 1^st edition (May 21, 2004)

The examination will be for four (4) hours with a 2 hour break. Students will sit two (2) sections of the examination in the morning session and two (2) sections in the afternoon section. Passing the GCE will be based on candidates passing a majority of the sections taken in the examination. After the close of registration, students will be notified of the scheduling of the examination sections.

The examination will be written and closed book.