Graduate Certificate in Computer Systems
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
College of Engineering
Computer and Information Science Department
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
Upon completion of this certificate program, participants will have gained:
¾ Knowledge of tools, techniques, and theory associated with computer systems
performance assessment.
¾ Understanding of computer architectures and their tradeoffs.
¾ A breadth of knowledge in computer systems software.
¾ Understanding of fundamental issues associated with computer systems engineering.
¾ A route into the MS programs in either Computer Engineering or in Computer Science
at UMD.
List of Certificate Courses:
CIS 577 Networks
ECE 561 Computer Systems I
ECE 560 Computer Systems Performance Evaluation
CIS 552 Database Systems
ECE 565 Operating Systems
The Computer Systems certificate program is offered jointly by the Departments of Electrical and
Computer Engineering and Computer and Information Sciences. The five courses that students take
for this certificate are compatible with MS degree requirements for either Computer Science or
Electrical Engineering (Computer Engineering option), enabling certificate recipients to transition to
either degree program without loss of credit.
Admission to the Certificate Program
At UMass Dartmouth, applicants apply for acceptance to a graduate certificate program through the
Office of Graduate Studies. Applicants for acceptance to this certificate are required to hold an
appropriate undergraduate degree such as a BS in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or
Electrical Engineering. Applicants to this certificate also follow the general procedures for graduate
degree acceptance into the MS in Electrical Engineering and the MS in Computer Science, but in a
curtailed form. Thus, they fill out the same application form as do degree applicants and supply an
essay and official transcripts of all post-secondary work, as instructed therein. However, they are not
required to submit GRE scores or recommendation letters.
Prospective students can take up to two courses for the certificate before completing their official
acceptance to the certificate program, with permission of the instructor.
A joint faculty committee will review applications for acceptance to this certificate program. One
element in the review will be to assess whether a student has met the stated prerequisites and in
general has the appropriate combination of background and experience to succeed in the program. It
is possible for acceptance to be offered with a contingency that the student must also take one or more
undergraduate prerequisite courses.
Admissions Contact (Feel free to call, e-mail, or write to receive an application and catalogue)
Office of Graduate Studies
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
285 Old Westport Road
North Dartmouth, Massachusetts 02747-2300
graduate@umassd.edu
phone: 508-999-8604
fax: 508-999-8183
www.umassd.edu/graduate
Courses for the Certificate in Computer Systems
Certificate students receive the same benefits as do degree students as regards access to the full range
of university services and facilities and may register along with graduate degree students. The record
of their studies is recorded on an official transcript, which identifies the specific certificate program.
Other graduate policies, such as those for longevity of credit, acceptable grades, and repeatability of
courses, apply to certificate students as to degree students. Certificate students pay graduate tuition
and fees.
CIS 552 three credits
Database Design
Prerequisite: CIS 212 or equivalent
The relational, hierarchical, and network approaches to database systems, including relational algebra
and calculus, data dependencies, normal forms, data semantics, query optimization, and concurrency
control on distributed database systems.
ECE 560
Computer Systems Performance Evaluation
3 hours lecture
Prerequisites: Graduate standing; and ECE 366 or equivalent
Develops a broad working knowledge of probability, queuing theory, petri-nets,
simulation and empirical modeling as applied to computer systems hardware and
software performance modeling and assessment. The course is oriented toward a
practical application of theory and concepts with an emphasis placed on use of computer
tools to model performance and to perform tradeoff analysis.\
ECE 561 three credits
Computer Systems I
3 hours lecture
Prerequisite: ECE 363, CIS 111, or CIS 261
Develops a broad working knowledge of computer systems hardware and software including
interrupt handling, assembly language, high order language interfaces and communications to
the operating system. In addition, various themes in the development of computer
architectures will be examined including hardware and software developments such as virtual
memories, stacks, general purpose operating systems and hardware-software tradeoffs.
ECE 565 three credits
Computer Operating Systems
3 hours lecture
Prerequisite: ECE 561 or permission of instructor
The methodologies of operating systems design and implementation principles will be
discussed in the context of two major case studies (the UNIX and Windows NT kernels) in a
distributed environment. Topics include the kernel architecture, file systems, process
structure, threads, control, inter-process communications and memory management.
CIS 577 three credits
Computer Networks
Prerequisite: CIS 475 or permission of instructor
Analysis and modeling of centralized and distributed computer networks. Queuing network
analysis, principles of network design, software considerations, and design of computer
networks are also studied.