Department of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University

Introduction

Undergraduate Programs

Masters Program

Ph.D Program

Undergraduate Courses

Combined Courses

Graduate Courses

Course Catalog: Graduate Courses

600.601-602 Computer Science Seminars

This course is offered satisfactory/unsatisfactory each semester. A grade of satisfactory can be attained by attending a minimum of the smallest integer greater than or equal to 2N/3 seminars in the Department of Computer Science, where N is the total number of seminars which are presented between and including the first and last class days of the semester and which are officially announced at least one week in advance. An e-mail message and/or display of a poster outside the department office describing the seminar will constitute its official announcement. This course is required for all full-time graduate students in Computer Science. [General]

Staff fall, spring

600.619 Advanced Storage and Transaction Processing Systems

In this course, we will examine advanced research topics in storage systems, file systems, transaction processing, and network data management. The readings are taken from the current research literature and articles of historical significance. This course is intended for graduate students interested in conducting research on or related to these topics and for students who face management, availability or performance issues with data in their own research. Students will conduct a semester long research project and present their results to the class. In addition to the scheduled meetings, students will have weekly one-on-one meetings with the professor. Prerequisite: 600.419 or permission of instructor. [Systems]

Burns 3 hours

600.624 Advanced Topics in Network Security
This course focuses on advanced research topics in communications security. The course is structured as a research seminar where students present research papers to the class. Topics include protocol analysis, security in inter-domain routing, broadcast authentication protocols, covert channels and anonymous communication, key management, advanced traceback schemes, attack propagation modeling, among others. A course project is required. Prerequisite: 600.324/424, 600.344/444 or instructor permission. [Systems]

Monrose 3 hours

600.625 Computer and Network Forensics

The course exposes students to a myriad of fundamental concepts and techniques for recovering and inferring information in computer systems and networks. Topics include (but are not limited too) file system forensics, kernel-level rootkits and associated challenges, reconstructing malware evolution and dynamics, analysis of anonymization and privacy preserving techniques, advanced network traceback, traffic classification, biometrics and digital evidence, data integrity and audit trails, secure remote logging, and system call introspection. A semester-long course project is required. Students will also be responsible for presenting and discussing selected research papers on topics pertinent to the course. Some familiarity with low-level system programming is assumed. Prerequisite: 600.324/424 and 600.318/418 or instructor permission. [Applications]

Monrose 3 hours

600.630 Computer Vision Seminar

This seminar course surveys recent research results in algorithms for dynamic vision and their applications. Specific emphasis will be placed on approaches which derive novel and efficient algorithms using generalizable mathematical and/or computational principles. Sample topics include: color and texture, segmentation and grouping, motion and tracking, stereo and structure from motion, image-based modeling, illumination and reflectance modeling, shape reconstruction, object and event recognition, face/gesture/gait modeling, statistical methods and learning, medical imaging, image and video retrieval, etc. Students will be expected to participate in class by reading, presenting, and discussing research papers. Prerequisites: 600.361/461 or 530.646 or permission of instructor. [Applications]

Hager 3 hours

600.641 Special Topics in Theoretical Cryptography
In this seminar, we will explore the foundations of modern cryptography. We will study how to formalize the security guarantee of a protocol and cover techniques for proving that a protocol meets a claimed guarantee. Some included topics will be zero-knowledge proofs, multiparty computation, program obfuscation, and anonymous authentication. An emphasis will be placed on major past results, recent progress and current open problems. The workload will include a final research project. Prerequisite: a prior course in cryptography or security, or permission of the instructor. [Analysis]

Hohenberger 3 hours

600.642 Advanced Cryptographic Protocols

This course will focus on advanced cryptographic protocols with an emphasis on open research problems. Prerequisite: 600.442 or 600.443 or permission of the instructor. [Applications]

Ateniese 3 hours

600.643 Advanced Topics in Computer Security
Topics will vary from year to year, but will focus mainly on network perimeter protection, host-level protection, authentication technologies, intellectual property protection, formal analysis techniques, intrusion detection and similarly advanced subjects. Emphasis in this course is on understanding how security issues impact real systems, while maintaining an appreciation for grounding the work in fundamental science. Students will study and present various advanced research papers to the class. There will be homework assignments and a course project. Prereq: any 600.4xx course in computer security or cryptography including 600.442, 600.443 or 600.424; or permission of instructor. [Systems or Applications]

Rubin 3 hours

600.644 Advanced Computer Networks
This is a graduate level course on computer networking. The course involves both a reading/lecture/discussion component and a project component. We will read about 50 research papers on various aspects of computer networking: LAN/WAN technologies, congestion/flow control, traffic analysis, routing, internetworking, multicast, security, and quality of service. Students are expected to read papers before the class, submit a one page summary for each paper, and participate in the discussion during the class. The class projects can be either of the following types: design/implementation, measurement, and simulation. The lecture will be conducted in an interactive fashion. The instructor will lead the discussion, but we expect everyone to participate. You will be graded for both the paper summaries and class discussion. Prerequisite: 600.344/444or instructor permission. [Systems]

Terzis 3 hours

600.646 Advanced Computer-Integrated Surgery II

(See description under 600.446.)

Prerequisite: 600.445 or permission of instructor. [Applications]

Taylor 3 hours spring

600.647 Advanced Topics in Wireless Networks

This class will survey current research in wireless communication networks. These types of networks have been growing exponentially in the past several years and include a host of different network types: ad hoc, cell phone, access point, sensor, etc. The class will build understanding of all layers of wireless networking and the interactions between them (including: physical, data link, medium access control, routing, transport, and application). The topics of security, energy efficiency, mobility, scalability, and their unique characteristics in wireless networks will be discussed Prerequisites: 600.344/444 and 600.363/463. [Systems or Analysis]

Awerbuch 3 credits

600.649 Sensor Networks

(Replaced by 600.450 starting Fall 2007.) Embedded network systems, including sensor networks, distributed control applications, and ubiquitous computing environments, are becoming an important new computing class with wide ranging and novel applications. They present a range of computer systems challenges because they are closely coupled to the physical world with all its unpredictable variation, noise, and asynchrony; they involve many energy-constrained, resource-limited devices operating in concert; they must be largely self-organizing and self-maintaining; and they must be robust despite significant noise, loss, and failure. This area has reached a stage where solid initial platforms have been developed, a number of 'leading applications' have been fielded, and a rich body of literature has emerged. This course will be reading/project/discussion focused, with a goal of covering the area is substantial depth. Topics include application-driven network architectures, emerging platforms and technology, resource constrained real-time OSs, media access control, distributed algorithms (broadcast, anycast, multicast, convergecast) in lossy wireless networks, ad hoc multihop routing, pseudo-geographic routing, in-network aggregation and processing, multi-resolution storage, compression and source-coding, time synchronization, coverage and density, ranging and localization, resilient aggregators, tracking, capacity, distributed feature extraction, tracking, and collaborative signal processing. We will also look at emerging standards, such as ZIGBEE. It will require substantial reading and class participation, a sequence of group mini-studies, and a research project. Prerequisite: 600.349/449 or instructor permission. [Systems]

Terzis 3 hours

600.651 Haptic Systems for Teleoperation and Virtual Reality

(Cross-listed with 530.651.)

Open to Undergraduates with permission. Graduate-level introduction to the field of haptics, focusing on teleoperated and virtual environments that are displayed through the sense of touch. Topics covered include human haptic sensing and control, design of haptic interfaces (tactile and force), haptics for teleoperation, haptic rendering and modeling of virtual environments, control and stability issues, and medical applications such as tele-surgery and surgical simulation. Course work includes reading and discussion of research papers, presentations, and a final project. Appropriate for students in any engineering discipline with interests in robotics, virtual reality, or computer-integrated surgical systems. [Applications]

Okamura 3 hours

600.652 Advanced Computer-Integrated Surgery Seminar

(See description under 600.452.) Prerequisite: 600.445 or permission of instructor. [Applications]

Taylor 1 hour spring

600.658 Seminar on Shape Analysis and Retrieval

This course is motivated by the recent proliferation of 3D models on the World Wide Web and will focus on methods for designing systems that allow users to retrieve desired models from large repositories of 3D shapes. The course will review a number of existing shape representations designed to assist in the task of whole-object and partial-object retrieval. Some of the subjects discussed in this course will include, signal processing, alignment, compression, skeletonization, and shape descriptors. Students will be expected to present one or two papers throughout the course of the semester and will also need to complete a final project in the area. Prereq: any 600.4xx course in computer graphics & linear algebra; or permission of instructor. [Applications]

Kazhdan 3 hours

600.659 Seminar on 3D Model Reconstruction

This seminar will survery a variety of classical and recent techniques for the reconstruction of 3D models. The course will be decomposed into three separate parts: (1) reconstruction of models using computational-geometry-based techniques, (2) reconstruction of models using surface fitting approaches, and (3) reconstruction of models using implicit function fitting. Students will be expected to present two or

three papers throughout the semester and will also need to complete two projects. The first project will be an implementation project, focused on exposing students to some of the technical challenges of reconstruction by having them implement an existing method. The second project will be a research project, motivating students to think about new methods for surface reconstruction. Prereq: any 600.4xx course in computer graphics & linear algebra; or permission of instructor. [Applications or Analysis]

Kazhdan 3 hours

600.660 FFT in Graphics & Vision

In this course, we will study the Fourier Transform from the perspective of representation theory. We will begin by considering the standard transform defined by the commutative group of rotations in 2D and translations in two- and three-dimensions, and will proceed to the Fourier Transform of the non-commutative group of 3D rotations. Subjects covered will include correlation of images, shape matching, computation of invariances, and symmetry detection. Prereq: linear algebra and comfort with mathematical derivations. [Applications or Analysis]

Kazhdan 3 hours

600.664 Randomized Algorithms

Similar material as 600.464, presented in more depth. Intended for graduate students. Students may receive credit for 600.464 or 600.664, but not both. Pass/Fail only. Prerequisite: 600.463. [Analysis]

Kosaraju 3 hours spring

600.665 Statistical Language Learning

This course focuses on past and present research that has attempted, with mixed success, to induce the structure of language from raw data such as text. Lectures will be intermixed with reading and discussion of the primary literature. Students will critique the readings, answer open-ended homework questions, and undertake a final project. Prerequisite: 600.465 or permission required. [Applications]

Eisner 3 hours

600.666 Information Extraction from Speech and Text

Introduction to statistical methods of speech recognition (automatic transcription of speech) and understanding. The course is a natural continuation of 600.465 but is independent of it. Topics include elementary information theory, hidden Markov models, the Baum and Viterbi algorithms, efficient hypothesis search methods, statistical decision trees, the estimation-maximization (EM) algorithm, maximum entropy estimation and estimation of discrete probabilities from sparse data for acoustic and language modeling. Weekly assignments and several programming projects. Prerequisites: 550.310 or equivalent, expertise in C or C++ programming. (Co-listed with 050.666 and 520.666.) [Applications]

Khudanpur 3 hours

600.667 Advanced Distributed Systems and Networks

This course is focused on the state of the art in distributed systems research, networks, and the Internet. The course is managed as a discussion group where the professor and students present recent research topics, as well as design and implement useful semester-long projects. Prerequisite: 600.437 or permission of instructor. [Systems]

Amir 3 hours spring

600.671 Special Topics on Bio-Nano Computing

This course will cover nanotechnology, bio-nanotechnology, introductory structural biology, molecular bioengineering, DNA computing, molecular electronics, and related fields with a focus on the design, fabrication, use, and development of systems with molecular-scale components. Previous knowledge of chemistry or macromolecular structure is not required. The course is appropriate for graduate and advanced undergraduate students in engineering, computer science, chemistry, and information technology-related fields. This course will be in lecture and discussion format. Students will read and discuss seminal papers in the field. [Applications]

Basu 3 hours

600.726 Seminar in Programming Languages

This seminar course covers recent developments in the foundations of programming language design and implementation. Topics vary from year to year. Students will present papers orally. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.

Smith 1 hour

600.735 Seminar in Machine Learning

This seminar course will look at research in machine learning. Topics will be selected from those of mutual interest between students and the instructor. Sample topics include reinforcement learning, kernel methods, experimental methods in machine learning, computational learning theory, lazy learning, evolutionary computation, and neural networks. Students are expected to select papers and lead discussion. Pre-requisite: Permission of the instructor.

Sheppard 1 hour

600.743 Seminar in Systems
Weekly discussion based on current topics in the broad systems area. The goal of this effort is to expose all of us to current research and to foster greater communication and cooperation among the different groups doing research in the systems area here at Hopkins. Each student is responsible for reading the papers and participating in the discussion. Furthermore, every week one student will be responsible for creating a short presentation about the paper and leading the discussion. Pre-req: permission of instructor.
Terzis/Burns 1 hour

600.745 Seminar in Computer Integrated Surgery

This weekly seminar will focus on research issues in computer integrated surgery, including subjects such as medical image analysis, statistical modeling, visualization, vision/sensing, surgical planning, medical robotics, and clinical applications. The purpose of the course is to widen the knowledge and awareness of the participants in current research in these areas, as well as to promote greater awareness and interaction between multiple research groups within the University and beyond. The format of the course is informal presentation by a pre-eminent invited speaker, followed by free discussion.

Fitchtinger 1 hour

600.746 Medical Image Analysis Seminar

This weekly seminar will focus on research issues in medical image analysis, including image segmentation, registration, statistical modeling, and applications. It will also include selected topics relating to medical image acquisition, especially where they relate to analysis. The purpose of the course is to provide the participants with a thorough background in current research in these areas, as well as to promote greater awareness and interaction between multiple research groups within the university. The format of the course is informal. Students will read selected papers. All students will be assumed to have read these papers by the time the paper is scheduled for discussion. Individual students will be assigned on a rotating basis to lead the discussion on particular papers or sections of papers. Co-listed in ECE as 520.746.
Taylor/Prince/Hager 1 hour

600.757 Seminar in Computer Graphics

This seminar course reviews current research in computer graphics. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
Kazhdan 1 hour

600.761 Computer Vision Techniques For Multi-Sensor Image Fusion

With the continuing advancement of various sensor technologies, multiple imaging

modalities are more often becoming simultaneously available for deriving information from the world. In medical imaging, MRI, CAT and PET modalities can be separately used to image the same tissue, providing complementary information for visualization and diagnosis. Cameras using objective lenses are now available that image in the visible, Near-infrared, ShortWave-infrared and Thermal Infrared spectrums; in combinations of two or more modalities these can provide vastly enhanced information about the physical world. This seminar will study a variety of computer vision techniques for both visual image fusion, such as for enhancing human visual perception beyond the visible spectrum, as well as analytic image fusion such as for enhancing the performance of automated object and face recognition. Recommended: 600.641 or equiv.

Wolff 2 hours

600.765 Seminar in Natural Language Processing

A reading group exploring important current research in the field and potentially relevant material from related fields. Enrolled students are expected to present papers and lead discussion. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.

Eisner 1 hour

600.771 Seminar in Theory

This seminar course reviews current research in theoretical computer science. Students will read, present, and discuss papers in weekly meetings. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.

Scheideler 1 hour

600.801-802 Dissertation Research

600.803-804, 895 Graduate Research

Independent research for masters or pre-dissertation PhD students.

600.809-810, 891 Independent Study

Individual study in an area of mutual interest to a graduate student and a faculty member in the department.

Robotics Courses

This listing is provided to help graduate students with an interest in robotics choose appropriate courses for their program of study in consultation with their faculty adviser.

Biomedical Engineering

580.631 Biomechanics and Motor Control

Computer Science

600.435 Artificial Intelligence

600.445 Computer-Integrated Surgery I

600.446 Computer-Integrated Surgery II

600.452 Computer-Integrated Surgery Seminar

600.461 Computer Vision

600.462 Advanced Topics in Computer Vision

600.630 Computer Vision Seminar

600.646 Advanced Computer-Integrated Surgery II

600.652 Advanced Computer-Integrated Surgery Seminar

Electrical and Computer Engineering

520.353 Control Systems

520.454 Control Systems Design

520.614 Linear System Theory

520.615 Linear Control Theory520.621 Introduction to Nonlinear Systems

Mechanical Engineering

530.343 Design and Analysis of Dynamic Systems

530.420 Robot Actuators and Sensors

530.421 Mechatronics

530.424 Dynamics of Robots and Spacecraft

530.645 Kinematics

530.646 Introduction to Robotics

530.647 Adaptive Systems

530.649 Robot Motion Planning

530.651 Haptic Systems for Teleoperation and Virtual Reality

Courses in Language and Speech Processing

This listing is provided to help graduate students with an interest in language and speech processing choose appropriate courses for their program of study in consultation with their faculty adviser.

Cognitive Science

050.370/670 Formal Methods in Cognitive Science: Language

050.371/671 Formal Methods in Cognitive Science: Inference

050.372/672 Formal Methods in Cognitive Science: Neural Networks

050.317/617 Semantics I

050.320/620 Syntax I

050.321/621 Syntax II

050.325/625 Phonology I

050-327/627 Phonology II

050.330 Psycholinguistics

050.630 Topics in Language Processing

Computer Science