Admissions

Action items:

• Set up your UW NetID and password if you haven’t already.
• Set your preferences for receiving your UW email.
• Enroll in two-factor authentication (2FA) with Duo and connect your NetID
  • Tip: It is probably the most convenient to install the Duo app on your smart phone or another device you have with you regularly (but it’s up to you).

All UW students have their UW NetID and password, which serves as their UW email address (example: yourNetID @ uw.edu) and login credentials for many UW resources. 2FA is required when signing in with your NetID on the web, including on mobile devices.

Modern AI Methods orientation is when you get to meet your fellow new students (and Kate and Taylor, your friendly academic advisors) while also gaining useful information to guide you through Modern AI Methods and your time at UW. There is also the added benefit of parking on campus and finding your classroom, before your first day of class! Orientation is required, so please let Kate and Taylor know asap if it poses a scheduling conflict.

Orientation consists of high-contrast slides and commentary delivered by presenters in English, with a small amount of moving around to form table groups for small-group discussions. Live closed captioning through Google Slides is available, and our venue is ADA-compliant. Some snacks and light bites will be provided. Please feel free to describe any accessibility needs or dietary restrictions in the survey linked below, or to Kate and Taylor directly- we are very happy to support your ability to access and participate!

Action items:

• Mark your calendar! Orientation is on Wednesday, September 17 from 6:00-8:00pm, in-person in Gates Center (CSE2), room G01 (click for map)
• Complete this short pre-orientation survey to report any accessibility needs and/or dietary restrictions. It might also be helpful to review the student handbook’s section on parking and commuting to campus in advance, too.

Deadline: Complete the survey before Tuesday, September 16.

We look forward to meeting you at orientation!

Action item: Gather your documents and submit proof of your immunity to measles, mumps, and meningitis meningococcal ACWY, whether by submitting vaccination records or results of a blood titer test. The immunity verification requirement website has extensive information about the requirement, the kind of documentation you need to provide, and how to submit your documents. This site will be your best source of information regarding this requirement.

Deadline:
Measles/mumps immunity documents should be submitted by October 16 to avoid a next quarter registration hold! Next-quarter registration holds will be placed on October 30 for students whose requirement is not satisfied.

Action item: Submit official transcripts/degree statement to the UW Graduate School (this step is not required for UW alumni, including Bothell/Tacoma students, or those who have previously done so for another UW graduate program).

• Your application status page indicates the school/degree whose transcript should be sent. Typically, this will be your bachelor’s degree-granting institution; if you have attended multiple schools or earned multiple degrees, you won’t need to send documents for all of them.
• Mailing an official copy of your final degree transcript or degree certificate or sending an official electronic copy through Parchment are the easiest ways to complete this step.
• Read more about official transcript requirements and delivery methods.
• Your application status page will update when your documents have been received, and again when your degree has been verified.

Deadline: Work quickly to request your documents so as to allow the most time for them to arrive and be processed. A hold may be placed on your next quarter registration if this step is not completed during your first quarter.

Action item: Obtain your Husky Card (your student ID).

The UW student ID card is more commonly known as the Husky Card. It identifies you as a UW student and is what you use for after-hours building access to CSE facilities, borrowing library materials, your bus pass, and for buying food on campus tax-free (you have to load money onto the card first, however) – and a lot more. Obtaining the physical card is an important step for new students.

Cards are issued by the Husky Card Office and can be obtained in-person or by mail. Read more about Husky Card Office hours and how to obtain your card.

Deadline: to receive your card by mail, upload a photo by September 1 (previously-admitted students can request their card be mailed, too). You otherwise have to collect your card in-person during business hours.

Action item: Bookmark and review the Modern AI Methods student handbook.

The Modern AI Methods student handbook functions as the official policy document for program academics and reiterates several Graduate School and UW policies that also apply to Modern AI Methods students. It is intended to be your reference guide to a lot of important policies, procedures, and more.

You’re not expected to memorize all the information in the handbook, but should review it in its entirety to know what’s included and how to refer back to it later.

Deadline: please review the handbook prior to new student orientation.

Action item: Bookmark the following links.

Below are some UW and Allen School links that you will use a lot. It’s worth understanding what each resource is and when you will use it:

• The Modern AI Methods student handbook: a 24/7 resource for Modern AI Methods planning and policies, plus more information applicable to Allen School and UW students.
• The MyUW portal: Used for course registration, paying your fees, and updating your UW records, among many other functions. Also shows your course schedule after you’ve registered.
• MyPlan: Useful for locating information about next quarter’s course.
• Canvas: May be used for course grading or websites.
• The quarterly PCE time schedule: Shows class schedule details, current enrollment, and registration codes for Modern AI Methods courses
  • Tip: crtl+f ‘CSE D’ to quickly find Modern AI Methods courses
• The Current Modern AI Methods Courses page: Shows the complete Modern AI Methods course sequence!
• The UW academic calendar: Shows quarterly key dates and deadlines such as dates of instruction, schedules for fees and charges, schedule change deadlines, and more.

Action item: Start making progress on the online Husky Prevention & Response student course.

Husky Prevention & Response is a foundational prevention and response course about sex- and gender-based violence and harassment. UW students have an important role to play in ensuring a respectful environment for their peers and the course offers strategies for creating and supporting positive UW climates and stopping sex- and gender-based violence and harassment before they happen. More information about the course and some frequently-asked questions are available from the Office of the Title IX Coordinator.

The course takes 60-90 minutes to complete and can be completed all at once or in multiple sessions (it saves your progress and you can return to it later).

Note: The course may bring up strong emotions for individuals who have experienced violence or harassment or recently supported someone impacted by violence or harassment. If you would like to learn about alternative course completion options, contact tixcourse@uw.edu. It is not necessary to share personal details or a justification when you send an email regarding the alternative course option.

Deadline: Complete the course before the first day of the quarter. Not doing so may result in a hold being placed on next quarter’s registration.

Optional action item: Visit Identity.UW to set preferences for how your name appears in most UW records. This can be a good option for students who prefer to be addressed by a nickname or name other than their legal name.

Optional action item: Learn about FERPA and student privacy and what information UW is authorized to release about your enrollment here. You have the right to opt out of the release of your information and not appear in the UW Faculty/Staff/Student directory.

Deadline: n/a

UW has launched a centralized accessibility resource website that provides information to the community about access to UW programs, services, and activities. Visit Accessibility at the UW to learn more about accessible technology, wayfinding, events, and inclusion.

Disability Resources for Students partners jointly with students and faculty in the process to establish accommodations, services, and access to academic programs. Students with temporary or permanent physical, health, learning, sensory, or psychological disabilities are encouraged to connect with DRS to learn about their services and prepare for the process of requesting accommodations and/or auxiliary aids.

Modern AI Methods students pay for their courses on a per-credit basis and everyone pays the same rate, regardless of Washington residency. For the 2025-2026 academic year the per-credit rate is $1148, so each 4-credit course will come out to $4592. Students should also expect to pay around $295 per quarter for textbooks and additional fees (U-Pass, Services & Activities, etc.).

Payment of all fees is due on the third Friday of the quarter. Payment is most easily made online through the MyUW portal. Students will see two accounts: their UW tuition account (where the U-Pass is charged) and their Professional & Continuing Education (PCE) account, where their course credits and majority of quarterly fees are charged. Both accounts must be paid by the third Friday of the quarter.

If you are paying through a third party (GI Bill benefits, employer, etc.) contact PCE Registration Services well in advance to get your details on file.

Course websites

Your course website will generally be hosted in one or two places: on the Allen School’s website (most common) or on Canvas (less common). Websites typically are not published until the week (or even days) leading up to the quarter. Don’t panic if it’s a few days out and you don’t see anything yet. Instructors tend to wait until shortly before the first day to publish their websites or start communicating with class rosters.

> To locate your course page on the Allen School website: Navigate to the Course Guide and click the title of your course.

> To locate your course on Canvas: Navigate to Canvas. If the instructor is using Canvas and has published the page, you will see it on your dashboard.

Textbooks

Once you have registered for the quarter, check to see whether a book or course text has been assigned for your course. Your schedule on the MyUW homepage will show a “display textbooks” link for your course, or you can find your course on the Modern AI Methods time schedule, click its SLN code, and click the “display textbook” link. If a book has been assigned, then you may purchase it at the University Bookstore or perhaps locate it for rent or sale through another retailer.

While course web pages typically are not posted until a day or so prior to the course start, they are important to check since some instructors assign readings prior to the first class meeting.

Modern AI Methods courses

The Modern AI Methods certificate consists of the below course sequence:

1. Autumn quarter: CSE D 501 (Modern AI and ML)
2. Winter quarter: CSE D 502 (Computer Vision and Machine Learning)
3. Spring quarter: CSE D 503 (Natural Language Processing)
4. Summer quarter: CSE D 504 (Putting AI to Use)

Each course is 4 credits, for 16 credits total. Each course is a prerequisite for the next, so the sequence must be completed in order. Each Modern AI Methods course generally corresponds to ~15 hours of work per week, inclusive of in-class time.

Rate of progress and timeline to completion

Everyone joining the program is expected to maintain continuous enrollment and complete the certificate in one year! Missing a class or taking time off is permissible if neccessary, but not recommended due to the required course sequence. All certificate requirements must be completed within two calendar years of program start.

If you must take a quarter off entirely (be regstered for 0 credits), you must complete the process to officially go on leave for the quarter. Failing to register or go on-leave will result in going inactive and appearing to have dropped from the Modern AI Methods certificate and UW.

A numerical grade of 2.7 or higher must be earned in a course for it to count toward the certificate.

Satisfactory / non-satisfactory (S/NS) grades do not count toward degree requirements. During any quarter or circumstances, always contact Kate or Taylor, the Modern AI Methods academic advisors, before changing your grading option to S/NS.

A minimum quarterly and cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher must be maintained for satisfactory academic progress and to avoid corrective action in the form of academic status changes within the Modern AI Methods certificate program or with the Graduate School.

University of Washington students are expected to practice high standards of academic and professional honesty and integrity. Students are encouraged to understand various forms of misconduct and to actively encourage academic honesty and integrity in themselves and others.

Defining academic misconduct

Academic misconduct can occur within the context of a class or during project or research work – whether conducted individually or as part of a team. Academic integrity is an important part of your studies at UW and it is critical that you are aware of the standards and expectations set by UW and the State of Washington.

As defined in UW’s Student Governance Policy, academic misconduct includes:

• Cheating
• Falsification
• Plagiarism
• Unauthorized collaboration
• Engaging in prohibited behavior
• Submitting the same work for separate courses without the permission of the instructor(s)
• Taking deliberate action to destroy or damage another person’s academic work
• Recording and/or disseminating instructional content without the permission of the instructor (unless approved as a disability accommodation)

The Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 478-121-107 expands on these terms. The most robust definitions of each term are found in the Student Governance Policy, Chapter 209, Section 7.C.

The conduct process and possible sanctions

Faculty or instructors who suspect a student of academic misconduct file a report with the College or School offering the course, where the case is assigned to a designated Conduct Officer. This is the first step of UW’s Student Conduct Process, which is described in greater detail here. Students who are found to have committed academic misconduct may expect to fail the exam/assignment where the misconduct occurred, in addition to other sanctions that may be imposed as a result of the conduct process.

Avoiding committing misconduct

One of the most effective ways to avoid committing academic misconduct is to understand how it is defined at UW and to understand that the misconduct policy exists to preserve academic honesty and integrity at UW and among its students.

Additional, practical strategies for avoiding misconduct include:

• Planning ahead – give yourself enough time to plan, research, study, and prepare to submit your own work.
• The course syllabus is the policy document for that class. Review it carefully to see if the instructor has outlined a collaboration policy and ask if you are unsure, especially for take-home or open-book assignments or exams!
• Decline to participate in behavior that you know constitutes academic misconduct, if asked by a friend or classmate.

All students must complete some quarterly pre-registration housekeeping. Once the registration period has opened, the registration portal will appear after the student completes the following:

1. Navigate to Register.UW.
2. Before you can register, you must resolve any holds on your account. Click each hold notice link to learn how to resolve your hold.
3. To complete your pre-registration steps, click Complete Your Pre-Registration Steps Now.
4. If this is your first time registering for the quarter, you must acknowledge understanding of a number of items (such as vaccines, voter registration, campus security and U-PASS) before you can register. Follow the prompts to complete each screen.

Students can review a step-by-step guide to the registration process and UW IT has a detailed overview of the Register.UW system.

How to register using Register.UW:

1. Log into Register.UW.
2. Add CSE D 501 to your registration cart using its SLN code 23543, course abbreviation, or by importing from MyPlan if you have planned out your courses there.
3. After adding sections to your registration cart, finalize registering for them by clicking the “Register” button. If you registration was successful you will see a green confirmation message. Your registration will only go through if there are no errors. If ANY of your sections are not able to be registered, you will need to remove the section with an error and re-submit your registration.

   Adding courses to your registration cart is not registering for those sections! In order to submit your registration you must click the “Register” button below your registration cart. If you refresh or close Register.UW your current registration cart will be emptied.

The best ways to avoid change fees are to register before the first day of the quarter and avoid making changes after the first week.

• Late registration fees: $25 for registering for the first time on or between the 1st and 13th calendar day of the quarter; $75 for registering for the first time on the 14th calendar day of the quarter or later.

• Schedule changes: $20 for changes made starting the 8th calendar day of the quarter.
• Forfeiture charges (important!): 50% of the cost of any dropped credits starting the 8th calendar day of the quarter.

Your first quarter in the Graduate Certificate in Modern AI Methods can be filled with a lot of adjustment: adjusting to graduate-level coursework, the pacing of 10-week quarters, finding a harmonious work-life-school balance, etc. UW’s systems and various offices/policies can be challenging to navigate too. Before the start of your first quarter, we recommend getting comfortable accessing your UW email account, locating your course’s website, and ensuring you know when and how to pay your fees.

Course terms are 10 weeks and that time goes fast. Spend the first week looking ahead in your syllabus and marking due dates and trying to plan for time management and how to be successful in your class. Note any weeks that will be particularly heavy with assignments or an exam, and prepare accordingly. Use your TAs, instructors, and fellow students as resources and remember that it’s okay to ask for help if you need it. We all want you to be successful, and are confident that you can be!

• Make sure your laptop is fully charged at the start of class! Or, at the very least, that it has enough battery for a three-hour session.
• Plan out your commute a day or two before your first-ever class, such as planning your route and making sure you know how parking works and how to get to the CSE building from your car. The first couple times, leave for campus earlier than you think you need to because traffic can be unpredictable.
• Go to office hours! They’re really beneficial and can only help you. Instructors are pretty approachable and cool.
• Always read your school emails, especially the ones from Kate and program staff.
• Check hours for the Husky Card Office and get your card by mail if possible. If getting it in-person, be prepared for long lines, especially around the start of the quarter.