The admissions committee does a fairly thorough job evaluating applications. And often people from non-traditional CS backgrounds (like EE, ECE, info. tech., etc.) have anywhere from 1-5 proficiencies, and require an extra semester to graduate.
Some of you want to wave the requirements. Look at the precise course description of the courses for which you have a proficiency. Then inspect your UG transcripts (from the time you took the course, not any different time) and get detailed syllabi for each. If you can prove that you've studied each and every topic listed in our proficiency courses, then you may get a waver. Note that our proficiency courses are all 300-level, so THAT is what you have to meet (not our intro 100- or 200-level courses). You'll need to show that each topic taught in our UG course was covered in your own courses that you took. That waver won't be processed until you arrive here and meet with us in person with the requisite information.
In some cases, some students have some experience that is NOT enough to wave a proficiency, but is still useful. In such cases, we may allow a student to take the grad version of the course to satisfy the proficiency. That grad course counts like any other grad course, for breadth, number of lecture courses, etc.
Proficiencies have to be completed as soon as possible. For example, you cannot get a CPT and go on an internship unless you've completed all proficiencies. Plus, you cannot take a graduate version of a course for which you have a proficiency (e.g., you'd have to take the UG algorithms course before you're allowed to take the grad version of the algorithms course).
Some students try to take a higher course load to complete the MS program with proficiencies in just 3 semesters. That's very difficult, and many who try that get poor grades and poor GPA, which leads to other serious issues (like not being able to go on an internship, getting in probation by the graduate school, or even being dismissed from the program). In some cases you can stay here during a summer and take courses, and still finish in 1.5 years, but most MS students want to go on an internship (good experience, good money). Expect to graduate in four semesters.
We do not accept online courses (e.g., MOOCS) for proficiencies. There are no placement exams either.
We rarely accept work experience in lieu of a proficiency. There has to be substantial experience that matches directly. Examples include: you've been assigned a "databases" proficiency and you can prove you worked for Oracle on their core DB technologies for 4-5 years; or you've been assigned an OS proficiency and you can prove you worked for Red Hat for 4-5 years hacking on their Linux kernel.
Operating Systems can be satisfied by taking CSE-306 or CSE-320.
Note that a Programming Course (PL) course (if you have that proficiency) is not a programming course as many think: it's a course about the THEORY of programming languages.
The proficiency courses you take (CSE-587, 3 credits each) are counted towards your GPA, your graduation, and for the purpose of maintaining full-time status (e.g., 12 credits in first two terms).
Cheers,
Dr. Erez Zadok.
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Professor and Graduate Academic Adviser, Computer Science Department, Stony Brook University
EMail: ezk@cs.stonybrook.edu Web: http://www.cs.stonybrook.edu/~ezk