The UGC NET Computer Science syllabus is one of the most comprehensive syllabi for aspirants looking to qualify for lectureship or Junior Research Fellowship (JRF). Understanding the syllabus of UGC NET Computer Science in detail will help you plan systematically and allocate study hours effectively.
In this guide, we cover the complete UGC NET CS syllabus, including Paper 1 (General Teaching & Research Aptitude) and Paper 2 (Computer Science Subject).
📌 UGC NET Exam Structure Overview
- Mode of Exam: Online (Computer-Based Test)
- Duration: 3 Hours (Single Session for both Papers)
- Papers:
- Paper 1 (General Aptitude – 50 Questions, 100 Marks)
- Paper 2 (Computer Science – 100 Questions, 200 Marks)
- Total Marks: 300
- No Negative Marking
📝 Paper 1: General Aptitude (Common for All Subjects)
This section is designed to test teaching ability, research aptitude, reasoning, communication, and general awareness. It has 50 questions (2 marks each).
Unit 1: Teaching Aptitude
- Nature and characteristics of teaching
- Learner’s characteristics (adult & young learners)
- Methods of teaching (teacher-centered, learner-centered, ICT-based)
- Evaluation systems: formative, summative, continuous, and comprehensive evaluation (CCE)
- Teaching support materials (traditional & modern)
Unit 2: Research Aptitude
- Research meaning, types (basic, applied, descriptive, analytical, qualitative, quantitative)
- Research steps: problem identification, hypothesis, data collection, analysis, interpretation
- Research ethics & plagiarism
- Paper writing, referencing, and publication process
Unit 3: Comprehension
- Reading comprehension passages with questions on:
- Meaning of words/phrases
- Central theme
- Logical arguments
- Inferences
Unit 4: Communication
- Nature, types, and characteristics of communication
- Barriers to effective communication
- Classroom communication (verbal & non-verbal)
- Mass media and ICT in communication
Unit 5: Mathematical Reasoning and Aptitude
- Number series, letter series, coding-decoding
- Mathematical puzzles, logical reasoning
- Syllogism, analogies
- Statement–conclusion, cause–effect reasoning
Unit 6: Logical Reasoning
- Understanding arguments: premises & conclusions
- Deductive & inductive reasoning
- Analogical reasoning
- Indian logic (Anumana, Pramana)
- Logical fallacies
Unit 7: Data Interpretation
- Tabular data, bar graphs, line graphs, pie charts
- Percentage, ratio, average-based interpretation
- Data comparison and trend analysis
Unit 8: Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
- ICT basics: hardware, software, networking
- Digital initiatives in higher education (SWAYAM, NPTEL, MOOC)
- E-learning, virtual classrooms, blended learning
- Use of ICT in research & teaching
Unit 9: People, Development and Environment
- Sustainable development, environmental protection
- Pollutions: air, water, soil, noise
- Climate change, biodiversity, natural hazards
- Environment laws and regulations
Unit 10: Higher Education System
- Structure of Indian higher education system
- Evolution of universities in India
- Value education, inclusive education, distance education
- Policies, governance, and administration
🖥️ Paper 2: UGC NET Computer Science Syllabus
This section is subject-specific and consists of 100 questions (2 marks each) from Computer Science. Below is the detailed computer science UGC NET syllabus unit-wise.
Unit 1: Discrete Structures and Optimization
- Propositional & Predicate Logic, Validity of arguments
- Sets, relations, functions, partial orders, lattices, algebraic structures
- Graphs: types, connectivity, isomorphism, cut vertices, spanning trees, coloring, matching
- Boolean algebra, switching circuits
- Linear programming: formulations, simplex method, duality, transportation problems
Unit 2: Computer System Architecture
- Logic families, combinational & sequential circuits
- Register transfer and micro-operations
- CPU design, instruction cycle, addressing modes
- Pipelining, pipeline hazards, superscalar architecture
- Memory hierarchy: cache mapping, replacement policies
- I/O organization, interrupts, DMA
- Multiprocessors, RISC vs CISC, parallelism
Unit 3: Programming Languages and Computer Graphics
- Programming paradigms: procedural, object-oriented, functional, logic-based
- Concepts: variables, binding, scope, lifetime, recursion
- Parameter passing methods, exception handling, concurrency
- Compilation vs interpretation
- Computer graphics: transformations (2D, 3D), clipping algorithms, projections
- Rendering: hidden surface removal, shading, ray tracing
Unit 4: Database Management Systems (DBMS)
- ER diagrams, relational data model, relational algebra & calculus
- Normalization (1NF, 2NF, 3NF, BCNF, 4NF, 5NF)
- SQL (DDL, DML, DCL, TCL)
- Transactions: ACID properties, concurrency control protocols (2PL, timestamp ordering)
- Deadlock handling in databases
- Recovery techniques (log-based, shadow paging)
- Indexing (B-trees, hashing), distributed databases, NoSQL basics
- Data warehousing & data mining
Unit 5: System Software and Operating System
- Assemblers, loaders, linkers, macros
- OS functions and types (batch, multi-programming, real-time)
- Processes: creation, scheduling (FCFS, SJF, RR, Priority, Multilevel)
- Synchronization (Peterson’s solution, semaphores, monitors)
- Deadlocks: detection, prevention, avoidance, recovery
- Memory management: paging, segmentation, virtual memory
- File systems, allocation methods, disk scheduling (FCFS, SSTF, SCAN, C-SCAN)
Unit 6: Software Engineering
- SDLC models: Waterfall, Spiral, RAD, Agile, V-model
- Software requirement analysis (functional & non-functional requirements)
- Software design: cohesion, coupling, modularity
- UML diagrams: class, sequence, state
- Testing: unit, integration, system, acceptance testing
- White-box vs black-box testing
- Software quality models (McCall, ISO 9126, CMMI)
- Risk management, project management, cost estimation (COCOMO)
Unit 7: Data Structures and Algorithms
- Arrays, linked lists (singly, doubly, circular)
- Stacks, queues, priority queues, deques
- Trees: binary trees, BST, AVL trees, B-trees, B+ trees, heaps, tries
- Graph representations (adjacency matrix, list)
- BFS, DFS, shortest path (Dijkstra, Bellman-Ford, Floyd-Warshall)
- Minimum spanning trees (Prim’s, Kruskal’s)
- Sorting: quicksort, mergesort, heapsort, counting sort, radix sort
- Hashing: hash functions, collision resolution
- Complexity: Time & Space analysis, P vs NP, approximation algorithms
Unit 8: Theory of Computation and Compiler Design
- Regular expressions, finite automata (DFA, NFA, ε-NFA)
- Pumping lemma, closure properties
- Context-free grammar, Chomsky hierarchy
- Pushdown automata, Turing machines
- Undecidability, NP-hard, NP-complete problems
- Compiler phases: lexical analysis, parsing, semantic analysis, intermediate code generation, optimization, code generation
- Parsing techniques: LL, LR, LALR, SLR
Unit 9: Data Communication and Computer Networks
- OSI & TCP/IP models
- Error detection & correction (CRC, parity, checksum, Hamming code)
- Flow control: stop & wait, sliding window
- Multiple access: CSMA, ALOHA, Ethernet
- Switching: circuit, packet, message switching
- Routing: shortest path, distance vector, link state, flooding
- Transport layer: TCP, UDP, congestion control
- Application protocols: HTTP, FTP, SMTP, DNS, SNMP
- Network security basics: cryptography, authentication, firewalls
Unit 10: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Intelligent agents and environments
- Search algorithms: BFS, DFS, A*, hill climbing, simulated annealing
- Game playing: minimax, alpha-beta pruning
- Knowledge representation: predicate logic, semantic networks, frames
- Reasoning: forward & backward chaining
- Expert systems, knowledge-based systems
- Machine Learning: supervised, unsupervised, reinforcement learning
- Neural networks, genetic algorithms, fuzzy logic
- Natural Language Processing (NLP) basics
✅ Final Thoughts
The UGC NET Computer Science syllabus covers everything from foundational mathematics and data structures to advanced areas like artificial intelligence and machine learning. A smart preparation strategy should include:
- Covering high-weightage subjects like DBMS, Algorithms, OS, Computer Networks.
- Practicing Paper 1 topics daily for reasoning and teaching aptitude.
- Focusing on previous year question papers for Paper 2.
By completing the syllabus of UGC NET Computer Science, you’ll not only be ready for the exam but also enhance your knowledge base for teaching, research, and competitive opportunities.
📊 UGC NET Computer Science Syllabus – Unit-Wise Topics and Weightage
The table below summarizes the UGC NET CS syllabus (Paper 2) with important topics and their expected weightage based on previous year trends.
| Unit | Topics Covered | Important Areas to Focus | Weightage (Approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1: Discrete Structures & Optimization | Logic, sets, relations, functions, algebraic structures, graph theory, linear programming | Propositional logic, graph coloring, spanning trees, simplex method | 6–8 Questions |
| Unit 2: Computer System Architecture | Digital logic, CPU design, pipelining, memory hierarchy, I/O organization | Cache mapping, RISC vs CISC, instruction pipelining | 5–7 Questions |
| Unit 3: Programming Languages & Computer Graphics | Programming paradigms, binding, scope, recursion, parameter passing, 2D/3D graphics, rendering | Recursion, parsing, clipping algorithms, shading | 5–6 Questions |
| Unit 4: Database Management Systems | ER model, relational algebra, SQL, normalization, transactions, recovery, indexing, data mining | Normalization (3NF/BCNF), SQL queries, concurrency control | 8–10 Questions |
| Unit 5: System Software & Operating System | Assemblers, loaders, compilers, process management, scheduling, synchronization, memory, file systems | Deadlocks, paging & segmentation, disk scheduling | 8–10 Questions |
| Unit 6: Software Engineering | SDLC models, requirement analysis, design, testing, software quality, project management | Agile model, UML diagrams, black-box vs white-box testing | 5–6 Questions |
| Unit 7: Data Structures & Algorithms | Arrays, stacks, queues, trees, graphs, hashing, sorting, complexity | AVL trees, B-trees, Dijkstra’s, Kruskal’s, Quick sort, DP | 8–10 Questions |
| Unit 8: Theory of Computation & Compilers | Automata, regular languages, CFG, PDA, Turing machine, undecidability, compiler phases | DFA/NFA conversions, parsing (LL/LR), pumping lemma | 7–9 Questions |
| Unit 9: Data Communication & Networks | OSI & TCP/IP, error control, flow control, LAN/WAN, routing, transport & application protocols, security | TCP vs UDP, CRC, routing algorithms, congestion control | 8–10 Questions |
| Unit 10: Artificial Intelligence (AI) | Search algorithms, game playing, knowledge representation, reasoning, ML basics, NLP | BFS, DFS, A*, minimax, alpha-beta pruning, ML basics | 6–8 Questions |
🔑 Key Insights for Preparation
- High Weightage Units: DBMS, OS, Data Structures & Algorithms, and Networks.
- Moderate Weightage Units: TOC, Compiler Design, Software Engineering.
- Low but Scoring Units: AI, Discrete Mathematics.
- Strategy: Cover high-yield subjects first, revise daily, and practice MCQs from previous years.
