CS degree for research grad school ECE focus

[Miaki]

Hi everyone

Location: Asia

Age: 26

Degree sought: Computer Science

I currently have 50ish RA credits from prior studies. These should mainly cover free electives, so electives aren’t a concern. I don’t have any ACE/CLEP/NCCRS credits yet. I can study at least 30 hours per week, and I’m hoping to finish the degree in a year if possible. Money isn’t the main constraint; time is. My long term goal is research focused graduate study "probably on campus" (MS/PhD) ideally in electrical and computer engineering or closely related areas.
KAUST is just one example of the level I’m aiming for, not the only target. I’m trying to be careful about how the transcript looks to research programs. I’ve read that relying too heavily on ACE credit can weaken applications, especially when strong graded evidence in math, CS, and engineering fundamentals is expected.

So I’m looking for advice on the best fast CS degree strategy that still looks solid for competitive research graduate admissions.
And also, is computer science a safe choice for this transition?