M.S. Program in Computer Science
Program Requirements
Admission
An applicant must meet Graduate School requirements and either of the following program requirements to be considered for admission:
- Undergraduate major in Computer Science, or
- Satisfactory completion of two programming courses (such as CS 201 and 251); at least 6 additional credits of coursework in CS; and Math 231 and 232 or their equivalents.
Applicants may be admitted with specific program-defined course deficiencies provided that the deficiencies amount to no more than two courses. The student is expected to satisfy deficiency requirements within three enrolled semesters. The deficiencies are monitored by the Graduate School and the individual graduate program unit. No course credits earned in making up deficiencies may be counted as program credits required for the degree. The overall quality of the academic record will also be an important factor in admission decisions.
Major Professor as Advisor
The student is assigned an initial faculty advisor at the time of admission. Unless the student chooses the thesis option, the initial advisor may also serve as the regular advisor for the duration of the student's enrollment in the program. If the student chooses the thesis option, he/she should select a faculty member as the thesis advisor after consultation with that faculty member. The student's Program of Study should be approved by the advisor and the department's graduate program representative prior to the completion of 9 credits in the program.
Credits and Courses
The following is a requirement for both options: The student must have taken six Computer Science courses (specified below) or their equivalents prior to completion of the MS Program. Appropriate courses taken by a student in another program that are considered equivalent to the courses below can be used to satisfy this requirement with the approval of the Department. The six courses are:
- All four of the following courses:
- CS 315 Computer Organization and Assembly Language Programming
- CS 317 Discrete Information Structures
- CS 458 Computer Architecture
- CS 535 Algorithm Design and Analysis
and
- Any two of the following four courses:
- CS 417 Introduction to the Theory of Computation
- CS 431 Programming Language Concepts
- CS 536 Introduction of Software Engineering
- CS 537 Introduction of Operating Systems
At most, six credits of the courses used to satisfy this six-course requirement (excluding 315 and 317) and taken as a graduate student may be used to satisfy the course credit requirements of the following two options:
Thesis Option:
Minimum degree course requirements are 21 credits of course work and at least 6 credits of thesis (with no more than 4 credits of them in one semester). A student must take at least 15 credits of 700 (or higher) level courses. CS 704 (Analysis of Algorithms) is a required course. The student must write an acceptable thesis under the supervision of a faculty advisor. The student must also pass a final comprehensive examination which will normally focus on the thesis. Once a student begins a thesis under the supervision of an advisor, the chairperson must approve any change to a new thesis.
Non-Thesis Option:
Minimum degree course requirements are 30 credits with at least 21 credits of 700 (or higher) level courses. CS 704 (Analysis of Algorithms) is a required course. As part of the above requirements, the student must complete a capstone project by registering for and completing 3 credits of CS 995 (Master's Capstone) with a grade of B or better, under the supervision of a faculty advisor.
Time Limit
All students must complete the degree requirements within five years of initial enrollment. Request for extension will be considered for valid reasons, such as extensive full-time work commitment.
If you have any further questions or comments please send us an e-mail. We will be looking forward to hearing from you. Send e-mail to CS Graduate Program Representative.
