Computer Science, MS

Program Overview

Computer Science, MS

Overview

The Department of Computer Science offers an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Computer Science. The M.S. program in Computer Science is designed primarily to train students with professional goals in business, industry, or government, requiring a detailed knowledge of computer science concepts and applications. The program concentrates primarily on applied computer science, emphasizing software development, programming, computer systems, and applications. Each student is given the experience of working on a large-scale software or hardware development project involving analysis, design, evaluation, and implementation. Students in the M.S. program can obtain a Concentration in Data Science and Engineering while fulfilling the requirements for their M.S. degree.

Admission Requirements

• A bachelor's degree, usually in a science or engineering discipline or in mathematics, is required.
• The transcript should show a grade average of at least B (3.0/4.0) in all undergraduate coursework, and in science, mathematics, and engineering courses.
• Include degree conferral certificates for all completed degrees.
• For M.S. in Computer Science, we prefer students with CS or related degrees.
• Applicants with exceptional promise who lack CS preparation in one or more core areas may be admitted to the program, but will be required to take additional CS courses as specified in their offer letter.
• For Ph.D. in Computer Science, we mainly consider an applicant's potential for first-class research, and expect the applicants to have sufficient academic preparation and strength to succeed in Ph.D. qualifiers.
• All international applicants to the M.S. program must submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores.
• GRE is optional for all Ph.D. applicants and domestic M.S. applicants.
• Acceptance by the Computer Science Department and the Graduate School.

Degree Requirements

Registration

• Students must register for at least one graduate credit in the semester in which the diploma is awarded.

Language Requirement

• There is no foreign language requirement.

Course Requirements

• Students are required to complete 31 graduate credits in the Computer Science Department.
• There are no specific courses required other than a thesis or project.
• Students should complete at least one course in 3 of 4 breadth areas, each of which comprise of 5-6 graduate courses.
• Breadth areas are described in the Graduate Student handbook.
• Students can take up to 4 credits of CSE 587 (at most two courses) to fill in any missing CS proficiency identified at the time of admission to the program.
• A list of graduate courses is provided in the course compendium.

Grade Point Average

• To be certified for graduation a cumulative graduate grade point average of 3.0/4.0 or better is required.

Concentration in Data Science and Engineering

• Students in the M.S program can complete a concentration in Data Science and Engineering by taking a specific set of courses related to the study of Data Science, which also fulfill a part of the M.S. degree requirements.
• The set of courses eligible for this concentration are described in the Graduate Student handbook.

Advanced Project Option

• Students choosing the advanced project option are required to take the courses CSE 523/CSE 524, Laboratory in Computer Science.
• The two courses may not be taken in the same semester.
• These courses provide students with the experience of dealing with large-scale, computer-oriented problems such as those encountered in commercial, industrial, or research environments.
• Students taking CSE 523/CSE 524 may not use any CSE 599 - M.S. Thesis Research credits toward their M.S. degree.

Special Project Option

• Students choosing the special project option are required to take the courses CSE 522 - Special Project in Computer Science and one credit in research, teaching, or industrial experience that may be satisfied with CSE 698, CSE 596, Computer Science seminars (excluding CSE 600), Special Topics courses, or regular 3 credit technical Computer Science graduate courses.
• Students choosing this option may not use credits from CSE 523, CSE 524, or CSE 599 credits toward their M.S. degree.
• Moreover, at most 6 credits from CSE Special Topics (CSE 590/CSE 591/CSE 592/CSE 593/CSE 594/CSE 595) and CSE 6XX-level courses may be used toward their M.S. degree.

Thesis Option

• A student choosing the thesis option must select a project (or thesis) advisor by the end of the second semester in the program.
• The role of the advisor is to guide the student through the M.S. studies, formulate a project or thesis topic, and supervise the student towards completion of the assigned task.
• The thesis must be approved by a departmental faculty committee of no less than three members appointed by the graduate program director.
• At the discretion of the committee, the student may be required to present a seminar on the topic of his or her thesis.
• A student registers for CSE 599 when writing a thesis.
• No more than nine credits of this course can be applied towards the 31 credits required for the M.S. degree.

Switching Between the M.S. and Ph.D. Programs

• An M.S. student who wishes to advance to the Ph.D. program must take the Qualifying Examination.
• Regular applications to the Ph.D. program will not be considered from current M.S. students.
• Please refer to the Graduate Program Handbook for further details.