Computer Science (M.S.)

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Program Information
The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science offers the Master of Science in Computer Science. The program prepares graduate students for positions in the design and development of computer systems and applications in business and industry and for scientific positions in industrial or academic computing research. Areas of research interest within the department currently include Software Engineering, Medical Image Processing, Parallel Processing, Applied Computing, GIS, Computer Security, Cluster Computing, and Computer Networks.

Program Objectives
The CS graduate program objectives are to equip individuals to:

Discover and disseminate knowledge relevant to the discipline of computer science.
Provide leadership for increasingly complex roles in computer science and industry.
Contribute to the advancement of the science of computer science serving regional and national needs.

Course Delivery Format
A majority of the courses are taught on campus in smart classrooms. The smart classrooms allow for a variety of methods for student engagement and faculty are able to record and post their lectures on-line.

Facilities and Services
With more than $12 million invested in classrooms and laboratories, graduate students benefit from modern lecture rooms and gain valuable experience using state-of-the-art equipment. The recently dedicated modern Daktronics Engineering Hall is home to the Computer Science program with over 15,000 square feet of dedicated research space.

Available Options for Graduate Degrees

Master of Science Option A
Option B

Core Requirements

CSC 705 - Design and Analysis of Computer Algorithms
Credits: 3
CSC 710 - Structure and Design of Programming Languages
Credits: 3
CSC 720 - Theory of Computation
Credits: 3
CSC 770 - Software Engineering Management
Credits: 3
CSC 798 - Thesis
(Option A)
or
CSC 788 - Research Report/Design Paper
(Option B) Credits 2-5
Approved electives 13-18

Total Credits: 30 (Option A), 32 (Option B)

Additional Admission Requirements

GRE: Not required
TOEFL: Department requirement of 525 paper-based, 197 computer-based, 71 Internet-based

Additional Graduation Requirements

All CS graduate candidates must pass a comprehensive written examination. The comprehensive written examination is offered twice during each academic year. The four graduate core courses are the subjects of the comprehensive written examination.

Comprehensive Written Exam Requirements

All CS graduate candidates must pass a comprehensive written examination. The comprehensive written examination is offered twice during each academic year. It is usually during the third week of both the fall and spring semester. The four graduate core courses (listed below) are the subjects of the comprehensive written examination.

CS graduate students can take the comprehensive exam up to three times as long as they have an average score of 50 or higher in the comprehensive exam and a minimum score of 40 or higher in each of the core course exams. If at any time in the students’ scores fall below the criteria, the student loses the option of retaking the exam.

If a student submits an application to take the comprehensive exam, that application will be counted as one of their three opportunities.

Final Oral Exam Requirements

The final oral exam is required for both option A and option B students. It is scheduled for approximately two hours. The first part of the exam includes the candidate’s thesis or design paper defense, and the second part of the exam comprises the candidate’s course work.

General Requirements (Master’s Degree)

Graduate students should consult with their advisor before registering for graduate work.

See Master’s Degree Requirements .