Master of Science in Computer Science

• Prerequisite: A minimum of 15 credits in computer science courses numbered 200 and above is required. Students may be admitted with deficiencies; these must be completed in addition to the degree requirements.
• Requirements: A total of 30, 33 or 36 credits in approved courses, depending on whether at least 15, 12-14, or 9-11 credits, respectively, are in computer science courses numbers 600 or above. Students must either:
  • Choose the thesis option for a total of six thesis credits; these credits are included in the 30-36 credit requirement.
  • Or take a written comprehensive exam.
  At least 15 credits, exclusive of the thesis credits, must be earned in the courses offered by the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.

Each program must include both theoretical and experimental topics. Recommended subjests in clude: Operating Systems, Programming Languages, Analysis of Algorithms, Theory of Computation, Computer Architeture, Software Development. The approval is by the Computer Science Committee and the Department Chairman or designate. Programs may thus be individually tailored to meet varied backgrounds and objectives.

It is recognized that there are individuals with undergraduate degrees in other fields wishing to pursue graduate work in Computer Science, and other individuals with work experience in the field wishing to advance their formal training in Computer Science.

The Computer Science Course Summary lists courses which may be considered for approval in completeting the requirements for a degree. The basic guidelines for approval of a student's program are recommendations appearing in the Communications of the Association for Computing Machinery, the professional society in Computer Science. The courses in the Summary are grouped according to ACM categories. (See also the full list of Graduate Courses offered by the department.)