Master of Science in Computer Science Degree Plan

Degree Requirements

To enroll in the Master of Science program, students must receive research
guidance from a professor in the department and be approved by the chair
of the Computer Science Department and the dean of the College of Graduate Studies and Research. The thesis option is offered for those students preparing for further graduate work in computer science. For thesis admission, a student must select a research topic and be approved by the
computer science graduate faculty member who represents the discipline.
The non-thesis option is offered for those students desiring to advance their
knowledge and skills in computer science or enter the field of computer
science from engineering, science and related fields.

Thesis Option

Typically, students who plan to pursue a doctoral degree choose the thesis option. Thesis students must complete a minimum of 30 semester credit hours of graduate work, including:

1. At least 3 semester credit hours in core graduate courses, including Computer Science 6302, 6314, and 6352;
2. Up to 18 semester credit hours in elective graduate courses, at least 15 hours in Computer Science and at most 3 hours can be in one of non-Computer Science electives (must have advisor approval); A thesis in computer science (1-9 semester credit hours in Computer Science 6099 will be awarded for successful completion of the thesis).
3. Thesis research is available in:
   • Artificial Intelligence
   • Cybersecurity
   • Data Engineering
   • Software Engineering

Those interested in admission as a thesis student to the computer science graduate program should first contact a computer science graduate faculty member conducting research in an area of interest to the student.

Non-Thesis Option

A non-thesis computer science graduate student is required to complete 30 semester credit hours of graduate work, including:

1. At least 3 semester credit hours in core graduate courses, including Computer Science 6302, 6314, and 6352;
2. Up to 24 credit semester hours in elective graduate courses, at least 15 semester credit hours in Computer Science and up to 9 semester credit hours can be in non-Computer Science electives (must have advisor approval);
3. A project in computer science (3 semester credit hours in Computer Science 6399 will be awarded for successful completion of the project).

Semester Credit Hour Requirements

Category	Thesis Option	Non-Thesis Option
Courses	21 hours (7 courses)	27 hours (9 courses)
Thesis	9 hours	-
Project	-	3 hours
Total	30 hours	30 hours

For a full description of courses, please see the Computer Science Course Descriptions.

M.S. in Computer Science Core Requirements

Courses	Hours
CS 6099 Thesis	1-9
CS 6302 Advanced Operating Systems	3
CS 6314 Computer Networks	3
CS 6352 Analysis of Algorithms	3
CS 6399 Project (Non-Thesis)	3

Prescribed Electives in Concentration Areas

Topic	Courses	Hours
Artificial Intelligence	CS 6318 Artificial Intelligence	3
	CS 6319 Machine Learning	3
	CS 6320 Data Mining	3
	CS 6321 Deep Learning	3
	CS 6322 Image Processing	3
	CS 6323 Multimedia Systems	3
	CS 6325 Robotics	3
Cybersecurity	CS 6308 Ethical Issues in Computing	3
	CS 6315  Computer and Network Security	3
	CS 6316 Data Security	3
	CS 6317 Software Security	3
Data Engineering	CS 6311 Advanced Database Systems	3
	CS 6330 Data Science	3
	CS 6335 Big Data	3
	CS 6337 Semantic Web	3
	CS 6338 Knowledge Engineering	3
Software Engineering	CS 6306 Software Engineering	3
	CS 6312 Advanced Web Technologies	3
	CS 6370 Computer Game Development	3
	CS 6371 Internship	3
	CS 6372 Advanced Computer Game Development	3
	CS 6391 Research	3

Non-Computer Science Electives

Courses	Hours
ISSA 6307 Cryptology	3
ISSA 6351 Emerging Technologies in Homeland Security	3
MGMT 6301 Management of Information Systems	3
MGMT 6303 Advanced Data Analytics	3
MATH 6314 Number Theory for Educators	3
MATH 6317 Probability for Educators	3
MATH 6327 Graph Theory for Educators	3
MATH 6333 Statistics for Educators I	3