Computer Science and Software Engineering — Graduate Certificate, MS, PhD

Degree Programs:

Graduate Certificates:

Graduate study in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering (CSSE) leads to the non-thesis master of science (MS Non-Thesis) or research oriented master of science (MS Thesis) and doctor of philosophy (PhD) degrees in computer science and software engineering. There is also a graduate degree program in artificial intelligence engineering (MS Non-Thesis) available. All applications are reviewed by the CSSE Graduate Programs Committee.

To enter the MS degree program, the student must hold a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from an institution of recognized standing. The student also must have the pre-requisite undergraduate experience in areas of computer science and/or software engineering. If the student has deficiencies in the pre-requisites, he or she will be required to take appropriate undergraduate courses. The MS in artificial intelligence engineering is open to everyone with a baccalaureate degree from an institution of recognized standing, either in computer science, software engineering or another STEM discipline, or with relevant professional experience that provides necessary background knowledge of programming, computing, and mathematics. All applicants must submit Graduate Record Examination scores for the general test.

The thesis option of the MS program requires 30 semester credit hours, including six credit hours for research and thesis. The non-thesis option of the MS program requires 33 semester credit hours. Students pursuing the MS (Non-Thesis) degree may take three (3) credit hours of COMP 7980 Capstone Engineering Project, which is a graded course.

For the PhD program, the applicant must hold a master’s degree or have successfully completed a minimum of one academic year of graduate study, from an institution of recognized standing in an area related to the proposed doctoral study. All applicants must submit GRE scores for the general test. The student will take a written qualifying examination after gaining admission to the program. Additional examinations, as described in the general Graduate School requirements, are given throughout the program, culminating with the defense of the dissertation. The PhD program typically includes at least one academic year of course work and one year of research beyond the master’s level. The PhD program requires a minimum of 66 semester credit hours of course work beyond the bachelor’s level, including 18 hours of research and dissertation.