M.S. in Computer Science

Mission

The Mission of the Computer Science Program is to provide students with the ability to integrate the theory and practice of computing in the representation, the processing, and the use of information, while upholding the tradition of the liberal arts education.

Educational Objectives

The purpose of the M.S. in Computer Science Program is to:

Prepare students for advanced Graduate education.
Prepare students to be innovative leaders in their profession at the local, regional, and international level.
Enhance research and discovery.
Introduce outreach and engagement, by allowing computer science Faculty, and students, to contribute to the community at large.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates in the M.S. in Computer Science Program will:

Have an understanding of the advanced concepts in computer algorithms design, and analysis.
Be armed with a broad computer science education that includes theory, computer systems, hardware principles, computer networks, and software engineering.
Have a deep understanding of the fundamental knowledge prerequisite for the practice of, or for advanced study in, computer science, including its scientific principles and rigorous analysis.
Have a deep understanding of one of the following computer science areas: Theory and Algorithms, Computer Systems, Hardware Principles and Computer Networks, and Software Engineering.
Develop basic, and applied, research and innovation skills, and learn how to investigate the recent developments in the computing field that are not found in textbooks, by properly utilizing professional literature and academic journals.
Develop the skills of oral presentation, research documentation and technical writing, and independent study.

The Graduate curriculum requires one Core course which is fundamental to the study of computer science. Students, however, will have three additional courses, one from each area. The four concentration areas are:

Algorithms, Theory and Computational Science
Systems
Hardware and Networks
Software Engineering

The remaining courses may be chosen from any of the four areas without restrictions. The Graduate Program also offers an advanced “Topics” course that may be taken more than once, to allow students to gain even more in-depth knowledge in a Computer Science area. This course may be repeated for credits more than once.

Requirements

Students need 30 credits for the Major (12 credits for the Core, one course from each area, three credits for the Project, or six credits for the Thesis, and 12 or 15 credits for the electives). These credits are distributed as follows:

I. Core requirements (12 credits)

Four three-credit courses: one from each of the four concentration areas listed below. CSC711 Design and Analysis of Algorithms is mandatory from the first area.

II. Project or thesis option (3 or 6 credits)

Number	Course	Cr
CSC798	Project Option	3
CSC799	Thesis Option	6

III. Electives from four concentration areas (12 or 15 credits)

A. Algorithms, Theory and Computational Science

Number	Course	Cr
CSC711	Design and Analysis of Algorithms	3
CSC712	Automata Theory and Formal Languages	3
CSC713	Bioinformatics	3
CSC714	Heuristic Optimization	3
CSC715	Machine Learning	3
CSC716	Cryptography and Data Security	3

B. Systems

Number	Course	Cr
CSC721	Transaction Processing Systems	3
CSC722	Distributed Systems	3
CSC723	Knowledge-Based Systems	3
CSC724	Data Mining	3
CSC725	System Simulation	3
CSC726	Compilers	3

C. Hardware and Networks

Number	Course	Cr
CSC731	High Performance Computer Architecture	3
CSC732	ULSI Testing	3
CSC733	Embedded Systems	3
CSC734	Advanced Computer Networks	3
CSC735	Mobile Computing and Networks	3
CSC736	Networks Security	3

D. Software Engineering

Number	Course	Cr
CSC791	Advanced Software Engineering	3
CSC792	Object-Oriented Software Engineering	3
CSC793	Software Testing and Analysis	3
CSC794	Software Quality Assurance	3
CSC795	Safety-Critical Systems	3
CSC796	Human–Computer Interaction	3

CSC788 Advanced Topics in Computer Science (in any of the four concentration areas) may be repeated.