Core Requirements (9 Hours)

Note: The core courses are usually offered every semester. The course CSCI 6530 Research Methods in Computer Science, despite its 6000 rubric, can be taken early in the study. The course helps students to prepare for their thesis or capstone projects.

Thesis Option (24 Hours)

In addition to the three core courses listed above, students interested in working on thesis should also take the following courses.

* Students interested in pursuing the thesis option are encouraged to take CINF 5939 (Independent Study in CIS) during their first year, in order to write up their thesis proposals (with the sponsoring of a faculty adviser).

Note: It usually takes two regular semesters to complete a thesis. The Master's thesis enables students to perform research in an area of interest. A Master's thesis stands as a permanent symbol of achievement in the master's program. A thesis adds significantly to the student's resume, and allows them to work in an active participatory way which is not usually provided in a regular course.

The first step for a student interested in pursuing a Master's thesis is to identify and meet with a faculty member that agrees upon a thesis. A thesis committee, usually composed of three to four faculty members, will then be formed. The committee chair will guide the student through the process of completing a Master's thesis. Master's thesis related documents that can be obtained from the School of Science and Computer Engineering are:

• Steps In Completing A Thesis
• Technical Requirements For Thesis
• Checklist For Master's Thesis Requirements

Extended Course Work Option (27 hours beyond core)

In addition to the three core courses listed above, students following the extended course work option must successfully complete the following courses:

Note: The capstone project course (CSCI 6838) is an application-oriented course designed to give students a taste of real-world software projects and enable students to apply and integrate their knowledge learned in the Master's program. It can only be taken within the last 12 hours of course work. Students are grouped into teams to work on actual projects from local companies, such as Tietronix, United Space Alliance and Johnson Space Center. They will interact with the "clients" from the sponsor companies to define, design and implement solutions to the assigned problem, in a way similar to real-world projects. A faculty member will serve as the "mentor" of each project. There are also internal projects that originated from within the university.

Electives

Students should receive the approval of their faculty advisors prior to taking any elective courses.

For "CSCI/SWEN/CENG or other approved courses", most graduate business courses are acceptable, with the exception of ISAM courses.

Support Areas

There are two support areas in CIS: network and database systems. Students interested in these support areas are recommended to take the following courses.