MS in Computer Science

All students pursuing a Master of Science in Computer Science must have previously completed (as documented by their undergraduate transcript), successfully tested out of or complete at the start of their program both CSE 1301 Introduction to Computer Science and CSE2407 Data Structures and Algorithms (or equivalent courses offered at other institutions).

General Degree Requirements

• 18 of the 30 units must be CSE courses at the 5000-level or above, split between the following two sections:

  • Breadth Coursework Section: 9 of those 18 units must be one one of each type of breadth course, which include:

    • one 5000-level Theoretical Computer Science (T) course

    • one 5000-level Software Systems (S) course

    • one 5000-level Machine (M) course or one 500-level Applications (A) course

    • Students may find a full list of S, M, T , and A courses on the CSE department's web page titled: Resources for Current Master's Students.

  • Departmental Coursework Section: 9 of those 18 units can be CSE 5000-level courses of any type (T, S, M A).

• 12 of the 30 units will be the Electives Section, these courses must be CSE 4000-level or CSE 5000-level courses (unless the student has received aproval from the department to to allow an out-of-department course to count toward their degree).

• Requesting Out of Department Courses: Students may count up to 6 units of course work taken outside the CSE department toward their degree. In order for out-of-department courses to count toward a studentʼs degree, they must request the course be reviewed and approved by the department, by contacting the Graduate Coordinator. The department will review the courses to ensure that they offer suitably technical graduate- level content. No more than 6 out-of-department units may be counted except in extraordinary circumstances, and no more than 12 units may be counted in any case. Once approved by the department, the out-of-department courses can only count toward the Electives Section of the degree.

• None of the 30 units may be taken as independent study i.e., CSE 4000 (CSE 400) or CSE5999 (CSE 500).

• Courses with an "N" designation do not count toward the master's degree.

• All 30 units required for the degree must be taken for a grade (i.e., not pass/fail), and the grade received in each course must be C- or better.

• Per School of Engineering guidelines, students must maintain a grade-point average of at least 2.70.

Course Option

The Department of Computer Science & Engineering's course option requires 30 units of graduate credit. Students must follow the general degree requirements listed above and complete the breadth requirements.

Thesis / Project Option: Master's Capstone

Beginning in Fall 2025, students seeking to take the project or thesis option in our degree programs will register for CSE 7998 (Masterʼs capstone). CSE 7998 does not count towards the studentʼs 30 required units of coursework to complete the degree until the student has successfully defended the project or thesis.

Please view the following options below:

• Upon successful defense of a 3 unit Masterʼs project, 3 units of CSE 7998 will count towards the studentʼs degree as a 5000-level CSE departmental course. These units may be used to satisfy a 5000- level breadth requirement if the work is deemed to match that requirement.
• Upon successful defense of a 6 unit Masterʼs project, 6 units of CSE 7998 will count towards the studentʼs degree. 3 of these units may be used to satisfy a 5000-level breadth requirement if the work is deemed to match that requirement. The remaining units will satisfy a 5000-level CSE departmental course.
• Upon successful defense of a masterʼs thesis, 6 units of CSE 7998 will count towards the studentʼs coursework at the CSE 5000 level. Additionally, breadth requirements will be waived for the student. (Meaning that the 18 units of CSE 5000-level courses required for their degree would be allowed to be any type, S M T and/or A, rather than needing one of each type of breadth course)

A student who successfully defends one of the three options listed above will have a notation added to their transcript to clearly indicate exactly which option (3 unit masterʼs project, 6 unit masterʼs project, masterʼs thesis) was completed. Each semester CSE 7998 will be graded with a letter grade. A grade of a C- or above is required in the first semester of a 6 unit project or thesis to continue the work in the final semester. Students must also follow the general degree requirements listed below. Thesis students are exempt from the breadth requirements following the successful defense of their thesis. Students should refer to the department's Master's Program Handbook and the webpage Resources for Current Master's Students for additional details and guidance regarding projects and theses.

The Progress Report (two-semester theses and projects only):
Near the end of the first semester of a two-semester thesis or project, the student will submit a written progress report to the committee. The progress report will be used by the committee to evaluate student progress and to provide an opportunity to give feedback to the student.

• Preparing and Submitting the Progress Report
  The Progress Report should include:
  • A copy of the original scope and duration of the work to be performed (this can be obtained from the original proposal form). Students can contact the Graduate Coordinator to receive a copy of their original proposal form.
  • A discussion of any major modifications/changes to the scope of the work to be performed
  • An overview of the work that has been completed during the first semester of the thesis or project
  • A discussion of the work yet to be completed and a timeline for completion
    The progress report should be submitted via email to all members of the committee at least one week prior to the last official day of classes for the given semester.
• Outcomes of the Progress Report
  Once submitted, the committee will confer privately to discuss the studentʼs progress made during the first semester of the thesis or project. The committee will decide on one of three possible outcomes:
  
  • Thesis or project should continue without concern, indicating the student is making consistent progress and is on track to successfully complete the thesis or project on time.
  • Thesis or project should continue with concern, indicating the student is making some progress, but is falling behind. Without change, the student is not likely to successfully complete the thesis or project.
  • Thesis or project should not continue, indicating the student is not making sufficient progress and the project/thesis should be terminated.
• The outcome determined by the committee will be communicated to the student by the departmentʼs Graduate Coordinator prior to the official end of the semester. If the outcome is that the thesis or project should not continue, the
  student will not be enrolled in the second semesterʼs units.
• Process for Termination of a Project or Thesis:
  Please note, starting for Fall 2024 onward, Master's Project / Thesis students will not be allowed to have an "N" grade submitted for a terminated project. Please contact the Graduate Coordinator as soon as possible regarding any questions for terminating a project / thesis. With that in mind, please review the following scenarios:
  
  • A one-semester project:
    • Terminated before the add/drop deadline will have no effect on the student's record.
    • Terminated after the add/drop deadline but before the Withdrawal deadline would leave a "W" on the student's transcript.
    • Terminated after the Withdrawal deadline could result in a failing letter grade on the student's transcript.
  • A two-semester project or thesis, during the first semester of the project/thesis, would follow the same timeline as the scenarios above.
  • A two-semester project or thesis, where the first semester has already been completed:
    • If the second semester of the project/thesis is terminated before the add/drop deadline: the second semester credits of CSE7998 would be dropped.
    • If the second semester is terminated after the add/drop deadline but before the Withdrawal deadline: the second semester credits of CSE7998 would leave a "W" on the student's transcript.
    • If the second semester is terminated after the Withdrawal deadline: the termination could result in a failing letter grade on the student's transcript.
  • For each of the three scenarios listed above: the student, pending advisor approval, would have the option to defend their first semester's work as a 3-credit project. (Any CSE7998 units completed without a successful defense will not count towards the student's degree requirements.)