Resources for Current Master's Students

Master's Program Handbook

Out of Department Credit Requests

CSE Master's students may count up to 6 credits of non-Computer Science coursework towards their CSE degree.

In order to do so, students must submit a detailed syllabus of the course(s) they wish to count. The department will evaluate the syllabus and determine if the outside course is a suitable candidate for CSE Master's credit. 

Master's Project and Thesis Guidelines

If a student is completing a Master's Project or a Master's Thesis, they must:

• Fill out and submit the Research Proposal Form: Students will need to register for the section of CSE598 (Master's Project) or CSE599 (Master's Thesis) of their Project/Thesis Research Faculty Advisor. They will then be automatically waitlisted. Students will then need to email the filled out Master's Research Proposal Form to the CSE Graduate Coordinator at least 72 hours before the add/drop deadline. The CSE Graduate Coordinator will then attached the filled out Proposal Form to the School's Docusign form, and then the student's faculty project/thesis advisor and student's the faculty academic advisor will sign, and the student will be enrolled in the proper course. If the Proposal Form is received within the final 72 hours before the add/drop deadline, we can not guarantee you will be enrolled in time, due to processing times for the School's Docusign form.
• Select a faculty committee to judge the final presentation of their work: Committees should be put together per the guidelines in the Master's Program Handbook. The committee will then need to be approved by the department.
• Get committee approved by department: Submit the Master's Committee Approval Form to the Graduate Coordinator. The Graduate Coordinator will Docusign the form to the committee members, and once the committee is approved, the student may schedule their presentation/defense.
• Present/defend the project/thesis: Students will present their work and results to their committee, and the committee will judge whether or not the presentation passed. The Graduate Coordinator will Docusign the School's Project / Thesis Defense Form, and the committee members will sign to indicate if the student passed. 
• For Master's Thesis Reports: Students completing a Master's Thesis are required to submit their final report to Thesis On Demand.
• Terminating a Master's Project / 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 termianting 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 CSE598/599 would be dropped. The student would have the option to defend their first semester's work as a 3-credit project. (Any 598 or 599 units completed without a successful defense will not count towards the student's degree requirements.)
    • If the second semester is terminated after the add/drop deadline but before the Withdrawal deadline, the second semester credits of CSE598/599 would leave a "W" on the student's transcript. The student would have the option to defend their first semester's work as a 3-credit project. (Any 598 or 599 units completed without a successful defense will not count towards the student's degree requirements.)
    • If the second semester is terminated after the Withdrawal deadline, the termination could result in a failing letter grade on the student's transcript. The student would have the option to defend their first semester's work as a 3-credit project. (Any 598 or 599 units completed without a successful defense will not count towards the student's degree requirements.)

Please note that projects and theses must be completed by the submission deadline in the semester that the student intends to graduate. If the student defends after the deadline, they will not graduate until the following semester.

The current submission deadlines for Fall 2024

• Project / Thesis Committee Form Emailed to Graduate Coordinator: October 21 at 5 p.m.
• MS Project Requirements: 12/18/24 at 5 p.m. (have successfully defended and email the Graduate Coordinator your project report)
• MS Thesis: 12/18/24 at 12 p.m.(have successfully defended and submitted your thesis here.) 

The current submission deadlines for Spring 2025:

• Research Proposal Form filled out and emailed to Graduate Coordinator: 01/20/25 at 9 p.m.
• Project / Thesis Committee Form Emailed to Graduate Coordinator: 03/09/25 at 11:59 p.m.
• MS Project Requirements: TBD as of 11.05.24, Tentative Deadline is 05/07/25 at 5 p.m. (have successfully defended and email the Graduate Coordinator your project report)
• MS Thesis: TBD as of 11.05.24, Tentative Deadline is 05/07/25 at 12 p.m.(have successfully defended and submitted your thesis here.)   

Other Academic Deadlines