M.S. Thesis Option

1. CS 900 - Computer Science Seminar.
2. Eight CS graduate courses of at least three credits each.
   a. Two must be implementation intensive.
   b. At least one course must be chosen from three different breadth areas.
   c. At least two courses must be above 900.
3. Thesis (six credits). The student must complete a thesis under the supervision of a thesis adviser and a thesis committee of at least three members.

M.S. Project Option

1. CS 900 - Computer Science Seminar.
2. Ten CS graduate courses of at least three credits each.
   a. Two must be implementation intensive.
   b. At least one course must be chosen from four different breadth areas.
   c. At least three courses must be above 900; one of these must be related to the project area.
3. Project (three credits). The student must complete a project under the supervision of a faculty adviser.

M.S. Exam Option

1. CS 900 - Computer Science Seminar.
2. Ten CS graduate courses of at least three credits each.
   a. Two must be implementation intensive.
   b. At least one course must be chosen from four different breadth areas.
   c. At least three courses must be above 900.
3. Comprehensive exam that includes four different examination topics. One topic must be selected from the theory breadth area; the other three topics must be selected from three different breadth areas (which can include a second theory topic).

Ph.D. Degree requirements

1. CS 900 - Computer Science Seminar.
2. Seven CS graduate courses (three credits or more) beyond the MS or fifteen CS graduate courses beyond the B.S.  
   1. Two must be implementation intensive. 
   2. All students must take CS 845, Formal Specification and Verification of Software Systems. 
3. Breadth requirement.  Courses must be taken from at least four breadth groups (see list below), with one of the groups being the Theory group.  Students must obtain a 3.4 GPA in the four breadth courses.  The student designates which four coures are used to compute the GPA.
4. Research tool. A research tool represents knowledge and skills in another discipline that can help the student carry out his or her research plan. This is typically satisfied by taking a non-computer science graduate level course.
5. Depth requirement. Under the direction of a depth adviser and a depth committee, the student carries out some preliminary research that is likely to lead to a dissertation topic. The student must produce two written reports (a literature survey and a research report) and make a presentation as part of an oral examination on the material.
6. Dissertation. The student must complete original research and present and defend a dissertation describing that research. The research is carried out under the supervision of a faculty member dissertation adviser and a dissertation committee of at least five members, including one from outside the department.

Software Systems Engineering Certificate Requirements

Students should have at least three years experience as a software developer.  A bachelors degree is required, but it does not need to be in computer science.  The GRE exams are not required.  For more information on the certifiate probram click here. 

Implementation Intensive Courses

Implementation intensive courses include: CS 812, CS 820, CS 830, CS 835, CS 870.

Examination Topic Areas

The list below identifies the six topic areas used for both the M.S. comprehensive exam and the Ph.D. breadth exam.

Breadth Course Areas

The list below identifies the eight breadth course areas and the introductory (800-level) graduate courses in each area. It is also acceptable to satisfy an area requirement by taking an advanced course (900-level) in the specified area. (Note that there are courses in the curriculum that are not in any of the identified groups.)

* Not all breadth courses form the basis for exam topics. There are no exams in the following courses: CS 818, 819, 820, 821, 823, 835, 851, 852, 853, 854, 860, 867 and 871.