Master of Science in Computer Science
Admission Requirements
In addition to satisfying the graduate school’s admission requirements, an applicant must meet the following requirements for admission at the minimum:
- GPA (4-point scale): 2.50 or higher
- English Proficiency: Meet the Graduate School minimum requirement
- Application deadlines: Annually February 28 (for admission to fall semester).
- Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs) are competitive and are not guaranteed. To be considered, the graduate CS program application should be received by February 28. No separate GTA application is required.
- Applicants are required to have a BS or BA in Computer Science, Math, Engineering, or the Physical Sciences. Applicants must have completed the following undergraduate courses prior to admission:
- Math 1170 Calculus I
- Math 1175 Calculus II
- Math/CS 1187 Applied Discrete Structures
- Math 2287 Foundations of Mathematics
- Math 2240 Linear Algebra
- CS 1181 Computer Science Programming I
- CS 1337 Computer Organization and Architecture
- CS 2281 Data Structures
- CS 3309 Advanced Object-Oriented Programming
These math and CS courses need to be those required for Computer Science, Math, and Engineering majors, and need to be completed with an average grade of B. Applicants without these undergraduate courses may enroll as a CS Graduate Secure Cyber Operations Certificate student, an undergraduate student, or a non-degree-seeking student to complete them. Following successful completion of these required undergraduate courses, the applicant can apply to the MSCS program.
General Requirements for the MSCS
The student shall select a CS graduate faculty advisor during the first semester of residence. A maximum of six (06) credits from special-topic (e.g., CS 6692, CS 5587), experimental (e.g., CS 5599/6699), independent study, or similar courses collectively can be counted towards the degree. A thesis-based MS will need a thesis committee, which must include at least two CS graduate-faculty members, one of whom is the thesis advisor (aka, major professor), and another graduate faculty member from outside the CS department. The advisor and committee must be approved by the CS Graduate Program Director preferably before the end of the first semester of a student’s program of study.
All MSCS students must complete CS 5512 and CS 5561. If the student has completed CS 4412 with a grade of at least a B-, then another CS 55xx course may be substituted. If the student has completed CS4461 with a grade of at least a B-, then another CS 55xx course may be substituted. All MSCS graduate courses must be completed with a grade of B- or higher. CS 5512 or CS 4412 and CS 5561 or CS 4461 must be completed with a grade of B- or higher prior to taking any 66xx level courses applied toward the MSCS.
Thesis Option (30 credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CS 5512 | Advanced Algorithms | 3 |
| CS 5561 | Secure Operating Systems | 3 |
| Approved CS 55xx electives | 9 | |
| CS 6650 | Thesis | 6 |
| Approved CS 55xx electives (at least 6 credits must be CS electives) | 9 | |
| Approved CS, ECE, or Math 66xx Electives (at least 6 credits must be CS electives) | 9 | |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
Non-thesis/Course-Only Option (30 credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CS 5512 | Advanced Algorithms | 3 |
| CS 5561 | Secure Operating Systems | 3 |
| Approved CS, ECE, or Math 55xx electives (at least 6 credits must be CS electives) | 9 | |
| Approved CS, ECE, or Math 66xx electives (at least 9 credits must be CS electives) | 15 | |
| Total Credits: | 30 | |
Doctoral Program in Engineering and Applied Science (Computer Science)
A Computer Science doctoral program within the PhD in Engineering and Applied Science (EAS) program is administered through the College of Science and Engineering (CoSE). The complete description and requirements of the program are available in the PhD EAS program catalog at http://coursecat.isu.edu/graduate/scienceengineering/engineeringandappliedscience/.