MS in Computer Science

Degree Requirements

All students completing a master’s degree must fulfill the following minimum requirements:

The student must earn a minimum of 30 credit hours of computer science (CS) course work approved by the EECS Department. This course work must include at least 15 credit hours of computer science course work numbered 8000 or above (CMP_SC 8990 Research-Masters Thesis Computer Science credit is counted in the required 15 credit hours, but CMP_SC 8980 is not).

The overall GPA of course work taken as an enrolled graduate student must be at least 3.0 (out of 4.0).

Up to 6 credit hours from courses taken in other departments or from non-CS courses in the EECS Department will be considered for approval as part of a student’s MS program. Written approval from faculty advisors or the Director of Graduate Studies is required prior to the student taking the coursework. Selected non-CS courses, suchas IS_LT 7360 and IS_LT 7370, Intro and Intermediate Web Development, and IS_LT 7310 Seminar in Mobile App Development will not be counted.

Accelerated BS in Computer Science to MS in Computer Science

An accelerated option is available for the BS in Computer Science to MS in Computer Science.  Refer to the Graduate School’s webpage on Accelerated Programs for more information. For general information on how accelerated options work at MU, and for guidance on participation, refer to Accelerated Options in the catalog.

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Thesis/Non-Thesis Requirements

Non-Thesis Option

In order to complete the non-thesis option, the student must complete an independent project under a faculty advisor approved by the department. This project is carried out by enrolling in CMP_SC 8980 (Non-Thesis Research) for at least one hour of credit. This project is documented in a project report which is shared and evaluated by a faculty committee of at least three graduate faculty members. The CMP_SC 8980 course is graded on an S/U basis and cannot be used to increase the student’s overall GPA in graduate work. In this option, at most 3 credit hours of Research, Reading, and/or Problem courses (such as CMP_SC 8980, CMP_SC 8990, CMP_SC 8085) can be counted toward the 30-hour MS graduate requirements.

Thesis Option

In order to complete the thesis option, the student must complete an independent project under a faculty advisor approved by the department. This project is carried out by enrolling in CMP_SC 8990 (Thesis Research) for at least three hours of credit. A maximum of six credit hours of CMP_SC 8990 can be counted toward the required 30 credit hours for the MS degree program. The thesis project is documented in a formal thesis, presented to a faculty committee of at least three graduate faculty members (one of whom is a faculty member from another department) and defended in a public defense as part of a final oral examination. The CMP_SC 8990 course grade(s) is/are assigned by the student’s faculty advisor upon the conclusion of the oral examination. CMP_SC 8990 is graded on an S/U basis and cannot be used to increase the student’s overall GPA in graduate work. In this option, at most 9 credit hours of Research, Reading, and/or Problem courses (such as CMP_SC 8980, CMP_SC 8990, CMP_SC 8085) can be counted toward the 30-hour MS graduate requirements.

Seminar Attendance

The approval of the M3 form is tied to the attendance records for the department’s seminar series. MS and ME students are required to attend a total of at least ten EECS seminars during the course of their Master's program. PhD students are required to attend a total of at least twenty EECS seminars during the course of their PhD program. Master's students who add the PhD program can apply their seminar attendance as part of their Master's program toward the attendance requirement for PhD students.

M Forms

By the end of the second semester in the program, the M1 Plan of Study form should be prepared and submitted, with the aid of a faculty advisor in the department. A faculty advisor should be selected during the student’s first year. If a thesis option is chosen, the student must form a thesis committee and submit the M2 Request for Thesis Committee form. The M3 Report of Master’s Examining Committee form is submitted after the thesis defense or project evaluation during the final semester.

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