Program Policies
See the Important Dates page for important scheduled events.
See also
Programming Placement Exam
Graduate students enrolling in CSCI 311 - Algorithms & Data Structures - in order to attain classified standing are administered a placement exam during the first week of courses. Students that are not adequately prepared for CSCI 311 will be placed in a course appropriate to their level of knowledge, either CSCI 111 or CSCI 211.
Graduate Writing Exam
Graduate students are required to take the Graduate Writing Exam their first semester, or immediately upon completing the prerequisites if coming into the program conditionally classified. The writing exam is administered during the first week of classes. Students that do not pass the writing exam will be required to enroll in CSCI 301.
Program Planning
Graduate students are subject to Mandatory Advising requirements. In addition, there are several forms related to Program Planning that must be submitted.
MS Core Classes
Graduate students are expected to take the five core Master's courses: CSCI 611(opens in new window), CSCI 620(opens in new window), CSCI 630(opens in new window), CSCI 640(opens in new window), and CSCI 650(opens in new window), during their first year of study after advancing to classified standing. Each core course is offered once a year.
Enrollment in CSCI 693
CSCI 693 is to be taken as part of the last 9 units, or during the last semester of the graduate program. Registration in CSCI 693 must be approved by the Graduate Coordinator. The course may be attempted a maximum of three times. Failure on
the third attempt will result in dismissal from the graduate program in computer science. To enroll in CSCI 693, submit
MS Project/Thesis Proposals
Masters Project/Thesis proposals must be submitted and approved the semester before you wish to enroll in CSCI 699.
- See the Important Dates page for proposal submission deadlines.
- It is highly recommended that you use the Outline for a Project/Thesis Proposal (PDF)
- In order to submit a proposal, you must have completed the Graduate Literacy Requirement. Students can only take the Graduate Writing Exam Once. If you fail the exam, you must immediately enroll in CSCI 301.
- Project/Thesis Defense may not be scheduled during the summer.
- You do not enroll in CSCI 699 when you submit a proposal. Once the proposal is approved by the CSCI faculty, you will add 699P or 699T the following semester.
NO PROPOSALS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE DEADLINE.
Continuous Enrollment
If you are pursuing a master’s degree, you must enroll each semester until the degree is awarded. Both enrollment as a regular student and adjunct enrollment satisfy this continuous enrollment requirement. Special Session, Open University and Extension enrollments do not. Adjunct enrollment consists of registration in GRST 899 through the Center for Regional and Continuing Education, for which an administrative fee is charged.
Registration in GRST 899 must be completed by the end of the fourth week of each semester (the University census date), and late fees are charged for noncompliance with this policy. Adjunct enrollment serves both students who have finished their course work but have not yet met all degree requirements (e.g., terminal project, incomplete grade, etc.), and those who choose not to enroll in regular classes for a semester. No credit is earned in GRST 899, but adjunct enrollment does allow you to maintain your status in the master’s degree program and provides minimal access to selected campus resources, including the library, laboratories, computer facilities, faculty advisers, and the thesis editor. Student Health Service privileges are also available for adjunct students with the payment of an additional fee.
If you break your enrollment in the master’s degree program, you will be required to petition for permission to resume your program and register for all missed semesters of GRST 899 with applicable late fees. In addition, you will also be held to any new degree requirements in effect at the time that you resume your enrollment. This policy applies to all master’s degree students including those who have completed all of the required courses for their program.
Registration in GRST 899 maintains your continuing status in the University and will allow you to register as a continuing student when you wish to return to regular enrollment. If you encounter problems in attempting to register for regular classes following a semester of adjunct enrollment, please contact the Office of Graduate Programs for assistance. If you attend another school while on adjunct status, you are required to submit official transcripts of the work. Please arrange to have the transcripts sent to the Office of Graduate Programs when you have concluded your attendance at that school.
Please be advised that adjunct enrollment does not extend the period given to complete the Masters degree and that the Department of Computer Science does not offer course validation. Masters Students enrolled in the program prior to Fall 2009 are given 7 years to complete the degree. Students enrolled in the program starting Fall 2009 are given 5 years to complete the degree.
Internships
See the internship policies.
Course Numbering
- 400-level courses are undergraduate - they may not be used for graduate credit starting Fall 2010
- 500-level courses are undergraduate/graduate
- 600-level courses are graduate only, advanced undergraduates may take these courses with consent of the Graduate Coordinator and the Instructor
