COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE ACADEMICS GRADUATE INFORMATION

Masters Degree

The department offers four majors at the master's level: Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer and Network System Administration, and Information Security. Each major offers both thesis and project options. The project options in any of these majors, while no less rigorous and demanding than thesis option, are considered professional degree options. Students considering continuing into the PhD program are encouraged to follow a thesis option. Students will be required to complete a thesis before admission to candidacy in the PhD program. Since the course requirements for the PhD include the Computer Science thesis option course requirements, this effectively requires the student to satisfy all requirements for the MS in Computer Science, thesis option, before admission to PhD candidacy.

Computer Science

In the Computer Science major, the student will complete at least thirty two (32) semester hours in computer science courses numbered 5000 or above, including one course from each of the following three areas:

Software	CEN5035	Software Engineering (3)
	COP5570	Advanced Unix Programming (3)
	COP5621	Compiler Construction(3)
Systems	CDA5155	Computer Architecture (3)
	CEN5515	Data and Computer Communications (3)
	COP5611	Operating Systems (3)
Theory	COP5025	Programming Languages Foundations (3)
	COT5310	Theory of Automata and Formal Languages (3)
	COT5410	Complexity of Algorithms (3)
	COT5421	Theory of Computability (3)
	COT5540	Logic for Computer Science (3)

Software Engineering

The Software Engineering major has the same admission requirements as the Computer Science major, together with a pre/co-requisite experience base that includes work on large software systems. Admission to the Software Engineering major is selective and limited and is managed by the Software Engineering Oversight Committee. Details may be found on the world-wide-web at http://websrv.cs.fsu.edu.

In the Software Engineering major, the student will complete at least thirty two (32) semester hours in computer science courses numbered 5000 or above, including the following courses:

Plus two of the following courses:

Computer and Network System Administration

The Computer and Network System Administration major has the same admission requirements as the Computer Science major, together with a pre/co-requisite experience base that includes work in a system administration environment. Admission to the Computer and Network System Administration major is selective and limited and is managed by the System Administration Faculty Oversight Committee. Details may be found on the world-wide web at http://websrv.cs.fsu.edu.

In the Computer and Network System Administration major, the student will complete at least thirty two (32) semester hours in computer science courses numbered 5000 or above, including the following courses:

Information Security

In the Information Security major, the student will complete at least thirty two (32) semester hours in computer science courses numbered 5000 or above, including the following courses:

Plus one of the following courses:

Supervisory Committee

In each of the majors offered by this department, a program for the master's degree is planned with a provisional advisor appointed by the department chair and must be approved first by the provisional advisor and subsequently by the supervisory committee.

It is the student's responsibility to form a supervisory committee regardless of his or her selected major. No later than the start of work on the project, the student will secure consent of an eligible computer science faculty member to serve as the major professor. In consultation with the major professor, the student will secure consent of at least two additional graduate faculty members to serve as the supervisory committee, chaired by the major professor. The major professor and all committee members must be approved and appointed by the Department Chair.

For the thesis option, the student must complete an additional six (6) hours of CIS 5970r Thesis together with other computer science courses numbered 5000 or above for a total of at least thirty-two (32) semester hours. A maximum of six (6) hours of thesis, six (6) hours of CIS 5930, and two (2) hours of colloquium may be counted as part of the thirty-two hours. Supervised teaching, directed individual study, supervised research, project and courses with the CGS prefix may not be counted as part of the thirty-two (32) hours in the thesis option.

For the project option, the student must complete an additional six (6) hours of CIS 5915r Graduate Software Project together with other computer science courses numbered 5000 or above for a total of at least thirty-two (32) semester hours. A maximum of six (6) hours of project, six (6) hours of CIS 5930, and two (2) hours of colloquium may be counted as part of the thirty-two hours. Supervised teaching, directed individual study, supervised research, thesis and courses with the CGS prefix may not be counted as part of the thirty-two (32) hours in the project option.

Project and Thesis

The student will be required to propose and create an individual project of appropriate focus, size, and complexity and to write a project document discussing the project. The proposed project must be approved by the supervisory committee. Upon completion, both the project and project document must be successfully defended to the department in an open forum, with approval from the major professor and the supervisory committee.

In the thesis option, the student must write a thesis in accordance with University standards, based on original research related to the project. The thesis must be defended in a public forum and found acceptable by the supervisory committee and the major professor. In the thesis option, the thesis may constitute the project document and the thesis defense may constitute the project defense.

Note that a master's student who intends to pursue the Ph.D. degree would be wise to choose a topic for the master's thesis that is in the intended area of Ph.D. research, and to incorporate in the master's thesis a preliminary survey of the relevant literature. Later, this part of the master's thesis could provide a good start for the Doctoral Survey paper.

For further interpretation of the above requirements and an extended description of what constitutes a master's project, click here.