Degree Information

Degree Information | Curriculum | Program of Study PDF Document

The following description highlights the requirements for the Master of Science degree in Computer Science.

Students are required to complete 30 credits. At least 15 credits are from advanced graduate courses. Students are required to enroll in CSCI 6100 (Technical Writing) and CSCI 8200 (Masters Project). CSCI 8200 serves as a capstone course for the program.

Students must achieve a grade of C or higher in each class to receive credit. Students must maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or higher to continue in the program.

I. Admission Standards

Applicants to the program must provide three recommendation letters, a letter of intent, two official undergraduate transcripts, general test GRE scores, and a certificate of immunization. They must complete the general graduate admissions procedures described in Armstrong Atlantic's graduate catalog.

There are two classes of admission: degree admission and limited admission status.

Degree Admission

Degree admission is further divided into two cases: regular and provisional.

A. Regular Admission

Regular admission requires all of the following conditions to be met:
1. Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science of a Bachelor's degree in a related field.
(For example, Computer Engineering, Mathematics, or Physics)
2. An undergraduate cumulative GPA of at least 2.7.
3. GRE verbal greater than 450, GRE analytical or quantitative greater than 500.

The prerequisites for 5000G-level courses are waived for students admitted under regular admission.

B. For Provisional Admission

Provisional admission requires all of the following conditions be met:
1. Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science or a Bachelor's degree in a quantitative field.
2. An undergraduate cumulative GPA of at least 2.4.
3. GRE verbal greater than 450, GRE analytical or quantitative greater than 450.

Students who are admitted provisionally are required to meet with the graduate coordinator to determine the appropriate course of study. Depending on their background a student will either

I. Complete CSCI 5100 (Object-Oriented Programming) and CSCI 5410 (Analysis of Algorithms). Upon passing these two courses with grades of B or higher, prerequisites are waived for other 5000G-level courses. If a student does not obtain a grade of B or higher in these two courses, the student will be required to meet the criteria of option II.

II. Complete the following courses with overall GPA of at least 2.7:

1. CSCI 1301 (Introduction to Programming Principles).
2. CSCI 1302 (Advanced Programming Principles).
Prerequisite: CSCI 1301
3. CSCI 2410 (Data Structures and Algorithms)
Prerequisite: CSCI 1302
4. CSCI 3201 (Computer Organization and Architecture I)
Prerequisite: CSCI 1302
5. CSCI 3321 (Software Engineering)
Prerequisite: CSCI 2410
6. CSCI 5220 (Networks)
Prerequisite: CSCI 3201

The usual prerequisites for these courses will be waived for students provisionally admitted to the graduate program. The prerequisites that must be met are listed above.

C. Limited Admission Status

Limited admission status can be granted to graduating seniors. Limited admission requires all of the following conditions be met:
1. Senior about to complete a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science or a Bachelor's degree in a related field (For example, Computer Engineering, Mathematics, or Physics.) plus substantial background in Computer Science.
2. An undergraduate cumulative GPA of at least 2.7.

On completing the Bachelor of Science degree with a 2.7 or higher GPA, students will be given regular admission to the program. Note, Armstrong Atlantic seniors who are granted limited admission to the program are restricted to taking two 5000G courses while undergraduates.

II. Standards of Progression and Graduation

A. A program of study must be maintained for each student. The program of study (signed by the student, advisor, and program coordinator) must be forwarded to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies accompanying the student's application for graduation. Students are required to complete 30 hours of study. At least 21 of these hours are from advanced graduate courses. The program has a required technical writing component. The Masters Project CSCI 8200 required of all students serves as a capstone course. Students must complete at least 18 hours of graduate study before enrolling in CSCI 8200. Students must achieve a grade of C or higher to receive credit for a class and must maintain a gradepoint average of 3.0 or higher in the program.

B. If any change in the approved program of study is required, an amended program of study, signed by the student and the advisor, must be submitted to the School of Graduate Studies.

C. The student must apply for graduation two semesters before the date of graduation.

III. Program of Study

Program of Study