Computer Science, M.S.

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The Master of Science in Computer Science program at UALR reflects current trends in the computer science discipline and provides students with a solid theoretical as well as practical foundation for careers in computer science.

The curriculum consists of two parts: a core curiculum and specialization course work. Core curriculum refers to required courses that provide students with fundamental knowledge and extending their skill set. Building on the core foundation, the specialization course work allows students the opportunity to select elective courses to acquire in-depth knowledge and skills in the specific areas of interest.

To satisfy the requirements for the master’s degree, in addition to the course work, students must complete one of the following program options: thesis or project.

The program is accessible to day and evening students and lends itself to full-time as well as part-time study.

Additional information is available at the Computer Science website

Admission Requirements

Baccalaureate degree in computer science, engineering, mathematics, or a related discipline from an accredited institution
Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale). However, in some cases, if the GRE score is above the minimum desired score, a GPA lower than 3.0 can be considered for full admission or conditional admission.
Where applicable, Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 80 (or above or equivalent IELTS score) is recommended.
On the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test, the desired scores are a quantitative reasoning score of 155 or above, a verbal reasoning score of 145 or above, and analytical writing score 3.0 or above.
Completion of deficiency course work, if conditional admission is granted.

For more information, visit the Computer Science website.

Deficiency Course Work

All students seeking admission to the program must have completed (with a grade of B or greater in each course) undergraduate course work equivalent to the following:

Students who have not completed such course work must compensate for deficiencies by taking CPSC 5399 - Special Topics . Courses taken to compensate for deficiencies are not credited towards the degree.

Exception: students with a single deficiency course remaining may register for that class and graduate classes as long as no prerequisites are violated.

Waiver of deficiency courses is at the discretion of the Computer Science Graduate Committee.

Program Requirements

Core Course Work

All students must take the following 5 courses (15 credit hours):

Specialization Course Work

Students must choose five (5) specialization classes (three (3) if the thesis option is selected) from the department’s graduate-level courses. Students are strongly encouraged to select courses under the guidance of their graduate advisor(s) with the goal of in-depth exploration of a particular area in computer science. Students may take a maximum of two (2) 5000-level courses as part of their specialization course work. Additionally, the total number of special topic or independent study classes cannot exceed four (4). Substitution of up to two graduate electives from other disciplines (in particular applied science, systems engineering, information science, and mathematics) for specialization course work is at the discretion of the Computer Science Graduate Coordinator.

Transfer of credit hours earned elsewhere

Maximum of six (6) graduate credit hours can be transferred into the graduate degree plan.

Program Options

All students must complete one of the following options:

Graduate Project: 33 credit hours, consisting of 30 hours of course work plus three (3) credit hours of CPSC 7398 - Graduate Project .
Graduate Thesis: 30 credit hours, consisting of 24 hours of course work plus six credit (6) hours of Thesis ( CPSC 8100 - Thesis - CPSC 8600 - Thesis ).

Students choosing the project or thesis options must complete the core curriculum prior to enrolling in CPSC 7398 - Graduate Project or CPSC 8100 - Thesis - CPSC 8600 - Thesis . Additionally, students must form a Project Committee or Thesis Committee. Such a committee must have at least two members, including the advisor, from the Computer-Science Department. A committee can have at most one member from other departments. Following the recommendation of the Project Committee or Thesis Committee, a student must schedule an oral proposal presentation as well as an oral defense presentation for the graduate project or thesis.

Performance Requirements

Deviation from the degree plan requires the approval of the Computer Science Graduate Committee
Conditionally admitted students must earn a Grade Point Average (GPA) above 3.5 in the first 9 hours and may not receive a grade of incomplete (I).
Students receiving a grade of C or lower will be warned that their academic performance is unacceptable and their status will be reviewed by the Computer Science Graduate Committee, which will suggest corrective action(s)
Courses with grades B or better may not be repeated.

Academic Advising

Each semester, academic advising is required for every student prior to course registration. A copy of the list of approved courses must be filed with the Graduate School.

Graduate Assistantships

A limited number of graduate assistantships are available. Please, contact the Computer Science Graduate Coordinator for information.

Graduation Requirements

Cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 in an approved program of study and satisfying all requirements specified in Performance Requirements.
Successful completion of one of the program options specified in the section on Program Options.