Curriculum
The Master's of Science in Computer Science degree is intended to add depth in computer science to an undergraduate degree. Many students use a Master's degree to further an existing career as a computer professional; others use the program as an opportunity to change career paths. Many of these students have majored in disciplines other than computer science; students with particularly weak computer science background will be required to take additional courses before being accepted into the Master's program. Each student will be evaluated regarding additional courses (in addition to the M.S. degree requirements) to be taken. These additional course requirements are detailed in the acceptance letter from the Graduate College.
Core Course Requirement
The M.S. program in Computer Science offers thesis, project, and coursework only options. Acceptance into thesis or project options is conditional upon the student finding an eligible advisor who agrees to supervise the thesis or project. Please see the Department of Computer Science website for current research interests of the department's faculty.
Option A: Thesis
Thirty (30) credits, including a minimum of twenty-one credits of approved coursework, and a minimum of six credits of thesis research (CS 6391)
Option B: Project
Thirty (30) credits, including a minimum of twenty-four credits of approved coursework, and a minimum of three credits of project research (CS 6392)
Option C: Non-Thesis
Thirty (30) credits of approved coursework
Students in all options must:
- Take, or have completed the equivalent of, CS 224/CS 3240/CS 5240 Algorithm Design & Analysis (students who took CS 224/CS 3240/CS 5240 at UVM for undergraduate credit with a grade of B+ or higher may substitute this core course with an appropriate alternative course) and 3 other core Computer Science Courses, to be determined in consultation with and approval of the student’s graduate advisor and the CS graduate coordinator, depending on a student’s background and interests.
- Pass comprehensive exams covering material from the 4 approved core courses
- Fulfill the credit requirement with approved graduate-level coursework in computer science or related areas. (Only courses with grades of B- or above are counted towards coursework requirements and students with two grades below B are eligible for dismissal.)
Comprehensive Exams
Taking a core course at UVM for graduate credit and receiving a grade of B+ or better constitutes successfully completing the comprehensive examination in that area.
Students who receive a grade of B or lower in a core course, or students who took CS 224/CS 3240/CS 5240 at UVM (whether for undergraduate or graduate credit) and received a grade of B or lower, must pass an oral comprehensive exam in that area. In this event, the Graduate Coordinator will form an exam committee for the oral exam(s). Each student who needs to take one or more comprehensive oral exam(s) should arrange a single date for all required oral exam(s) with the examiner(s) and then inform the Graduate Coordinator of the exam date. It is strongly recommended that the examination is completed during the academic year unless all examiners voluntarily agree to give the exam on a date during the break.
Credit Transfer
With the approval of the Graduate Committee, up to 9 credit hours of coursework in Computer Science (or a closely related field) may be transferred into the Master's degree. Only credits that have not been used for other degrees (Bachelor's, Master's, or others) are considered. Note that these credits include any courses taken at UVM before enrolling in the Master's program and any courses taken at other institutions, whether before or after enrolling at UVM. In addition, with the approval of the Graduate Committee, a student may apply courses in a closely related field taken at the graduate level while in residence at UVM to their Master's requirements.
Note that transfer and waiver are two different, independent concepts. A transfer means that the transferred credits are counted towards your Master's degree at UVM, while a waiver only means that one of the five required courses is replaced by some other courses (possibly transferred ones).
Also, please note that the Accelerated Master's Program (AMP) (see below) is an exception to this 9-credit-transfer rule.
Academic Standing
To remain in good standing, students must continue to make reasonable progress towards completing their degree requirements. To measure this progress, three requirements are placed on all Master's students:
- Time limit. All full-time students (taking at least 15 credits/year) must complete their degree within 3 years of enrollment. Part-time students must complete their degree with 5 years of enrollment. Extensions may be awarded for extraordinary extenuating circumstances, at the discretion of the Graduate Committee.
- Grades in individual courses. Any grade of B- or worse is unacceptable for a Master's student. Upon receipt of a second (or any subsequent) unacceptable grade, the student's progress will be reviewed by the Graduate Committee. The Graduate Committee may choose to impose sanctions on the student, including requiring an additional course or dismissing the student from the program.
- Accumulative grade point average (GPA). Every Master's student must maintain a 3.0 (B) GPA at all times. Any student falling below a 3.0 will be placed on academic probation and their progress will be reviewed by the Graduate Committee, with the possible imposition of sanctions. Furthermore, no student whose final GPA is below 3.0 will be allowed to graduate.
Thesis Option
Students choosing the thesis option must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours, including a minimum of 21 credits of coursework and 6 credits of thesis research.
A Master's thesis consists of original research work done under the guidance of a faculty member. Students opting to pursue a thesis must select a thesis advisor who agrees to supervise that student's thesis work. The thesis advisor may be any graduate faculty member who holds either a primary or a secondary appointment from the Department.
Full-time students should normally choose a thesis advisor by the end of their first semester. Prior to the selection of a thesis advisor, a member of the Graduate Committee serves as the student's advisor (see the Director of Graduate Studies for details).
Each thesis student must write a thesis describing their research. The thesis is presented before a thesis committee in a public oral thesis defense. The thesis committee must include three different individuals: (1) the student's thesis advisor (see below), (2) another graduate faculty member of the department, and (3) the chair of the thesis committee. The chair of the thesis committee must be a member of the graduate faculty without an appointment (either primary or secondary) in the department.
At least three weeks before the defense, the written thesis must be submitted to the Graduate College for a format check. At least two weeks before the defense, the student must make copies of the written thesis available to all members of the thesis committee. The thesis defense itself must be adequately advertised to the community.
Project Option
Students choosing the project option must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours, including a minimum of 24 credits of coursework and 3 credits of project (CS 6392).
A graduate project typically consists of a significant implementation done under the guidance of a faculty member. Students opting to pursue a project must select an advisor who agrees to supervise that student's work. The advisor may be any faculty member who holds either a primary or a secondary appointment from the Department.
Full-time students should normally choose a project advisor by the end of their first semester. Prior to the selection of an advisor, a member of the Graduate Committee serves as the student's advisor (see the Director of Graduate Studies for details).
The results of the project are presented before a project committee in a public talk, which has been advertised to the community. The project committee must include three individuals, at least two of whom must hold appointments in the department. The chair, who may be the project advisor, must be a member of the Graduate College and hold an appointment in the department. The composition of the committee must be approved by the Graduate Committee.
One bound copy of the project report should be submitted to the Graduate Program Director within 30 days after the defense. The submitted copy will be archived in the departmental file.
Documents needed to complete a project defense comprise the project report, acceptance page, and the exam result. Templates of these documents can be downloaded from the following links: Project report front sample (PDF), Project acceptance page template (DOC), Project examination result form (DOC).
Coursework Option
Students choosing a coursework option must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours of coursework.
The Department offers 5000-level courses, which are taken both by advanced undergraduate students for graduate credit and by graduate students. The Department also offers 6000-level courses, which are open only to graduate students.
Computer Science Graduate Course Listing
