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Master of Science in Computer Science (MSCS)

Course Requirements

The MSCS program has both thesis and non-thesis options. Both options require taking the following courses:

In the thesis option, the student

In the non-thesis option, the student

Master's Degree Plan and Admission to Candidacy

The Master's Degree Plan specifies information, such as in the case of the master's thesis option, the Thesis Advisory Committee, the title of the thesis, and the courses to be taken.  The graduate school requires the Master's Degree Plan to be submitted during the first semester of study.  The Master's Degree Plan also serves as the application for Admission to Candidacy.  See the Texas Tech Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog for further details about the requirements for Admission to Candidacy.

For the thesis option, students should make every effort to find a Thesis Advisor in an area of research compatible with their interests as soon as possible.  Thesis Advisors may require students to take certain courses in order to prepare the student for research; therefore, students should allow the Thesis Advisor to assist in the selection of courses for their degree plan.

Minor courses are, in general, not allowed in the degree plan of the non-thesis option, but are allowed on a limited basis in the degree plan of the thesis option as long as those courses would support the student's research.  No minor courses will be counted if an equivalent computer science course exists.  Please see the Texas Tech Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog for the details of minors at the master's level.  Please see the Graduate Advisor for minor course degree plan approval before taking the minor courses.

If a student switches from the thesis to the non-thesis option, then any C S 6000 or C S 7000 courses taken will be lost and not included on the non-thesis degree plan.

The degree plan may be modified with the use of simple forms.  Changes should be completed before the graduation semester.

Example Plan of Full-Time Study

For the 150-hour combined BS/MS thesis option:

For the thesis option:

For the 150-hour combined BS/MS non-thesis option:

For the non-thesis option:

Thesis Advisory Committee

All committee members must belong to the graduate faculty.  At a minimum, the committee must include:

Thesis

According to the Texas Tech Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog, the thesis should represent independent work by the student, be conducted under the supervision of an advisory committee, and be written clearly and concisely in standard English (or another language when appropriate).  The thesis must be approved by the Thesis Advisory Committee and the Graduate Dean.  All theses must conform to Texas Tech's published policies.

Final Comprehensive Examination

The Final Comprehensive Examination is required for both the thesis and non-thesis options.  This exam may only be administered to students who have been admitted to candidacy and who are registered for at least 3 hours in the examination semester.  The examination semester is usually the semester of graduation.

For the non-thesis option, students must take an exam at a minimum covering the material they learned during their master's degree.  For the thesis option, students must defend their completed thesis.

Time Limit

All requirements must be completed within a period of 6 years.

Course Transfers

A graduate course may be accepted for transfer from another university as long as

Students should be prepared to show syllabi and example coursework from the courses they wish to transfer.

No courses are transferred until the degree plan (institutional transcripts showing the transfer courses and grades must be attached) is submitted to the Computer Science Department and approved by the graduate advisor.

Up to 6 hours may be transferred.

Please see the Computer Science Graduate Advisor for time limits on accepting transfer courses.

Additional Information

Please consult the Texas Tech Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog for additional details.  You are required to comply with catalog requirements.