Texas Tech University, Department of Industrial Engineering
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M.S. in Software Engineering

Overview

The M.S.S.E. program began in the Fall of 1999. It is intended to give the graduate a firm foundation in the definition, development and maintenance of complex software systems using traditional engineering process methods.

M.S.S.E.: Fall 2011 − Present

We are pleased to announce that the MSSE is will be an interdisciplinary degree program between the Computer Science Department and the Industrial Engineering Department as of Fall 2011, with an emphasis on the integration of systems and software engineering concepts. The MSSE is a professional degree program. Graduates will be capable of defining, developing, testing, and maintaining complex software systems in the context of system requirements engineering techniques that integrate hardware, software, human factor, economic, and application considerations. The program also emphasizes teamwork and engineering ethics. The new requirements for the interdisciplinary M.S.S.E. are as follows:

Entrance Requirements

Applicants should have a B.S. degree in computer science with proficiency in probability and statistics or a B.S. degree in an engineering discipline with proficiency in at least one high level programming language.

Curriculum & Courses

Please click here to view the curriculum & courses required for this degree.

MSSE: Prior to Fall 2011

Course Requirements

The MSSE program has both thesis and non−thesis plans. Both plans require taking the following courses listed here.

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 plan, 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 plan, 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 plan, but are allowed on a limited basis in the degree plan of the thesis plan 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 plan, then any CS 6000 or possibly CS 7000 courses taken will be lost and not included on the non−thesis degree plan.

The degree plan may be modified later by filling out the degree plan change form. Any changes should be submitted before the graduation semester.

Example Plan of Full-Time Study

For the thesis plan:

For the non−thesis plan:

Thesis, Project, or Report 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.

Project

The project should represent independent work by the student and be conducted under the supervision of an advisory committee. The project must include the development of a software system with a report written clearly and concisely in standard English (or another language when appropriate). The report on the project software system includes the problem statement, design, regime of testing and results, conclusions, and future additions/modifications. The project must be approved by the Project Advisory Committee and the Graduate Dean.

Report

The report should represent independent work by the student and be conducted under the supervision of an advisory committee. The report must include an investigation with a report written clearly and concisely in standard English (or another language when appropriate). The report on the investigation includes an investigation area statement, background literature, investigation design, investigation results, conclusions, and future investigative work. The report must be approved by the Report Advisory Committee and the Graduate Dean.

Final Comprehensive Examination

The Final Comprehensive Examination is required for both the thesis and non−thesis plans. 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 thesis plan, students must publicly defend their completed thesis. For the non−thesis plan, exam option, students must take an exam at a minimum covering the material they learned during their master’s degree. For the non-thesis plan, project or report option, an oral examination is taken by students where they make a public presentation of the project/report and results.

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.