Master of Science in Computer Science

Thesis and non-thesis programs are available under this degree.

A thesis represents an original, useful contribution to the research community. Examples include extending knowledge with publishable results and the development of useful tools for the research and engineering community. The time required to complete a thesis is expected to be on the order of six semester credit hours over two semesters.

The non-thesis option requires a project. The project will serve as a demonstration that the student understands and can utilize practices that contribute to the production of quality systems. Examples include implementation of some result from the literature, enhancement or porting of existing software, and design and implementation of a pedagogical aid. The non-thesis option is generally not recommended for students considering a doctorate or interested in research as a career.

After two semesters of coursework, approximately 15 to 18 hours of coursework, students should identify their Thesis/Project Mentor. This person is a graduate faculty member who will advise the student in the direction of their research. The faculty member should be related to the area of research that the student wants to pursue. The student should work closely with their mentor to identify the substance of their thesis/project work and finalize the criteria for their thesis/project defense. In addition, the student will need to select at least two more members for their Graduate Committee. One of the additional members must be a graduate faculty member from the same department as the student and the second must be a graduate faculty member from outside the department. It is recommended that the student confirm with the Graduate School as to whether the faculty members they have selected for their committee be registered Graduate Faculty members. The students mentor can recommend committee members but the decision to select a particular faculty member is a decision of the student with the approval of the Graduate School.

Students are encouraged to begin research early in their program. Initial research involvement and planning in the semesters before registering for thesis/project credits (5398/5396) is strongly advised. Students (both graduate and undergraduate) are strongly encouraged to contact any research group that is of interest.

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Core Courses

All MS students are required to complete the following four core courses with a “B” average or better and with at most one “C”.

In addition, students who have not taken CS 4375 Theory of Operating Systems (or its equivalent) are required to include this course or CS 5340 Advanced Operating Systems in their program of study. Those who have not taken CS 4342 Database Management (or its equivalent) are required to include this course or CS 5322 Topics in Advanced Database Systems in their program of study.

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Coursework

Students choosing the thesis option take 27 hours of coursework plus six semester hours of CS 5398-99, Thesis.

Non-thesis (project) students take 30-hours of coursework plus six hours of CS 5396-97, Graduate Projects.

The coursework requirement (30 or 27 credits) is to be met mostly by graduate CS courses (click here for a complete list), and graduate EE courses from the following list:

EE 5379 Network Protocols
EE 5372 Image Processing
EE 5360 Computer Vision
EE 5310 Computer Graphics
EE 5330 Data Communications
EE 5370 Operating Systems
EE 5374 Advanced Digital Systems Design I

However, up to 6 hours of other acceptable technical courses may count towards the coursework requirement. The acceptable courses currently include:

CS 4310 Software Engineering: Requirements Engineering
CS 4311 Software Engineering: Design and Implementation
CS 4316 Computer Networks
CS 4320 Artificial Intelligence
CS 4342 Database Management
CS 4352 Compilers and Interpreters
CS 4365 Topics in Soft Computing
CS 4375 Theory of Operating Systems
CS 4390 Special Topics in Computer Science
CS 4392 Research Methods in Computer Science
MIT 5316 Web-Based Computing
MIT 5330 Computer Networks and Data Communications
MIT 53xx Systems Administration (course approval pending)

Other courses, including courses deemed necessary as preparation for research, may be counted towards the coursework requirement if approved by the Graduate Advisor. It is important that the student discuss these plans with the Graduate Advisor prior to registration.

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Graduation Procedures

Final Program of Study/Application for Graduate Degree Forms

At the beginning of the semester in which they plan to graduate, students must submit an Application for Graduate Degree, to the Graduate School. These forms are typically due a month or so into the semester. There is a penalty for late submission. In addition, those who do not submit this form before the deadline run the risk of not having their name appear in the commencement booklet.

Before a student can submit their Application for Graduate Degree form to the Graduate School, they must meet with the Graduate Advisor for a signature indicating a final approval of their coursework. The student should contact the department secretary, Beatriz Tarango thru e-mail: btarango@utep.edu or call (915)747-5480 to schedule an appointment. It is important that you have your application filled out and a current copy of your transcript in preparation for this appointment.

Exit Interview

During the process of reviewing the student's Application for Graduate Degree, the Graduate Advisor will administer the Graduate Program Exit Interview. If a student fails to schedule and perform the exit interview they will not be considered to have completed all the requirements for graduation.

Graduation Checklist

In addition to the Defense Form and the Application for Graduate Degree, the Graduate School and the Records Office impose other requirements and deadlines, including a graduation fee and submission of an electronic version of the thesis. Students are encouraged to check with the Graduate School to verify these requirements and the various deadlines.

All graduating students taking the thesis plan should submit an electronic copy of their thesis to Aida Gandara in CS Rm. 204 or e-mail it to agandara1@utep.edu so that the thesis can be added to the department's collection.

Thesis Format

The online Thesis and Dissertation Guide provides useful UTEP Graduate School guidelines and information for all students preparing a thesis or dissertation. Topics covered include general requirements, manuscript production and format; useful visual sample forms are also provided. If you are using LaTeX, consult the following guide.

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Graduation Deadlines for Master's Students

To ensure that you have the most accurate information about graduation deadlines, refer to the class schedule booklet or to the University Calendar for the relevant semester and confirm the information and dates that you see there with the Graduate School.

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Defense Preparation

About two months before the intended defense date, the student should negotiate with the committee the dates for delivery of the various drafts of either their thesis or project documents.

One to two weeks before the intended defense date the student should pick the time and the date, clear it with the committee, and reserve a room. The student should then give the Graduate Advisor three copies of a flyer giving the thesis/project title and abstract, and defense time and location. Be sure to include the acknowledgement of your committee members in this flyer. The Graduate Advisor will advertise the defense, and also select a faculty member to moderate.

The final document should be complete at least one week before the defense. At this point the student should have received approval from all committee members. One copy should be submitted to the department office by this time; it will be made available for public perusal before and during the defense.

Please note that the Graduate School requires that all students must be registered in CS 5399 (Thesis II) or CS 5397 (Projects II) for thesis or project, respectively, on the date of their defense.

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Defense Format

The first phase of the defense is intended primarily to disseminate the results of the student's research. It is public; anyone can attend. After the moderator introduces the student the student presents the work. Questions from the audience are allowed, as long as they seek answers that would clarify the subject matter. If the student answers incorrectly or does not know the answer, it is acceptable for other people in the audience to answer succinctly. Any further discussion will be delayed to phase two of the defense.

The second phase of the defense is intended primarily to evaluate the quality of the student's work. This will typically last about 15 minutes. At this point, questions are allowed from anyone, and only the student is allowed to answer. The moderator will ensure that the discussion is focused on the student's work and reflects the fact that this represents only six credit hours worth of work, by a novice researcher, who may not have a deep knowledge of the field of study and may not have explored all aspects of the problem. The student should, however, be able to know and explain not only his/her own work but its relevance more generally and how it relates to other work in the area.

In the third phase of the defense the committee members meet privately to evaluate the student's work. They may call the student in to ask further questions. The outcome of the evaluation may be pass, pass with conditions, or fail. If the student passes, the committee will sign the Defense Form, which the student must provide, and the Application for Graduate Degree. The committee will also discuss the grade to be assigned, based on the evaluation of the work, the document and the presentation. (A grade given to the last 3 credits of work automatically carries to the other 3 credits, but it is possible to assign a different grade for each 3-credit portion.) If the student passes conditionally, the committee will decide how the conditions will be evaluated and how this will affect the grade, and report this in writing to the graduate advisor. If the student fails, the committee will give the student appropriate feedback and furnish a written report to the graduate advisor.

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**The requirements on this page reflect the 2006-2008 Graduate Catalog and CS policies on file with the Graduate School.

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