The program is administered by the Office of Graduate Studies Department of Computer Science, College of Arts and Sciences.
The overall mission of the Master's of Science in Computer Science program is to prepare computer systems professionals to undertake leadership roles in business, industrial, and technology-based organizations. In addressing that mission, the following specific goals have been identified for the program:
Admission Requirements
General - Students who wish to enter the program must meet the general University requirements for admission to a graduate program.
Departmental - To be considered as having adequate preparation for the computer science master's program, students must present evidence of having completed courses equivalent to the following UT Permian Basin undergraduate computer science and mathematics courses.
Regular Admission Status
To receive regular admission status to the Computer Science Graduate program a student must meet the following criteria. Regular admission is granted to students who have adequate preparation in the discipline.
- Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university.
- GPA of 3.0 or better in the last 60 credit hours
- A 500-word Personal Statement, which describes your computer-related experience/skills, and what you wish to accomplish in the program.
- Resume with three references' information
Conditional Admission Status
To receive conditional admission status to the Computer Science Graduate program a student must meet the following criteria. Conditionally admitted students will be assigned specific requirements in terms of courses and performance, to include at least twelve hours of 6000-level courses, with a grade of B or better in all courses taken.
- Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university.
- GPA falls in 2.5 - 2.9 in the last 60 credit hours
- A 500-word Personal Statement, which describes your computer-related experience/skills, and what you wish to accomplish in the program.
- Resume with three references' information
- OTHER EVIDENCE:
- GRE: Verbal: Minimum 145 or better
- Quantitative: Minimum 148 or better
- Writing: Minimum 3 or better
Students not adequately prepared may be admitted conditionally with the requirement that any course in this list not already completed be completed with a grade of B or better. Students admitted conditionally to computer science must complete assigned requirements before beginning the actual degree program.
Additional Background - Several of the graduate courses have undergraduate prerequisites beyond these program prerequisites. Students are not required to complete these courses prior to admission to the graduate program and many will have completed them in their undergraduate program. In each case, the prerequisite course must be completed before undertaking the course for which it is a prerequisite. Up to two 4xxx level course can be used as an elective for both non-thesis and thesis option to be counted in the graduate degree program, if the course was not already taken as part of the undergraduate program.
Here is the list of such courses:
More information regarding admissions can be found at: http://www.utpb.edu/utpb_student/grad_catalog/main_admissions.htm.
Degree Requirements
Non-Thesis Option
Students are required to complete a minimum of 30 semester graduate credit hours of computer science courses.
Up to two COSC 4xxx courses, if not already taken as part of the undergraduate program, could be counted for graduate credits.
The Non-Thesis option does not require any credit hours of research.
Thesis Option
Students are required to complete a minimum of 24 semester graduate credit hours of computer science courses.
Up to two COSC 4xxx courses, if not already taken as part of the undergraduate program, could be counted for graduate credits.
The Thesis option requires 6 credit hours of COSC 6399.
Students must defend the results of the thesis.
Cyber Security Track, MS
The Cyber Security Track of the MS in Computer Science is designed for educating students to gain the skills and expertise in the field of cyber security. To complete this cyber security track, the student must select the following five computer science electives as part of the 30 hours required for the MS in Computer Science program.
Data Science Track, MS
The Data Science Track of MS in Computer Science is designed for educating students to gain the skills and expertise in the field of data science including algorithms, machine learning, data visualization, and data management. To complete this data science track, the student must select the following five computer science electives as part of the 30 hours required for the MS in Computer Science program.
Information Technology Track, MS
The Information Technology Track of MS in Computer Science is designed for educating students to gain the skills and expertise in the field of information technology. To complete this information technology track, the student must select the following four computer science electives as part of the 30 hours required for the MS in Computer Science program.
Total required credits: 30 Credits
Information Technology Track Electives:
Total Credit Hours: 14
Cyber Security Certificate, MS
The Cyber Security Certificate of MS in Computer Science is designed for educating students to gain the skills and expertise in the field of cyber security. The cyber security certificate can be completed online. To complete this cyber security certificate, the student must take the following four computer science electives.
Total Credit Hours: 12
Data Science Certificate, MS
The Data Science Certificate of MS in Computer Science is designed for educating students to gain the skills and expertise in the field of data science. The data science certificate can be completed online. To complete this data science certificate, the student must take the following four computer science electives.
Total Credit Hours: 12
Accelerated Master's Program (AMP)
The Computer Science Accelerated Master's Program (AMP) allows academically qualified students to complete their Bachelor's and Master's degree in an accelerated timeline, graduating sooner than in traditional separate consecutive programs. Qualified undergraduate students will be able to complete a portion of the required graduate coursework for the Computer Science Master's degree while studying for their computer science Bachelor's degree. Upon completion of all undergraduate degree requirements, the student is admitted to the computer science graduate program, where the remaining Master's degree requirements will be fulfilled.
Computer Science AMP Requirements
(In addition to general AMP requirements)
- Before joining the program, students must meet with both their undergraduate advisor and graduate program head to determine their eligibility and discuss their options.
- Cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 and 3.25 in undergraduate major.
- A minimum graduate GPA of 3.0 must be maintained for continuation in the program.
- Note that each plan will offer a BS in Computer Science, and an MS in Computer Science. The final decision on which courses to take and how many hours to complete each semester will be determined with the student's academic advisors based on factors like transfer credit, academic history, courses offered, etc.
Computer Science AMP Withdrawal and Dismissal Policies
(In addition to general AMP withdrawal and dismissal policies)
- A student may withdraw from the program at any time by informing the graduate program head, office of graduate studies, and registrar in writing.
- AMP students who earn less than a B in a graduate course will be put on probation for one semester. If they earn less than a B for a second time, they will be dismissed from the program.