Master of Science in Computer Science (Thesis)
About This Program
The Master of Science in Computer Science provides graduates with the latest theoretical and hands-on skills for gaining employment in the IT industry, or to prepare for continuation to a PhD program.
The thesis plan is for students interested in a more research-oriented degree. Most students will following the non-thesis plan. Both plans are explained in more detail in the CSE Master's Program Guide.
Competencies
- Upon completion, students will be able to demonstrate mastery of advanced computer science topics, including both breadth across key areas and depth in a specialization or research area
- Upon completion, students will be able to evaluate and synthesize scholarly literature and existing solutions to inform new approaches
- Upon completion, students will be able to apply critical thinking and quantitative analysis to evaluate system performance, security, scalability, and usability
- Upon completion, students will be able to apply advanced computing theory and knowledge to design and develop computing-based solutions
- Upon completion, students will be able to analyze and solve computing problems using appropriate models, algorithms, tools, and technologies
Admissions Criteria
The CSE graduate admission committee bases its decision for MS graduate admission on the following criteria (in no specific order):
- An undergraduate degree, preferably in an area related to computer science, computer engineering, or software engineering.
- An overall GPA of 3.0 or higher in undergraduate coursework.
- A 3.2 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) on the last two years of undergraduate coursework. In particular, performance on Computer Science/Computer Engineering/Software Engineering related courses are emphasized.
- Relevance of the student’s degree (background) to the CSE curriculum.
- Rigor of the student’s Bachelor’s degree. A three-year degree is not considered rigorous. Note: International applicants with a “3+2” Master’s degree will be evaluated as equivalent to a 4-year Bachelor’s degree.
- Reputation of the University/College from which the student has received his/her previous degrees.
- A sum of verbal plus quantitative scores of at least 305 on the GRE. Additionally:
- GRE quantitative score of at least 160
- GRE verbal score of at least 145
- The department does not require the advanced computer science test. A passing score on the Engineering in-Training (EIT) exam is also given consideration for admission decisions.
- Students may be accepted with a GRE score of 300 but may be required to complete additional coursework for their MS degree (see degree requirements found later in this document). In this case:
- GRE quantitative score of at least 155
- GRE verbal score of at least 145
- Students may also be accepted with up to three deficiency courses but may be required to do additional coursework for their MS degree (see degree requirements found later in this document).
- International Applicants will need to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and score at least 83 with no area score of less than 20 or take the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and score at least 6.5 in all areas.
Note:
- Applications with significant mathematics deficiencies may be deferred/denied pending completion of the required courses.
- We neither require nor review letters of recommendation or statements of purpose from MS applicants.
- Students with (or completing in the near future) a BS awarded by the CSE department at UTA or a comparable degree from another accredited U.S. university who have a GPA of at least 3.2 should contact the graduate advisor regarding a GRE waiver. UTA CSE students with a GPA of at least 3.5 should contact the graduate advisor regarding nomination for Advanced Admission (i.e. admission without application and fee). Baseline criteria for GRE waiver and Advanced Admission are established by the Graduate Dean and can be found in the current version of the UTA Graduate Catalog.
The above criteria are used as follows in relevance to the three possible admission decisions, i.e. Unconditional Status, Probationary Status, and Denied.
Unconditional Admission
Applies to an applicant who meets the first six criteria above to a degree satisfactory to the graduate admissions committee.
Probationary Admission
Applies to an applicant who meets at least five of the six criteria to a degree satisfactory to the graduate admissions committee and whose record shows promise for success in the program or to an applicant who does not fulfill all the deficiency course requirements.
Denial of Admission
Applies to an applicant who does not meet five of the first six criteria to a degree satisfactory to the graduate admissions committee.
Waiver of Graduate Record Examination
Upon recommendation of the Graduate Advisor, outstanding UT Arlington graduates may qualify for waiver of the requirements for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). To qualify, the applicant must meet the following minimum requirements:
- The student must have graduated from a commensurate bachelor's degree program at UT Arlington no more than three academic years prior to admission to the graduate program (as measured from the start of the semester for which admission is sought). A commensurate bachelor's degree program is one that is a normal feeder program for the master's degree program to which the student seeks admission. Undergraduate students in their final year of study are also eligible; in such cases, admission with the GRE waiver is contingent upon successful completion of the bachelor's degree.
- The student's UT Arlington grade-point average must equal or exceed 3.0 in the following calculations:
- As calculated for admission to the Graduate School;
- Overall;
- In the major field; and
- In all upper-division work.
Applicants qualifying for waiver of GRE who do not qualify for advanced admission, must comply with all other requirements for admission, i.e., submitting the application for admission, paying fees, providing official transcripts from other institutions, and meeting any requirements established by the admitting graduate program. The GRE waiver must be recommended by the Graduate Advisor at the time of admission. The waiver of GRE program applies to applicants for master's degree programs only. Some programs may require higher grade-point averages to qualify, and some will not waive the GRE under any circumstances.
Additionally, some programs may waive the GRE requirement for non-UT Arlington graduates who seek admission as a master's student and meet qualifications listed in those programs' specific admission requirements. Such waivers are not offered by all graduate programs.
Curriculum
| MS CS Foundations | ||
| CSE 5311 | DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF ALGORITHMS | 3 |
| Select one from the following: | 3 | |
| DATA ANALYSIS & MODELING TECHNIQUES | ||
| DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS | ||
| DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF COMPILERS | ||
| COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE II | ||
| PARALLEL PROCESSING | ||
| MS CS Specialization | ||
| From one of the following specializations, select 3 courses at least one of which must be at the 6000 level. Individual courses may not be offered every semester. Students should take care to build a plan from available options. | 9 | |
| Big Data Management/Databases/Cloud Computing | ||
| DATABASE SYSTEMS | ||
| DBMS MODELS AND IMPLEMENTATION TECHNIQUES | ||
| CLOUD COMPUTING | ||
| DATA MINING | ||
| WEB DATA MANAGEMENT | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN DATABASE SYSTEMS | ||
| SOCIAL NETWORKS AND SEARCH ENGINES | ||
| ADVANCED TOPICS IN DATABASE SYSTEMS | ||
| CLOUD COMPUTING & BIG DATA | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN ADVANCED DATABASE SYSTEMS | ||
| MACHINE LEARNING | ||
| Embedded Systems | ||
| EMBEDDED SYSTEMS II | ||
| IoT AND NETWORKING | ||
| REAL-TIME OPERATING SYSTEMS | ||
| ELECTROMECHANICAL SYSTEMS AND SENSORS | ||
| SYSTEM ON CHIP (SoC) DESIGN | ||
| ADVANCED DIGITAL LOGIC DESIGN | ||
| MICROPROCESSOR SYSTEMS | ||
| RISC PROCESSOR DESIGN | ||
| GENERAL PURPOSE GPU ARCHITECTURE | ||
| ADVANCED TOPICS IN COMPUTER ENGINEERING | ||
| COMPUTER ENGINEERING SYSTEM DESIGN | ||
Another course approved by advisor. | ||
| Imaging/Health Informatics/Bioinformation | ||
| MULTIMEDIA SYSTEMS | ||
| COMPUTER GRAPHICS | ||
| BIOINFORMATICS | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN BIOINFORMATICS | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN MULTIMEDIA, GRAPHICS, & IMAGE PROCESSING | ||
| DIGITAL IMAGE PROCESSING | ||
| COMPUTER VISION | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN ADVANCED BIOINFORMATICS | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN ADVANCED MULTIMEDIA, GRAPHICS, & IMAGE PROCESSING | ||
Another course approved by advisor. | ||
| Intellegent Systems/Robotics | ||
| DATA ANALYSIS & MODELING TECHNIQUES | ||
| DATA MINING | ||
| ELECTROMECHANICAL SYSTEMS AND SENSORS | ||
| ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE I | ||
| ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE II | ||
| SOCIAL NETWORKS AND SEARCH ENGINES | ||
| ROBOTICS | ||
| COMPUTER GRAPHICS | ||
| PATTERN RECOGNITION | ||
| NEURAL NETWORKS | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO UNMANNED VEHICLE SYSTEMS | ||
| UNMANNED VEHICLE SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT | ||
| MACHINE LEARNING | ||
| DIGITAL IMAGE PROCESSING | ||
| COMPUTER VISION | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS ADVANCED INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS | ||
Another course approved by advisor. | ||
| Networks/IoT/Communications | ||
| COMPUTER NETWORKS | ||
| FUNDAMENTALS OF WIRELESS NETWORKS | ||
| NETWORKS II | ||
| FUNDAMENTALS OF BLOCKCHAIN & CRYPTOCURRENCY TECHNOLOGIES | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN NETWORKING | ||
| IoT AND NETWORKING | ||
| DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSING | ||
| WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS | ||
| ADVANCED TOPICS IN COMMUNICATION NETWORKS | ||
| PERVASIVE COMPUTING & COMMUNICATIONS | ||
| ADVANCED WIRELESS NETWORKS & MOBILE COMPUTING | ||
| EMBEDDED SYSTEM NETWORKING | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN ADVANCED NETWORKING | ||
| ADVANCED TOPICS IN COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN ADVANCED INFORMATION SECURITY | ||
Another course approved by advisor. | ||
| Security/Privacy | ||
| INFORMATION SECURITY 1 | ||
| INFORMATION SECURITY 2 | ||
| SECURE PROGRAMMING | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN INFORMATION SECURITY | ||
| EMBEDDED SYSTEM NETWORKING | ||
| ADVANCED TOPICS IN COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN ADVANCED INFORMATION SECURITY | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN ADVANCED MULTIMEDIA, GRAPHICS, & IMAGE PROCESSING | ||
Another course approved by advisor. | ||
| Software Engineering | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN SOFTWARE ENGINEERING | ||
| SOFTWARE TESTING | ||
| SOFTWARE DESIGN PATTERNS | ||
| SOFTWARE ENGINEERING PROCESSES | ||
| SOFTWARE ENGINEERING: ANALYSIS, DESIGN, AND TESTING | ||
| SOFTWARE ENGINEERING: MANAGEMENT, MAINTENANCE, AND QUALITY ASSURANCE | ||
| REAL-TIME SOFTWARE DESIGN | ||
| TELECOMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT | ||
| SOFTWARE ENGINEERING TEAM PROJECT I | ||
| SOFTWARE ENGINEERING TEAM PROJECT II | ||
| WEB DATA MANAGEMENT | ||
| SECURE PROGRAMMING | ||
| ADVANCED AUTOMATION TESTING | ||
| AGILE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT | ||
| ADVANCED TOPICS IN SOFTWARE ENGINEERING | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN ADVANCED SOFTWARE ENGINEERING | ||
| CLOUD COMPUTING & BIG DATA | ||
Another course approved by advisor. | ||
| Systems/Architecture/Languages | ||
| DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS | ||
| PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE CONCEPTS | ||
| DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF COMPILERS | ||
| CLOUD COMPUTING | ||
| MULTIMEDIA SYSTEMS | ||
| COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE II | ||
| PARALLEL PROCESSING | ||
| REAL-TIME OPERATING SYSTEMS | ||
| MICROPROCESSOR SYSTEMS | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN COMPUTER ENGINEERING | ||
| RISC PROCESSOR DESIGN | ||
| GENERAL PURPOSE GPU ARCHITECTURE | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO UNMANNED VEHICLE SYSTEMS | ||
| UNMANNED VEHICLE SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT | ||
| ADVANCED TOPICS IN OPERATING SYSTEMS | ||
| EMBEDDED SYSTEM NETWORKING | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN ADVANCED NETWORKING | ||
| ADVANCED TOPICS IN COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE | ||
| ADVANCED TOPICS IN COMPUTER ENGINEERING | ||
| FAULT TOLERANT SYSTEMS | ||
| COMPUTER ENGINEERING SYSTEM DESIGN | ||
| ADVANCED TOPICS IN SYSTEMS & ARCHITECTURE | ||
Another course approved by advisor. | ||
| Data Analytics/Algorithms/Theory | ||
| DATA ANALYSIS & MODELING TECHNIQUES | ||
| PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE CONCEPTS | ||
| DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF ALGORITHMS | ||
| COMPUTATIONAL COMPLEXITY | ||
| NUMERICAL METHODS | ||
| MODELING, ANALYSIS, AND SIMULATION OF COMPUTER SYSTEMS | ||
| DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF COMPILERS | ||
| APPLIED GRAPH THEORY AND COMBINATORICS | ||
| ADVANCED COMPUTATIONAL MODELS AND ALGORITHMS | ||
| ADVANCED TOPICS IN THEORETICAL COMPUTER SCIENCE | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN ADVANCED THEORY AND ALGORITHMS | ||
Another course approved by advisor. | ||
| Breadth Courses | ||
| Select 6 hours of CSE or external approved coursework in consultation with a CSE graduate advisor; these courses should not come from a selected speciality area. | 6 | |
| Completion Options | ||
| Select one of the following completion options. | 9-15 | |
| Thesis | 9 | |
Select an additional course in the chosen speciality area. | ||
| MASTER'S THESIS II | ||
| Non-thesis | 15 | |
Select 3 courses in an additional area of sepecialization at least one of which must be at the 6000 level | ||
Select 6 hourse of CSE 53xx or 63xx from any CSE specialty area | ||
| Total Hours | 30-36 | |