Curriculum: Master's Program

Successful completion of the master's program requires:

Courses and Grade Requirements

Up to six semester-hours of credit for graduate courses taken at other institutions may be transferred with the approval of the Graduate Committee and the Graduate School. The grades must be A or B or the equivalent. Application for transfer is made when the plan of study is submitted for approval. Students may ask the Graduate Committee to accept equivalent graduate courses taken at other institutions in lieu of at most two of the above courses.

Courses used to fulfill the requirements for other degrees (at Purdue or elsewhere) are not eligible for use on master's plans of study, except that courses used for a doctoral degree may be used on a master's plan of study provided the doctoral plan of study does not include any course used for any other master's degree.

back to top

 

Non-Thesis Option

Three core courses: CS 502 or 565, CS 503 or 536, and CS 580. These represent the areas Systems I, Systems II, and Algorithms in the Areas and Courses Table.

Four other courses from the table. These must include courses from at least two areas other than Systems I, Systems II, and Algorithms.

Three more 500- or 600-level courses (not necessarily in Computer Sciences), at most two of which may be independent study courses (CS 590 or CS 690).

back to top

 

Thesis Option

Three core courses: CS 502 or 565, CS 503 or 536, and CS 580. These represent the areas Systems I, Systems II, and Algorithms in the Areas and Courses Table.

Four other courses from the table. These must include courses from at least two areas other than Systems I, Systems II, and Algorithms.

one more 500- or 600-level course (not necessarily in Computer Sciences), which may not be an independent study course (CS 590 or CS 690).

back to top

 

Plan of Study

Courses used to fulfill degree requirements must be listed on a plan of study and submitted for approval by the Graduate Committee and the Graduate School well before the final session. Grades of A or B are expected, but one or two C's may be accepted if they are compensated by A's. Other grades are unacceptable.

Master's programs usually take three or four semesters. The practical maximum load is four courses per semester and two in the summer session. Students with assistantships rarely take more than three courses per semester and one in the summer session. Completing a master's program within twelve months is sometimes possible for well-prepared, industrious students.

back to top

 

Advisory Committee

For students in a non-thesis master's program, the advisory committee is determined by the graduate committee.

For students in a thesis master's program, the advisory committee consists of the supervisor of the research plus two or more other faculty members agreed upon by the student and the supervisor. Qualified faculty from other departments may serve on the committee but may not form a majority of it.

back to top

 

Changes in Requirements

These requirements apply to all students entering or reentering the Department of Computer Sciences at West Lafayette ("the Department") as degree-seeking graduate students in the summer session of 2001 or later. 2000 master's degree requirements

Students are governed by the degree requirements in effect when they enter the Department as degree-seeking students. Students who wish to take advantage of subsequent changes may apply to the Graduate Committee to be governed by all degree requirements in effect at a specified subsequent time. Choosing features from different sets of requirements is not permitted.

For students re-entering, the date of the most recent re-entry determines the degree requirements.

The above requirements for the master's program may change without notice.

back to top

Areas and Courses Table

Area Course(s)
Algorithms CS 580  
Artificial Intelligence CS 572  
Complexity CS 584  
Databases CS 541, 542 641
Geometric Modeling, Visualization, and Graphics CS 530, 531, 535*, 586  
Numerical Computing CS 514, 515, 520, 614, 615
Parallel and Distributed Computing CS 525, 603
Security CS 526, 555 626, 655
Simulation and Modeling CS 543, 544  
Software Engineering CS 510  
Systems I (Compilers and Programming Languages) CS 502, 565 661
Systems II (Networks and Operating Systems) CS 503, 536, 636, 638

This table is the same as that used for the doctoral program except that Algorithms and Complexity are in separate areas here.

* when taught by a professor whose primary appointment is in Computer Sciences.

back to top

 

Contact Us: grad-info@cs.purdue.edu
Last Updated: August 22, 2008 09:50AM