Entering students are expected to have completed a program of study equivalent to that required by the B.S. in computer science. Applicants from other disciplines are required to have coursework (or equivalent experience) in intermediate programming (C++ and Java), data structures and automata theory. Upon admission to the Master of Science in Engineering Program, a student is assigned a graduate advisor from the Department of Computer Science who must approve the courses to be applied to the MSE degree. The advisor assigned to a student may change, subject to the acceptance of the new advisor.

The Department of Computer Science classifies its courses into three sub-areas: Analysis, Applications, and Systems. All MSE candidates must complete at least 2 graduate courses (6 credit hours, 400 level and above) from each of these three areas. Each upper level course description in this catalog includes its area for reference. Courses in multiple areas may only be counted towards one requirement. A current listing of courses with area designators is provided on the departmental website. MSE students must also complete an additional 2 courses (chosen from any CS area, or from closely related departments such as Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cognitive Science, Mathematics, or Mathematical Sciences) for a total of eight graduate courses. The coursework program must be approved by the student's faculty advisor and the department.

In addition to the eight courses, a student must elect one of the following options in order to fulfill the degree requirements:

• Two additional graduate courses in Computer Science.
• A supervised research project including an approved project report that will be made publicly available.
• An original, faculty approved masters essay, which may be bound and submitted to the Milton S. Eisenhower Library.

By satisfying the Ph.D. qualifying course and project requirements, a student will also satisfy the MSE degree requirements. Please refer to the Ph.D. program information for details.

All MSE degree candidates should regularly attend the department seminars, and are required to enroll in and maintain satisfactory attendance in Computer Science Seminar 600.601/602 for at least 2 semesters. Although seminar attendance is required, the seminar may not be counted toward the course requirements.

Course Requirement Details
All courses counted towards the degree requirement must be 400 level or above. At most, two courses with grades less than B- may be counted towards the coursework requirements. No courses with grades less than C- may be counted.

The overall grade point average of the courses counted towards the coursework requirements must be a 3.00 or higher (B average).

No more than 3 credits from short courses can be applied to the MSE degree.

At most, two independent study courses (including 600.491/492 Computer Science Workshop I and II) can be counted towards the course requirements.

Other than independent study courses and 600.464/664, no courses with grades of S can be counted towards the coursework requirement. Courses with grades of S will not be included in the grade point average calculation.

A majority of the courses counted towards the degree must be taught in the Department of Computer Science.

At most, two courses can be transferred from graduate programs of other institutions to be counted towards the degree requirements. Such transfer courses must be approved by the student's faculty advisor and the department. It is the obligation of the student to provide all necessary data to the Department of Computer Science regarding the course(s) for which transfer credit is being requested.

A grade of D or F results in probation; a second D or F is cause for being dropped from the program.

Tuition Support
Students studying for an MSE degree may be eligible for partial tuition support in the Department of Computer Science. There are also course assistant positions (paid by the hour) available for qualified students who are seeking financial support. Those interested must apply at the start of each semester for specific courses in need.