Kim Franklin, Academic Program Administrator
410-516-7451 | Malone 160

  • PhD program admissions
  • PhD student questions & support

Revelie Niles, Academic Program Administrator

  • Masters program admissions
  • MSE program – general questions and student support
  • MSSI program – general questions and student support
  • How to schedule advising with Revelie

Joanne Selinski, Associate Chair for Education for Computer Science
410-516-4117| Malone 225

  • Manages course information and instruction
  • Coordinates teaching assistant (TA) assignments and course assistant (CA) hiring
  • Advises HopHacks, the annual hackathon

Academic Integrity Code

MSE Research Project/Essay/Thesis

Master’s students in the Department of Computer Science have the option to complete their MSE degree requirements with 10 courses OR 8 courses and a research project/essay/thesis. The project is a fantastic opportunity for students to contribute to a body of knowledge while gaining meaningful collaborative research experience. On average, a project will take 1–2 semesters to complete. All of the details of a project are determined by and discussed between the student and their individual project advisor. The department requires that the Master’s Qualifying Project Agreement Form is completed and on file BEFORE the research begins.

A commonly asked question is “What is the difference between the project, essay, and thesis?” Quite frankly, not much in most cases. Project/essay/thesis language is used interchangeably, but if there is a differentiating factor, it would be that a thesis is filed through the Electronic Theses & Dissertations process via the Sheridan Libraries. (Please contact Library Services directly for details.) While this is rarely done with master’s projects, it remains an option. The final deliverable will be determined by an individual’s project advisor.

Below are the steps for MSE students completing a project:

  1. Consider your own interests.
  2. Seek out a faculty/project advisor with similar interests who has a primary or secondary/joint appointment in the Department of Computer Science. Projects may not be completed with a faculty member just because they teach at JHU.
  3. Determine the specifics of the project with your faculty/project advisor.
  4. Complete the Master’s Qualifying Project Agreement Form and follow its instructions to send the form to the department before the project commences.
  5. When the project is finalized per the stipulations of the agreement form, send the signed and completed Qualifying Project Form (different than the agreement form) to the department’s Master’s Academic Program Administrator and Sr. Administrative Coordinator.

To assist in this process, one of our very own CS professors wrote an extensive guide titled “How to Do Research with a Professor.” It will provide you with the tools you need to understand the full relationships for all parties involved in a collaborative research effort.

For best results, start this process early in your graduate journey to responsibly manage your coursework and project demands.

Academic Calendar (Office of the Registrar): registration deadlines, breaks, class dates, exam periods

Course Schedules (SIS: Student Information System)

Course Information (CS Department)

See CS IT Support for departmental computing information, including information about student accounts and labs. Contact support@cs.jhu.edu for help with any departmental computing services.

Homewood Campus Computing Resources
In addition to the department’s computing resources, there are additional computing resources on the Homewood Campus, including in the Milton S. Eisenhower Library and the Brody Learning Commons.

Visit the JHU Sheridan Libraries page for general information.

Contact Sue Vazakas, academic liaison for engineering at the Sheridan Libraries

Johns Hopkins’ Life Design Lab provides a breadth of career-related programs, including résumé writing and interview preparation workshops, discipline-focused career fairs, internship and full-time employment listings, and more.

PHutures is the Johns Hopkins University professional development and career connections office serving all doctoral students and Postdocs, especially at the Whiting School of Engineering and Krieger School of Arts and Science.

Johns Hopkins offers a host of resources where students can ask for and receive help on a variety of topics. View these pages for information and hours:

  • Wide range of student well-being resources are available through the Office of Student Life
  • Office of Student Disability Services advises Johns Hopkins students with disabilities on available services, including accommodations on campus.
  • The Counseling Center provides services to students who are in need of support and assistance related to their mental health–across a range of topics–in a caring environment.
  • Sexual Assault Helpline
  • Emergencies – call the Security office at 410-516-7777 or the Baltimore City Emergency Line at 911.

When approaching the completion of the master’s, the conferral date and graduating (attending commencement) are two separate events.

Degree Conferral

Conferring a degree is the process managed by the CS department to ensure that all MSE program requirements have been met by a specified conferral date for graduating students. Each semester detailed instructions are sent out to students to provide documentation for review by the department and then submitted to the WSE Dean’s office for final approval.

Commencement and celebrations

Although degrees are conferred in the Fall and Spring, there is only one Johns Hopkins Commencement ceremony held in the Spring. Review the website for details, contact and FAQS.

Also, the CS department wants the opportunity to say good-bye with a reception for our graduates and their family and friends. Invitations will be sent out in mid-Spring.

PhD students should coordinate with their dissertation committee to schedule their defense. Once scheduled, email the PhD Academic Program Administrator with a high-resolution photo and the following information:

  • Date & Time:
  • Advisor(s):
  • Dissertation Title:
  • Abstract:
  • Biography:
  • Professional Plans:
  • Website:
  • Zoom link:

After you pass your defense and finalize your dissertation edits, your advisor(s) will prepare your Reader’s Letter, signed by all committee members. You shouldn’t submit your dissertation to the library until the Academic Program Administrator has this letter.

Once the Academic Program Administrator has your Reader’s Letter, you may submit your dissertation to the library. Submission details here: https://www.library.jhu.edu/library-services/electronic-theses-dissertations/ There is a $60 ETD submission fee that the Department will cover. When you are ready to submit, please contact the Academic Program Administrator to arrange a funds transfer.

You will receive an email confirmation from etd-support@Jhu.edu indicating that your dissertation was approved by the library. Forward that approval email to the Academic Program Administrator for conferral processing.

  • Apply to graduate in SIS. Go to your SIS Self-Service drop down menu, chose Registration, Program of Study and Apply to Graduate—then complete all required fields and click SUBMIT. Lots of students forget this part. See additional apply to graduate details here: https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/registrar/students/graduation/
  • Confirm that the Academic Program Administrator has your Reader’s Letter and your ETD approval.
  • Inform the Academic Program Administrator of your last day on payroll as soon as possible. Overpayments often occur if this information isn’t provided 2 weeks prior to your last day. Settling up with the University can be a challenge so best to avoid it if you can.
  • Reach out to Revelie Niles at rniles3@jhu.edu if you haven’t yet, but wish to pick up your MSE degree. She will be provide you with further instructions.
  • International students need to be in touch with the Office of International Students at ois@jhu.edu to apply for OPT. The application and approval process can take some time, so start the process as soon as possible.
  • Check your transcript make sure you don’t have any missing grades. If you do, work together with the Academic Program Administrator to resolve the issues. After graduation, there can be no changes made.
  • Obtain your diploma at Johns Hopkins Commencement.