Date: Tue, 14 Jan 1997 19:57:30 GMT Server: NCSA/1.5 Content-type: text/html
Note that students whose ultimate objective is a Ph.D. degree should apply for direct or early admission to the Ph.D. program. Students in the Ph.D. program can apply to recieve an M.S. degree at some point in their work -- see Section 3.14.
Students must file two forms in the semester when the M.S. degree
is to be conferred: (1) an M.S. Plan of Study (obtained from and
returned to the Graduate
secretary), and (2) an Application for the M.S. Degree
(obtained from and returned to the Office of the Registrar). The
Graduate College and Office of the Registrar strictly enforce
these submission deadlines, which are posted in MacLean Hall and
published in the Schedule of Courses.
Section 2.1 Course Requirements
The Department appoints an academic advisor for each student (see
Section 1.8 for
information on advisor assignment). The advisor and student will
draw up a plan of study which conforms to the following
requirements:
22C:116, 122, 123, and 135, all with grades of at least B- 12 s.h. A 200-level 22C course 3 s.h. Additional graduate level 22C course 3 s.h. Six s.h. of graduate level 22C courses (or up to 9 s.h. of 22C:191) 6 to 9 s.h. Courses outside of Computer Science (as approved by advisor) 6 s.h. ------------- Total: 30 to 33 s.h.A graduate student must maintain a GPA of at least 3.0 and must receive a minimum grade of B- in 22C:116, 122, 123, and 135. Section 2.3, "Probation and Dismissal," has a complete description of the GPA requirements.
For the 200-level requirement, "Topics" or "Seminar" courses are acceptable; however, "Readings" or "Research" courses (e.g., 22C:290 and 299) cannot be used to fulfill the requirement (see Appendix C). We strongly advise each M.S. candidate to take at least one of the courses that requires a substantial programming project (e.g., 22C:180 or 22C:127) or complete an individual project under 22C:198.
Projects undertaken in 200-level or other courses often lead to a choice for the student's individual topic for the M.S. Final Examination described in Section 2.6.
A student can use graduate transfer credit to substitute for up to 6 s.h. of these specific requirements. However, the Graduate Committee must approve the transfer credit; acceptance of transfer credit by the Graduate College alone is not enough. To request approval from the Department, a student should submit a petition to the Graduate Committee for the substitution. Students may obtain petition forms from the Graduate secretary and submit them to the Chair of the Graduate Program. Petitions should indicate which course is to get transfer credit and which course it will substitute for, and for support they should include a course outline, the name of the authors of the textbooks, and the sections of those textbooks covered in class.If a student has taken a course as an undergraduate that is equivalent to an M.S. required course, he or she may petition to waive the required course and substitute an additional graduate course in its place. However, the student cannot receive graduate credit for courses taken as an undergraduate.
Students must choose outside electives in consultation with an advisor. It is expected that the electives will have some quantitative content. Generally, students may not use graduate courses to fulfill this requirement that are cross-listed between the Department of Computer Science and other departments; students can use them, however, to fulfill the sequence within the department. Appendix B shows a list of courses recommended as electives.
Any M.S. candidate who elects to write a thesis must identify a thesis supervisor, and with the supervisor's approval, identify a thesis topic. Generally, the thesis supervisor will also serve as the student's academic advisor (the student may request a change in advisors, if necessary). The student, with the advisor's consent, may apply up to nine semester hours of Research for Thesis (22C:191) toward the degree requirements. (See also Section 2.5, M.S. Thesis Program.)
The Department imposes no foreign language requirement.
The only S/U courses a student may count toward the 30-hour course
requirement are those that are only offered on an S/U basis.
Section 2.2 Credit Hour and Residency Requirements
Each student must earn a minimum of 30 semester hours, with or
without thesis, for the M.S. degree in Computer Science. He or
she must complete at least 24 semester hours while under the
auspices of The University of Iowa, and at least 8 semester hours
while on campus. Credits that date back more than 10 years from
the session in which the degree is to be conferred generally do
not count toward fulfillment of degree requirements.
Section 2.3 Probation and Dismissal
Students in the master's program must maintain a grade point
average (GPA) of at least 3.0 in courses leading to the
M.S. degree. The GPA calculation will normally include all
graduate Computer Science courses, and up to two graduate courses
outside of Computer Science that are suitable to fulfill the
outside elective sequence. For graduate students admitted on
regular status, undergraduate Computer Science courses do not
count towards the GPA, even those taken during graduate study.
However, for students admitted on Conditional status, the GPA
includes required undergraduate courses, but only for the first
two semesters of graduate study.
For a student whose GPA falls below 3.0, the Graduate Committee will place him or her on academic probation and send notification in writing. He or she must bring up the GPA to the minimum 3.0 within the next nine semester hours of course work or be dismissed from the program. In certain cases, the Graduate Committee may require the student to complete a particular course of study with a particular GPA to qualify for removal from probation. A student on probation may not take the M.S. Final Examination, defend a thesis, or receive the M.S. degree.
Each student must earn a minimum grade of B- in the following courses: 22C:116, 22C:122, 22C:123, 22C:135. If a student fails to meet this standard, he or she may retake the course only once to bring the lower grade up to the required level. If a student does not attain the necessary grade after repeating a course once, the Graduate Committee will drop him or her from the Master's program.
The Second-Grade-Only option applies only to undergraduates. Therefore, in computing a student's GPA, the Registrar's Office will include both grades for a repeated course. However, when computing a student's Computer Science GPA for consideration of probation, the Department includes only the second grade for a repeated course.
Students wishing a formal review of their dismissal should refer
to Appendix G: Dismissal Review
Procedure.
Section 2.4 Software Engineering Subtrack
The Computer Science Department, with the Electrical and Computer
The Computer Science Department, with the Electrical and Computer
Engineering Department, offers a special subtrack in software
engineering within the M. S. program (either thesis or non thesis programs). Students completing the
subtrack receive a special designation on their degree and
transcript. The minimum course requirements for the M.S. degree
including the subtrack are:
22C:116, 122, 123, and 135, all with grades of at least B- 12 s.h. 22C:180, 181, 182, and 183, the required subtrack courses 12 s.h. A 200-level 22C course 3 s.h. Electives (non-thesis Program) 3 s.h. 22C:191 (thesis 6-9 s.h. Total: 36-39 s.h.
The student should submit an Application for Final
Examination to the Graduate Committee at least
four weeks before the thesis defense is held. The Graduate Committee will
consult the student's advisor and appoint a three-person thesis
committee, which administers the thesis defense.
2.5.1 Thesis Committee and Thesis Supervisor
A master's thesis committee consists of at least three members of
the graduate faculty, at least two of whom are members of the
Computer Science Department. The thesis supervisor need not be a
member of the Department. In the rare case that the thesis
supervisor is not a Computer Science faculty member, the student
should also have a separate academic advisor from within the
Department. The student should present a proposal for the thesis
research to the thesis committee early in the project; the same
committee will serve as the examining committee for the thesis
defense.
2.5.2 Thesis Deposit
The student must present one copy of the thesis, in typed
manuscript or print, to the Graduate College for a check of formal
characteristics prior to the thesis defense and before the date
specified by the Graduate College as the "first deposit" deadline.
After approval by the Graduate College and by the thesis
committee, the student must deposit a final copy of the thesis
with the Graduate College before the published deadline for "final
deposit." See the Graduate College publication Requirements
for Graduate Theses for these details and information about
the format required for the thesis. The student must also submit
a copy to the Department, which the Department may publish as a
technical report.
Section 2.6 M.S. Non-Thesis Program
The requirements of the non-thesis program are two-fold: the course
requirements specified in Section 2.1 and successful completion of the
M.S. Final Examination specified below.
The Final Examination in the non-thesis program is a culmination
of the student's work in the form of a written report and an oral
presentation of an independently performed study on a
student-selected topic. The topic should be an extension to the
student's program as reflected in the Plan of Study. The
topic will usually derive from studies in 200-level course work or
seminars, project-oriented courses, or independent projects
included in the Plan of Study. However, students who have
done professional-level work outside of their formal academic
program may choose to base their Final Examination topic on that
work.
An Application for the Final Examination and a Prospectus for the Final Examination Topic are submitted to the Graduate Committee at least one week before the Graduate College's deadline for submitting Plan of Study and four weeks before the Final Examination is held. The Graduate Committee will appoint a three-person committee to conduct the Examination. The Examination consists of a 30-minute public presentation and a written report.
Contents of Prospectus: background or source of topic such as course, seminar, etc. and brief description of student's familiarity and interest in the topic; scope and boundaries of topic, including description of objectives of the written report and presentation; guidelines: objective should fit the constraints of a 10 to 20 page report and a 30-minute presentation; approval of a faculty member familiar with the background and technical area of the topic.
Evaluation of Report and Presentation: the student must satisfy two requirements: (1) demonstration of a thorough understanding of a technical topic; (2) demonstration of the ability to make clear, well-organized written and oral presentations of technical material.
Scheduling and publicizing the public presentation is the responsibility of the student and their appointed Committee. Committee members should receive copies of the report at least one week before the presentation. An unsastisfactory report or presentation results in failure of the Final Examination; a student may repeat the Examination. Second attempts must be approved by the Graduate Committee after consultation with the Examination Committee.
A student on probation is not permitted to have a Final
Examination or to receive the M.S. degree. Thus, an application
from a student on probation will not be approved.
Section 2.7 Application for Degree and Plan of Study
The student must file an application for an anticipated degree
with the Registrar prior to the published deadline for the session
in which the degree is to be conferred. This application must be
signed by the student's academic advisor. Failure to file an
application by the required date will result in a postponement of
graduation to a subsequent term.
The student must also file a Graduate College Plan of
Study, approved by his or her advisor and the Chair of the Graduate
Committee, during the session in which the degree is to be
granted and by a date established by the Graduate Dean. The
courses listed on the Plan of Study must meet the
requirements of the Graduate College and the Department of
Computer Science. The Plan of Study forms are obtained from
the Graduate secretary.
Section 2.8 Enrollment in the Final Semester
The student must be enrolled during the session in which the
degree is to be conferred.
Students who must register for the session in which the degree is
to be conferred but are away from the University campus during
that session may meet this requirement by registering for readings
or thesis research. Master's candidates who have completed all
work except the thesis defense or the non-thesis final examination
may register under the Graduate College course number 000:001,
"Master's Final Registration" for 0 s.h. credit, for a fee
equivalent to the "post-comprehensive registration."
Section 2.9 A Checklist of M.S. Requirements
Course Requirements: credits completed 22C:116 3 [ ] 22C:122 3 [ ] 22C:123 3 [ ] 22C:135 3 [ ] 22C:2WW(not 290 or 299) 3 [ ] 22C:XXX 3 [ ] Approved outside elective 3 [ ] Approved outside elective 3 [ ] 22C:YYY (non-thesis only) 3 [ ] 22C:ZZZ (non-thesis only) 3 [ ] or 22C:191 (thesis only) 9 or less [ ] Total 30 or more [ ] Petitions to Graduate Committee (if applicable) * concerning transfer or undergraduate credit [ ] * other [ ] Grade Requirements * grade point average >= 3.0 [ ] * grade of at least B- in 22C:116, 122, 123, 135 [ ] * only permitted courses taken on S/U basis [ ] Thesis Option * file application for final exam [ ] * present thesis proposal to committee [ ] * initial deposit of thesis [ ] * M.S. thesis defense [ ] * final deposit of thesis [ ] Non-Thesis Option * final application for final exam [ ] * final Examination Report and Presentation [ ] Administrative Requirements * file Application for Degree [ ] * file Graduate College Plan of Study [ ] * file Request for Final Examination (see note 2) [ ] * file Report of Final Examination (see note 2) [ ]