Date: Tue, 14 Jan 1997 19:57:30 GMT Server: NCSA/1.5 Content-type: text/html Section 2. Master's Program

Section 2. Master's Program

The information in this section is intended for those students who wish to obtain an M.S. degree in computer science. Students who are interested in a Ph.D. degree should also read the description of the Ph.D. program, since it can influence the early choice of courses in an M.S. program.

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.

Section 2.5 M.S. Thesis Program

The Department normally admits students to the non-thesis program. Students who wish to change degree options must file a Change of Status form with the Chair of the Graduate Committee. If the change is to the thesis program, the Change of Status form should be accompanied by a memo from the faculty member who has consented to serve as thesis supervisor. A student in the thesis program must reach an agreement with a faculty member who will serve as thesis supervisor. The student must write and defend a scholarly study, which is a contribution to computer science of at least moderate importance. Students may apply up to eight semester hours of credit for thesis research toward the graduation requirements. The thesis may be written in any area deemed acceptable by the thesis committee. The Department requires an oral defense of the thesis, which serves as the master's final examination. The student's thesis committee administers the thesis defense.

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)   [  ]

(2) The Department processes this form, not the graduate student.
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