Graduate Program Handbook (MS.CSC)

Course and transfer limits

• Up to five 500-level courses may be credited toward the M.S. degree, including the two core courses.
• The program-policy section states that a maximum of six transfer credits may be accepted from another accredited institution when the credits meet the stated conditions.
• Transferred courses must not have been previously applied to another degree, grades must be B or above, courses must be comparable to the MS.CSC program, and credits must have been earned within five years prior to registration.

Minimum passing grade

The minimum passing grade for courses applied to the M.S. in Computer Science is B. The handbook states that a grade of B- or lower is failing.

Incomplete grades, probation, and conduct

The handbook directs students to the NSU Policy Library for the incomplete-grade removal policy and the Graduate Student Policy on Academic Probation. Graduate students are also expected to follow the ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct as well as University and Department standards of conduct.

Academic integrity and research conduct

Coursework, proposals, drafts, final documents, and other degree milestones are expected to be the student's original work. Copied or paraphrased material must be identified, acknowledged, and attributed. The handbook states that plagiarism in degree milestones can result in termination from the program.

The research-expectations section also states that generative AI may be used within defined learning contexts, but it must not replace the student's original work, critical thinking, or creativity. Students must disclose and properly cite its contribution when used.

Advisor selection

Before enrolling in CSC 795 Master's Project or CSC 798 Thesis I, the student is responsible for identifying a Faculty Research Advisor (FRA) who is willing and available to advise the work. The FRA must be a member of the NSU CS graduate faculty, have appropriate expertise, and be approved by the Graduate Program Coordinator.

Project advisor responsibilities

• Before the project semester: help the student develop a workable concept and proposal.
• During the semester: establish goals/deadlines, meet regularly (ideally weekly), and guide the work.
• At the end: determine successful completion with the reviewer, announce the defense, and ensure documentation reaches the Graduate Program Coordinator on time.

Core curriculum

• CSC 530 — Data Communications
• CSC 564 — Operating Systems
• CSC 625 — Analysis of Algorithms
• CSC 668 — Advanced Computer Architecture

Core courses

Graduate electives listed in the handbook

Master's thesis content

The handbook states that every thesis must include:

• Background and rationale of the research, including the problem statement
• A complete, contemporary review of the state of the problem
• A systematic analysis of the problem
• An evaluation of new solutions or attempts at solutions
• A conclusion
• A complete bibliography and set of references

Master's project content

The project is described as expository writing that provides a complete state-of-the-art status of a computer-science problem and a thorough annotated understanding of the relevant literature. The project should replicate known solutions, understand and propose additional possible solutions, and demonstrate those solutions in some form. Projects involving software products are expected to use good software-engineering methodologies.

Final research package

The graduation-requirements section states that thesis/project students must submit the required final research document and associated approval/authenticity materials and defend the research publicly. The handbook also directs students to the Student Reference Manual for detailed graduate-school/department requirements and to the Thesis and Dissertation Guide for formatting requirements.

Program overview

The M.S. in Computer Science is described as strengthening analytical skills, providing research experiences, and promoting professional development in computer science. The handbook lists four choices of study: Computer Science, Information Assurance, Data Science and Machine Learning, and Communication Networks.

Delivery options described in the handbook

• Standard: in-person courses with some online offerings; approximately 1.5-2 years; Thesis or Project.
• Accelerated Online: asynchronously online; approximately 12 months; project only; seven-week mini terms.
• BS/MS Accelerated: 4+1 structure; up to four courses may receive dual credit in the bachelor's degree; master's completion described as two semesters; in-person with some online offerings.

Financial assistance

The handbook states that graduate financial assistance may include standard federal and state financial aid and that a limited number of teaching, research, and laboratory assistantships are awarded each year.

• TA, RA, and LA renewals are not automatic and depend on annual review and available funding.
• The normal length of assistantship support is described as no longer than two academic years.
• Tuition-assistance awards also do not renew automatically and are subject to annual review and available funding.

Grants and assistantships

Funding opportunities may arise through department personnel budgets, research grants, the Graduate School, CSET, the University, corporations, or government agencies. The handbook distinguishes grants from assistantships and notes that assistantships generally involve service/work compensated through wages or tuition waivers.

Students are advised to understand and fulfill all terms of funding agreements. Some awards may require minimum work hours, research contributions, software, reports, or other measurable evidence.