Our graduate program coordinator routinely advises graduate students regarding curriculum and career matters. This page aims to serve as an advising guide for our graduate students.
Note: For information about our 4 + 1 option, please visit here.
[ Program Requirements | Advising Process | Conventional Courses | Special Courses | Recommendations | Thesis Related | Graduation Requirements]
[1] Overview of Program Requirements
Thesis Option: The thesis option requires a minimum of 30 credit hours, including 24 hours of Computer Science coursework and six hours of thesis (CSCI 6V99). The student must complete a thesis under the supervision of their thesis supervisor and committee. A majority of the committee members must approve the thesis. The thesis must present a research study that makes a significant contribution to scientific knowledge. A public presentation and defense of the thesis will be required.
Non-Thesis Option: The non-thesis option requires 33 credit hours of Computer Science coursework. A maximum of six credit hours may be transferred from another college/university towards the degree with the approval of the chair. Transferred credits will not be included in the UCA grade point average. Thesis course credit may not be applied towards completion of the non-thesis option.
Both Options: A minimum of 15 credit hours of 6000-level courses and a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 is required for graduation.
[2] Advising Process
Holds on Your Account: If you have a hold on your account, you may not be able to register online. You can view your holds through myUCA: Self-Service → Student → Student Records → View Student Information (video). A list of common holds can be found here. Every semester, you will have an advance registration hold automatically placed on your account. This particular hold will be cleared only after you meet with your advisor (in person or virtually).
Your Academic Advisor: All graduate students are advised by the graduate program coordinator, Dr. Celebi. Note that if you are a thesis student, you will also need a thesis supervisor to guide you in your research (please refer to the last section on this page).
Making an Appointment with Your Advisor: You are required to meet with your advisor at least once a semester. You should contact your advisor by email to make an appointment before the advance registration period begins. Be sure to include your UCA ID number in every advising related email.
Before Your Advising Appointment: You should make a list of courses that you plan to take by examining the courses offered (video) in the upcoming semester. Note that your advisor can only recommend courses; it is your responsibility to find appropriate sections that fit your schedule.
Registering for Classes: After meeting with you, your advisor will get your advance registration hold cleared so that you may register for classes online (video). Note that you can register online only during the change-of-course period, which, in Fall and Spring, extends from the advance registration period to six calendar days after the first day of classes. Once this period is over, registration can be done only by submitting the Schedule Exception form.
Registration Errors: If you receive an error while registering for a particular class, please contact your advisor by email. Be sure to include your UCA ID number and the section CRN in your email. Note that we do not have the authority to clear non-academic holds.
[3] Conventional Courses
Conventional graduate-level CSCI courses that are regularly offered, the terms in which they are typically offered, and the corresponding undergraduate-level CSCI courses are given below. Descriptions of these and other graduate-level CSCI courses can be found in the Graduate Bulletin. Notes:
- Undergraduate courses may not be repeated at the graduate level with the expectation of credit. For example, if you have already taken CSCI 4300 (Operating Systems) for your BS degree, you may not take CSCI 5300 (Operating Systems) for your MS degree.
- A 5000-level CSCI class may also be offered at the 6000-level based on demand. For example, you may be able to take CSCI 5305 (Linux/UNIX Systems) as CSCI 6397 (Special Topics: Linux/UNIX Systems). If a graduate class is offered at both levels, students in the 6000-level section should expect to do more advanced work compared to those in the 5000-level section.
- Graduate courses may not be repeated at different levels with the expectation of credit. For example, if you have already taken CSCI 5315 (Information Security), you may not take CSCI 6397 (Special Topics: Information Security) for your MS degree.
| Graduate Course | Term | Corresponding Undergraduate Course |
| CSCI 5300 (Operating Systems) | Fall, Spring, Summer | CSCI 4300 (Operating Systems) |
| CSCI 5305 (Linux/UNIX Systems) | Fall, Spring | CSCI 4305 (Linux/UNIX Systems) |
| CSCI 5315 (Information Security) | Fall, Spring | CSCI 4315 (Information Security) |
| CSCI 5353 (Multimedia Computing) | Fall | CSCI 4353 (Multimedia Computing) |
| CSCI 5357 (Programming Mobile Devices) | Fall |
CSCI 4357 (Programming Mobile Devices) |
| CSCI 5365 (Web Technologies) | Spring | CSCI 4365 (Web Technologies) |
| CSCI 5370 (Data Mining) | Spring | CSCI 4370 (Data Mining) |
| CSCI 5371 (Machine Learning) | Fall, Spring | CSCI 4371 (Machine Learning) |
| CSCI 5372 (Data Clustering) | Fall, Spring, Summer | CSCI 4372 (Data Clustering) |
| CSCI 5385 (Artificial Intelligence) | Fall, Spring | CSCI 3385 (Artificial Intelligence) |
| CSCI 6371 (Applied Data Mining) | Fall | N/A |
[4] Special Courses
The following graduate-level courses are special in the sense that they do not involve lectures and that they are offered on demand:
- CSCI 5V75 (Internship): A maximum of six credit hours of internship will count towards the program requirements. For details, please visit here.
- CSCI 6395 (Independent Study): A maximum of six credit hours of independent study will count towards the program requirements. For details, please visit here.
- CSCI 6V99 (Master’s Thesis): A total of six credit hours of thesis is required in the thesis option. Thesis course credit may not be applied towards completion of the non-thesis option. For details, please visit here.
CSCI 6397 (Special Topics) is special in the sense that it may be repeated for credit with a change of topic.
[5] Recommendations for Degree Planning
In order to graduate on time, students are strongly advised to:
- Meet with their advisors at least once a semester.
- Understand their degree requirements (see above).
- Plan at least a semester, ideally a year, ahead.
[6] Thesis-Related Information
| Deadline | Fall 2023 | Spring 2024 | Summer 2024 |
| Defend thesis | Friday, November 17 | Friday, April 5 | Friday, July 12 |
| Upload thesis draft to ProQuest for review | Friday, November 24 | Friday, April 12 | Friday, July 19 |
| Submit printed final copy of thesis to the Graduate School | Monday, December 11 | Monday, April 29 | Monday, August 5 |
Resources
- For information on how to engage in research and how to receive academic credit for research, please visit here.
- For general information on thesis-related issues, please visit the Graduate School’s Thesis and Dissertation web page.
- For detailed information on how to prepare your thesis, please consult the Thesis and Dissertation Preparation Guide. Every thesis student must read this guide carefully.
- For thesis-related forms, please visit here.
- For theses published by our former students, please visit here.
[7] Graduation Requirements
Graduation requirements include:
- No X (incomplete) or NR (not reported) grades
- Successful completion of a minimum of 30 (thesis option) or 33 (non-thesis option) credit hours at the 5000 or 6000-level (in either option, a minimum of 15 credit hours must be at the 6000-level)
- Successful completion and defense of a thesis (thesis option)
- A minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade point average
Note: While they contribute to the cumulative grade point average, grades below C do not count towards the program requirements.
For more information, please visit here.