Mathematics and Computer Science

MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

School of Arts and Sciences

Department of Mathematics and Computer Science

University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

1200 N. University Drive, Mail Slot 4989

Pine Bluff, Arkansas 71601

Telephone: (870) 575-7151

Dr. Karl Walker

Interim Chair and Graduate Coordinator

walkerk@uapb.edu

(870) 575-8766

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The M.S. degree in Computer Science & Technology (CS&T) is a unique professional degree grounded in natural science, technology, engineering, mathematics and computational sciences. Designed to prepare students for direct entry into a variety of career options in industry, business, government, or non-profit organizations, it is a distinctive advanced degree for those intending to pursue a career in the practice of science.

The CS&T program prepares graduates for high-level careers in science that have a strong emphasis on such skill areas as management and entrepreneurship. CS&T graduates are expected to progress toward leadership roles.

The CS&T degree differs from both a coursework only degree and a research Master’s degree in that it incorporates an internship and an employer-based project. The CS&T degree produces graduates highly valued by employers by combining advanced graduate coursework in industrial technology and computer science with an appropriate component of professional skills development and by including an experiential learning component appropriate to the targeted employment sector. The experiential learning frequently involves an internship and provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate proficiency in written and oral communication skills.

Specific Degree Requirements

For all majors in the Computer Science & Technology program, at least thirty (30) semester credit hours of graduate work is required, of which twenty-four (24) hours consist of graduate coursework and six (6) hours consist of a graduate thesis/project approved by the graduate advisory committee. All students will be required to complete nine (9) semester hours of core graduate courses and nine (9) hours of guided graduate electives from a list of applicable courses. Students can take six (6) hours of open graduate elective courses from a list of open electives, two (2) of which may be in other appropriate disciplines as determined by the graduate advisory committee. A maximum of six (6) semester hours with a grade of “C” may be used to satisfy degree requirements. Graduate students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale. In addition, no course with a grade of “D” may be used to satisfy any degree requirements.

Graduate Student Load

A full-time graduate student load is nine (9) credit hours during a regular semester and six (6) credit hours during the summer term. A full-time graduate student’s load may not exceed nine (9) credit hours per regular academic semester, including any undergraduate courses. Students who wish to enroll in a course at another campus must file a concurrent enrollment form, signed by their major advisor, graduate coordinator, department chair and dean, with the Registrar prior to enrolling at another campus. There is a separate concurrent enrollment form to be filed by international students with the Office of International Studies. As many as nine (9) semester hours may be transferred from other institutions, but credit will be given only for specific courses in the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s Computer Science & Technology graduate curriculum requirements. Credit will not be allowed for courses taken more than five (5) years prior to the application for transfer to University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

Students who are not enrolled full-time are not eligible for graduate assistantships. Students not on assistantships and finishing their thesis may maintain graduate status with three (3) credit hours. International students will need to contact the Office of International Studies for a course reduction form and will need a letter from their advisor to maintain graduate status with three (3) credit hours.

Advisory Committee

Every master’s student will have an advisory committee consisting of a minimum of three members, one of whom will be a permanent, full-time computer science, or industrial technology or mathematical sciences faculty member with graduate faculty status. The other members may be from either within, or outside, the Mathematics and Computer Science or Industrial Technology departments in a related area of interest, who are capable of evaluating the work performed by the student.

Advisory Committee Formation

The student’s advisory committee must be formed by the student’s second semester enrolled in the program. The student is responsible for identifying, in consultation with his/her departmental chair or graduate coordinator, a faculty member who will chair her/his advisory committee. The chair (or co-chair) of the advisory committee must be a UAPB faculty member with graduate faculty status. In consultation with the chair of the committee, the student is responsible for identifying two other faculty members in computer science/math/industrial technology or related area of interest who are willing to serve on her/his committee. At the discretion of the chair of the committee, the committee may include at most one member external to the UAPB faculty, i.e., either faculty from other universities or appropriate personnel from industry.

Also, at the discretion of the committee chair, the advisory committee may include more than three (3) members. If desired, two (2) members of the committee may serve as co-chairs of the committee. If a student is unable to identify a sufficient number of faculty who are suitable and willing to serve on her/his advisory committee, the student will be advised by the departmental chair that he/she should either change her/his area of research interest to more closely match those of the available faculty, or consider selecting another major. Failure to form a committee is cause for transfer to non-degree status. Further regulations concerning the membership, appointment and responsibilities of a student’s advisory committee are described in the Graduate Studies Handbook.

Thesis Proposal

A thesis proposal should be developed prior to the initiation of thesis research and submitted to committee members for approval before the end of the second full semester of enrollment. The proposal must include Introduction, Literature Review, Methods, Anticipated Results and References sections. The style of the thesis proposal will follow the ‘manuscript preparation’ guidelines for the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) or Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) journals.

Non-Thesis Project Option

Students may be able to enroll in a non-thesis project option for the degree requiring twenty-four (24) hours of course work and six (6) hours of project work leading to a thirty (30) credit hour requirement for graduation. Students choosing this option will deliver a final presentation on the project. The review committee is to be chosen by the student in consultation with the chair based upon the project work chosen. Each student must prepare and deliver the project to members of the committee and to the project advisor, at least two (2) weeks before the presentation is scheduled.

The project must include the following:

Problem specification/definition (1-3 pages)
System/software architecture, if applicable (1-2 pages)
Requirement Specification [software and hardware, if applicable] (6-20 pages)
Design specification (6-20 pages)
Test cases and test results [if any software has been developed] (5-10 pages)
Source code, if any software has been developed (as many pages as needed)

Upon completion of the project defense, the student will be excused while the advisory committee determines the outcome of the defense (Pass or Fail). Passing the project defense requires majority committee agreement. The advisory committee may elect to pass a student with conditions such as recommending minor changes to the project. The student will be notified immediately following the project defense of his/her success or failure and the changes the must be made before the project will be given final written approval by the committee. The chair of the student’s advisory committee will provide written notification of the defense outcome to the student.