Masters Degree Program - Non-Thesis Option
Rules and Requirements for the non-thesis option Master of Science (P2-M.S.) Degree in Computer Science
(Adopted August 1, 2000) (Revised December 21, 2000)
Index
General
The Plan 2 Master of Science (P2-M.S.) in Computer
Science is one of the graduate degree programs of the University of
Houston. It is a terminal degree intended for those working
professionals who wish to advance their careers in computer and
information technologies. Students in this program must comply with
all the rules and satisfy all the requirements set by the
University of Houston and the College of Natural Sciences and
Mathematics. In addition, the Department of Computer Science has
the following rules and regulations.
Admissions
A student must be admitted to the Plan 2 Master of
Science degree program by the Department of Computer Science. 1.1
The admission standard takes both the score for the Graduate Record
Examination (GRE) and the Grade Point Average (GPA) over the last
60 credit hours into consideration. Students whose native language
is not English must obtain a TOEFL score not less than 650 (280 for
computer-based test). An applicant's background in Mathematics and
Computer Science is also a deciding factor.
In addition the applicant must submit at least three
letters of recommendation.
Course Requirements
- A student must complete a minimum of 36 credit
hours subject to the following restrictions. There is no thesis
requirement.
- No less than 24 credit hours of Computer
Science courses of 6000 level or above, excluding special problems
(6x98), special topics (6397), colloquia (6110), preparatory
courses (6301, 6302, 6303, 6304, 4310, 4330) and thesis hours.
- No more than 6 hours outside computer science
in related fields of science, engineering and business may be
counted. All these courses have to be with specific approval of the
Director of Graduate Studies. Undergraduate courses for graduate
credit will be allowed only in rare, well-justified cases.
- Upon admittance to the department and prior to
registration for any subsequent semester, every graduate student
must consult the Director of Graduate Studies to set up a tentative
program for course work and obtain approval for registration.
Admission to Candidacy
- A student who has demonstrated an appropriate
level of proficiency will be admitted to candidacy for the Plan 2
Master of Science degree by approval of the Graduate Committee of
Computer Science.
- Proficiency will usually be defined as a
recognized BS or BA degree in Computer Science, Computer
Engineering or related computational degrees. An appropriate level
of proficiency is also defined to be either completion with a grade
of "B-" or better of, or obtaining advanced placement in, every one
of the following eight categories as a undergraduate or post
baccalaureate student:
- Math 1431 (Calculus I), 1432 (Calculus II), and Math 2431
(Linear Algebra)
- COSC 6305 (Grad Pre-requisite).
- COSC 6306 (Data Structures).
- COSC 6407 (Computer Organization & Programming).
- COSC 6308 (Computer Architecture).
- COSC 6309 (Intro to Automata & Computability).
- COSC 6310 (Fundamentals of Operating Systems).
- COSC 6311 (Software Engineering).
- NOTE: Any course in the above categories in which a
grade of "B-" or better is not made must be repeated the very next
semester after having attempted the course originally.
- Advanced placement may be obtained by passing
an examination administered by the instructor of that course. The
result of the placement tests will be included in the student's
academic file.
- A student can make a request to take advanced
placement test(s) during the first four weeks of his/her first
semester of graduate study. If approved by the Director of Graduate
Studies, the test must be completed within his/her first semester.
The instructor shall report the result to the Director of Graduate
Studies.
- 3.1.4 The courses in 3.1.1 must be completed before
a student will be allowed to register as a graduate student and in
other courses which are to be counted towards his/her degree,
except that a student will be allowed to register for other courses
in the semester in which he/she will complete all courses in
3.1.1.
Removal From the Program
- Students must complete their degree within 5
years of their initial enrollment in the program. (See time
limitation in the graduate school catalog).
- A student will be removed from the program if he
has earned a grade of "C+" or lower in 4 courses while he is
enrolled as a graduate student at the University of Houston. All
other scholastic regulations as specified in the Graduate School
catalog must be satisfied.
A student, at his/her own option, must satisfy
either (a) all the requirements of the department at the time
he/she enrolled as a graduate student in the department, or (b) all
the present requirements of the department subject to the
exclusions stated in the Course Requirements. No mixed petitions will be
considered.
