Computer Science, MCS

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Department of Computer Science

Fenn Hall 332
(216) 687-2589

https://engineering.csuohio.edu/cs

George Chatzimavroudis, Interim Chair, Computer Science
Yongjian Fu, Graduate Program Director

Introduction

The Computer Science program at Cleveland State University is a specialized degree program designed to prepare students for careers as computer science professionals. The MCS is housed within the Washkewicz College of Engineering. The program emphasizes study of computing using the latest technologies. It focuses on the theoretical capabilities of computing including problem solving and algorithms. Graduates of the program will be prepared for immediate employment in business, industry and government, or pursue higher studies in the discipline.

Faculty

Current faculty information can be located on the Cleveland State University Faculty Profile page.

Faculty and Research

Faculty members are engaged in research in a wide variety of topics in the field of Computer Science and Engineering. There are a number of active, externally funded, projects in areas such as computer network security, software engineering, mobile computing, distributed computing, and computer science education.

Financial Assistance

The Department of Computer Science and the Washkewicz College of Engineering have a limited number of graduate assistantships available each year. A student may apply for an assistantship by completing an application form available at the department web site.

Career Information

Students in the MCS program have a wide range of options, allowing them to focus their studies on topics such as systems programming, database development, networks, security, and others. As a result, a graduate’s career options will vary somewhat, depending on the chosen areas of study. Typical starting positions would include developer, systems analyst, network engineer, researcher, database administrator and security analyst.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must meet the admission requirements:

A cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or better
Four-year undergraduate degree, or equivalent, in any discipline from an accredited university. Students without a bachelor’s degree in computer science or computer engineering may be considered for admission and assigned preparatory courses as part of their study plan. No preparatory course may count toward the fulfillment of the graduate degree program.

Preparatory Program

Students who do not have a degree in a computing field, and who want to apply for the graduate degree in Computer Science, will be required to complete the following preparatory program and earn a grade of B or better in each course. Students who previously earned a grade of B or better in an equivalent course can have the corresponding requirements waived with prior authorization by the program. Note that most of the preparatory courses are offered in Summer. Please contact the department at cs@csuohio.edu for details.

ESC 310 Engineering Statistics and Probability or STA 323 Probability and Statistics
MTH 220 Introduction to Discrete Mathematics
CIS 260 Introduction to Programming
CIS 265 Data Structures & Algorithms
CIS 335 Language Processors
CIS 340 Systems Programming

Degree Requirements

The degree requires a minimum of 32 credit hours. Students in the MCS program may elect to complete a thesis option or a non-thesis option. Students are encouraged to select the thesis option.

Core Courses (14 hours)

All students are required to complete the following core courses:

Elective Courses

Students pursuing the non-thesis track must take at least two 600 level elective courses.

Thesis Sub-Track

Students in the thesis sub-track are required to complete a minimum of 12 credits of elective coursework in addition to 6 credits of MS thesis research. Acceptance of the thesis by the thesis committee and passing an oral defense of the thesis are required.

Non-Thesis Sub-Track

Students in the non-thesis sub-track are required to complete a minimum of 18 credits of elective coursework, including at least two 600 level elective courses. The maximum credit load in the spring and fall is 11 credit hours.

Internship Option

Students who select the internship option are required to complete at least one credit of CIS 690 - Professional Internship in addition to the minimum 32 credit hours required for the graduate program.

Courses from Other Departments

May include up to nine credit hours of Computer Science-related courses outside of the MCS, with prior approval of the program director of the MCS. Students without an undergraduate degree in Computer and Information Science must take all courses in the MCS.

Courses from Another University

May include up to six hours of credit transferred from another university, if such credit is beyond the level of the preparatory program and has the approval of the program director.