Computer Science, M.S.

Program Director: Xinlian Liu, Ph.D.; liu@hood.edu; 301-696-3981

The Master of Science in Computer Science is a 33-credit degree program for persons seeking to enhance their professional qualifications and stature through graduate study in computer science. Individuals who graduate from the program will acquire knowledge and develop problem-solving skills that prepare them to hold a variety of scientific and technical positions in the area of computing. The structure of the program and the number of available elective courses provides students with the opportunity to study a variety of topics ranging from artificial intelligence and software engineering to operating systems and machine learning or focus on one of the two available concentrations on data science and cybersecurity. Graduates will also be prepared for further work at the doctoral level.

Application Requirements:

All official transcripts and a résumé must be submitted.

For additional admission information, see Graduate Admission.

Program Requirements

Foundation Courses

The foundation courses represent background knowledge and skills necessary for successful completion of degree requirements. Some or all of the foundation courses may be waived by the program director, based upon an analysis of the student’s previous work. A student holding a baccalaureate degree in computer science will normally be granted exemption from, but not graduate credit for, all foundation courses. Any foundation courses required are in addition to the 33 credits required for program completion.

Students who are waived from foundation coursework cannot complete it for elective fulfillment.

MATH 505	Discrete Math	3.0
CS 508	Computer Organization and Design	3.0
CSIT 512	Elements of Computer Programming	3.0
CS 519	Advanced Data Structures	3.0

Degree Requirements

A student must complete 33 credits beyond foundation courses, including 15 credits of Core requirements. The Core courses represent the general body of knowledge and skills that all students in the program are expected to master.

Core Requirements

CS 520	Algorithm Analysis	3.0
CS 524	Principles of Software Engineering	3.0
CS 528/CS 428	Artificial Intelligence	3.0
CS 564	Operating Systems	3.0

One of the following courses:

CS 561/CS 461	Computer Architecture	3.0
CS 571	Programming Languages: Their Design and Compilation	3.0

Concentration Courses

Students may elect a concentration in Data Science (12 credits) or Cybersecurity (15 credits), completing the remaining credits (6 or 3) required for program completion from elective options. Students who do not wish to pursue one of these concentrations will complete 18 credits of elective coursework.

Data Science Concentration

CS 522	Data Mining	3.0
CS 527	Data Science	3.0
CS 543/CS 443	Machine Learning	3.0
CSIT 565	Advanced Database Management Systems	3.0

Cybersecurity Concentration

Students pursuing the cybersecurity concentration cannot also earn the cybersecurity certificate.

CSIT 532/CYBR 532	Computer Forensics	3.0
CSIT 534/CYBR 534	Network and Internet Security	3.0
CSIT 548/CYBR 548	Telecommunications and Networking	3.0
CSIT 555/CYBR 555	Information Systems Security	3.0
CSIT 537/CYBR 537	Applied Encryption and Cryptology	3.0
	or
CYBR 556	Ethical Hacking	3.0

Students are eligible to use electives in this concentration to pursue the Cybersecurity Certificate.

Electives

Students must complete 3-18 credits of elective work, which may include a 6-credit thesis (CS 580), 6-credit field work project (CS 585) or a 6-credit software engineering project (CS 595). All elective courses must be chosen from CS or CSIT prefixed coursework. Certain, pre-approved courses by the department may also be chosen from the CYBR program.