Masters students may choose one of two options – the thesis option or the non thesis option. Both are 30 semester hour programs. The latter requires more coursework and, of course, does not require that a thesis be written. One might think of a thesis as being a “mini” PhD dissertation. MS non-thesis option students must, in their last term, submit to the CS Graduate Committee, a portfolio detailing all major activities in which they have participated as a result of their tenure in the program. This should include a SASS audit, resume, details of term papers, projects, etc.
Graduate course descriptions in Computer Science are found online at the UCF Division of Graduate Studies online Course Catalog.
a) CDA 5106 and COT 5405, both with a grade of B (3.0) or better. (6 credit hours)
b) A 5000 and 6000 level pair of CS courses in a single area of discourse, both with a grade of B (3.0) or better. (6 credit hours)
c) At most 6 credit hours of non CS coursework (approval must be received from the graduate coordinator prior to registration).
d) Thesis option – 6 credit hours of Thesis (CXX 6971) and at least 24 credit hours of coursework (at most 3 of these can be Independent Study credit).
e) Non Thesis option – A portfolio submission and at least 30 credit hours of coursework (at most 6 hours of these can be Independent Study credits and/or Directed research credits).
f) A total of at least 30 semester hours of credit at the 5-6000 level of Computer Science or ECE courses (Prefixes CAP, CDA, CEN, CIS, CNT, COP, and COT). The total may include up to 6 credit hours of CS related courses from outside CS department only if approved by the graduate coordinator. At least half of these credits (15) must be at the 6000 level, and under no circumstances can they contain CXX 7919 (Doctoral Research) credit, undergraduate credit, or 5000 level CGS courses.
