Computer Science and Engineering

James Worth Bagley College of Engineering

Dr. Kirk Schulz, Dean

Dr. Roger L. King, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies

Dr. Julia E. Hodges, Department Head

Dr. Edward B. Allen, Graduate Coordinator

300 Butler Hall

P.O. Box 9637
Mississippi State , MS 39762-9637

Phone:  662-325-2756
Fax:  662-325-8997
E-mail:  office@cse.msstate.edu

Website: http//:www.cse.msstate.edu

Graduate study is offered in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering leading to the degrees of Master of Science in computer science and Doctor of Philosophy in computer science. Several teaching and research assistantships are available.  Application forms for admission to graduate studies, departmental assistantships, information regarding the graduate programs, faculty and their research interests, and courses are available from the department’s page on the World Wide Web.

Application Procedure—An applicant is required to submit the following documents to the Office of Graduate Studies or the department.  The department participates in the “self-managed” application process.  Both methods are equivalent.  (See the Admissions section in this publication.)

·          Application for admission to graduate study;

·          Transcripts from all former institutions attended;

·          TOEFL score (for international students when English is not the official first language of home country);

·          Scores on the general test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE);

·          Three letters of recommendation; and

·          Statement of the applicant’s career goals and objectives.

·          $30.00 application fee

  International students will also need:

·          Document of Support Form and associated documentation.

In addition, the applicant is encouraged to submit directly to the Department of Computer Science and Engineering any additional information (such as GRE subject test scores, resume, etc.) that supports his/her application.

The department has an application form for assistantships that is separate from the application for graduate admission.  This application can be downloaded from http://www.cse.msstate.edu/GRADUATE/
assist.doc.  For additional information visit the departmental website.

Application Dates—Applications may be submitted at any time.  Completed applications should be received by the dates specified by the Office of Graduate Studies.  Preference for awarding assistantships will be given to applications received by February 1 for Summer or Fall Semester admission and October 1 for Spring Semester admission

Master of Science Degree

Regular Admission to the M.S. Program—For regular admission to the Master of Science program, the applicant must:

1.       Satisfy the minimum requirements for admission to graduate study as specified in the Mississippi State University Graduate Studies Bulletin (available online at http://www.msstate.edu/dept/grad/) and submit all documents as required in the application procedure;

2.     Possess those qualifications and interests

that indicate to the Computer Science Graduate Studies Committee that the applicant will be successful in the MSU computer science Master of Science program; and

1.       Have a minimum TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 550 on the paper version or 213 on the computer version. (This applies only to international students. The University may waive the TOEFL requirement for international students who hold a degree from a U.S. Institution).

Contingent Admission to the M.S. Program—An applicant who fails to meet the requirements for regular admission may be considered for contingent admission by the Graduate Studies Committee.  Contingent admission may be granted under the following conditions:

An international student with a TOEFL score of less than 550 but at least 500 may be admitted.  To achieve regular admission status, the student will be required to complete satisfactorily the appropriate English as a Second Language sequence of courses; see the MSU Graduate Studies Bulletin (General Requirements for Admission, English Language Requirements for International Students) for specific requirements.

An applicant who has not yet taken the GRE but who has a computer science baccalaureate degree from a U.S. institution may be admitted, but only on a contingency basis. To achieve regular admission status, the student will be required to take the GRE General Test in his or her first semester and obtain a satisfactory composite GRE score.

A student who has not completed the undergraduate prerequisites may be given contingent admission.  To achieve regular admission status, the student must complete all remaining prerequisites with a grade of B or better in each course.

Undergraduate Prerequisite Courses for the Master’s Degree—The prerequisite courses required of all Master’s students are the following and their prerequisites:

CSE 2383                       Data Structures and Analysis of Algorithms

MA 2733                        Calculus III

ECE 3724                       Microprocessors I

CSE 3813                       Formal Languages

CSE 4713/6713             Programming Languages

CSE 4733/6733             Operating Systems I    

CSE 4833/6833             Analysis of Algorithms

Candidates for the Master’s degree must have completed all prerequisite courses or their equivalent. These courses may be completed after enrolling in the graduate program. None of the prerequisite courses may appear on a student’s graduate program of study.

Program of Study—All students must complete a minimum of 25 hours of graduate course work that satisfies the following requirements:

At least one-half of the courses in the program of study must be at the full graduate level (numbered 8000 or 9000).

A minimum of 12 credit hours of full graduate computer science courses must be included in the program of study.

At least three of the following six Fundamental Areas courses must be included in the program of study:

CSE 6153         Data Communications and Computer Networks

CSE 6163         Designing Parallel Algorithms

CSE 6214         Introduction to Software Engineering

CSE 6413         Computer Graphics

CSE 6503         Database Management Systems

      CSE 6633         Artificial Intelligence

A student who has taken any of these six courses for undergraduate credit may use the undergraduate course to meet the graduate Fundamental Areas requirement and substitute another graduate-level course approved by the student’s graduate committee.

The program of study must include one of the following theory courses:

 CSE 8813    Formal Languages and Automata Theory

CSE 8823    Introduction to Combinatorics and Graph Theory

CSE 8833    Algorithms

CSE 8843   Complexity of Sequential and Parallel Algorithms

CSE 8990  Special Topics in Computer Science on a topic which has been designated in advance by the department as a theory course fulfilling  this requirement.

The program of study must include one departmental seminar (one credit hour):

CSE 8011 Seminar.

Students must select either a thesis or a non-thesis option in their program of study.  A student may only select the thesis option if a member of the graduate faculty has agreed to serve as their thesis director.

Thesis option—If the thesis option is selected, the student must:

1.     Complete a minimum of six credit hours of CSE 8000, Thesis Research/Thesis.

2.     Propose research within his/her area of  interest.  Normally the major professor will direct the thesis research.  The research must be accepted by     his/her Graduate Committee and reported in a defensible thesis paper.

3.     Defend the thesis research to his/her Graduate Committee at a formal presentation at the time of the comprehensive examination.

Non-thesis option—If the non-thesis option is selected, the student must:

1.   Complete three additional courses (nine credit hours) in his/her area of interest; insuring that at least 15 hours of the courses in the program of study are at the full graduate level (numbered 8000 or 9000).  One of the three additional courses may be Directed Project (CSE 8080) if the student’s major professor (or another member of the student’s graduate committee) agrees to direct the project.

2.    Stand for an oral comprehensive examination.  Students who complete a directed project present the results of the directed project to his/her Graduate Committee at the time of the comprehensive examination.

All M.S. students must perform satisfactorily on an oral comprehensive examination.  If the student is in the thesis option or is completing a Directed Project, the Master’s comprehensive examination is held in conjunction with the student’s project presentation or thesis defense.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree

Regular Admission to the Ph.D. Program—For regular admission to the doctoral program, the applicant must:

1.       Satisfy the minimum requirements for admission to graduate study as specified in the Mississippi State University Graduate Studies Bulletin (available online at http://www.msstate.edu/dept/grad/) and submit all documents as required in the application procedure below;

2.       Possess those qualifications and research interests that indicate to the Computer Science and Engineering Graduate Studies Committee that the applicant will be successful in the computer science doctoral program; and

3.       Have a minimum TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 550 on the paper version or 213 on the computer version.  (This applies only to international students.  The University may waive the TOEFL requirement for international students who hold a degree from a U.S. institution.)

Contingent Admission to the Ph.D. Program—A student who fails to meet the requirements for regular admission may be considered for contingent admission by the Graduate Studies Committee.  Contingent admission may be granted under the following conditions:

1.   An international student with a TOEFL score of less than 550 but at least 500 may be admitted.  To achieve regular admission status, the student will be required to complete satisfactorily the appropriate English as a Second Language sequence of courses; see the MSU Graduate Studies Bulletin (General Requirements for Admission, English Language Requirements for International Students) for specific requirements.

2.    An applicant who has not yet taken the GRE but who has a computer science baccalaureate degree from a U.S. institution may be admitted, but only on a contingency basis. To achieve regular admission status, the student will be required to take the GRE General Test in his or her first semester and obtain a satisfactory composite GRE score.

3.   A student who has not completed the undergraduate prerequisites may be given contingent admission.  To achieve regular admission status, the student must complete all remaining prerequisites with a grade of B or better in each course.

Program of Study—The course work will consist of not less than 43 credit hours of applicable graduate courses exclusive of thesis, project, and dissertation. Courses completed as part of the master’s degree may, when approved by the student’s Graduate Committee, be applied to the program of study.

All undergraduate prerequisite courses listed for the Master’s degree must be satisfied.  At least one-half of all graduate courses in the student’s program of study must be at the full graduate level (8000- or 9000-level courses).  In addition, the program of study must contain the following specific elements:

1.       Major Course Work—The major course work requires a minimum of 43 credit hours consisting of the following:

a.      Two full graduate courses from the Theory of Computation area:

·          CSE 8813         Formal Languages and Automata Theory

·          SE 8823            Introduction to Combinatorics and Graph Theory

·          CSE 8833         Algorithms

·          CSE 8843        Complexity of Sequential and Parallel Algorithms

·          CSE 8990        Special Topics in  Computer Science on a topic designated in advance by the department as a theory course fulfilling this                     requirement

     b.    At least four full graduate courses from one area (the area of concentration) below and at least two full graduate courses from one other area   below(the supporting area):

·          Artificial Intelligence

·          Software Engineering

·          High Performance Computing

·          Graphics and Visualization

·          Computer Security

Courses applying directly to the student’s research and approved by the student’s Graduate Committee may be included in the research area       course work, even if they are offered from another area or by another department.

c.      At least three of the following six Fundamental Areas courses:

·          CSE 6153         Data Communications and Computer Networks

·          CSE 6163         Designing Parallel  Algorithms

·          CSE 6214         Introduction to Software Engineering

·          CSE 6413         Computer Graphics

·          CSE 6503         Database Management Systems

·          CSE 6633         Artificial Intelligence

A student who has taken any of these six courses for undergraduate credit may use the undergraduate course to meet the graduate fundamental areas requirement and substitute another graduate-level course approved by the student’s Graduate committee.

d.   One departmental seminar (one credit hour)

2.   Minor—A minor is defined by the Office of Graduate Studies as a current block of course work completed in any program other than the major program and approved for master’s or doctoral programs.  A minor for Ph.D. students in computer science is optional.  The minor requirements (12 hours) are in addition to those required in the major area and must be approved by the minor professor.  The minor professor serves as a member of the student’s graduate committee.

3.   Dissertation—A minimum of 20 hours of dissertation s required.  A student may enroll in dissertation hours only with the approval of his/her major professor, who will be the instructor of record and will assign a grade (S or U).  The student’s Graduate Committee must be approved and in place before the student can enroll in dissertation hours.

Admission to Candidacy—A doctoral student becomes a candidate upon completion of all prerequisite and Fundamental Areas courses, completion of all courses on the program of study, acceptance of a research topic by his/her Graduate Committee, and passing the preliminary examination.

Examination Procedure—During preparation for the doctoral degree, the student will be required to complete three examinations and present an oral dissertation proposal. The examinations are the qualifying examination, taken during the student’s first year of study; a preliminary examination, taken after the student has completed (or is within six hours of having completed) all course work and has had a dissertation topic approved; and the final examination, taken when all other examinations and the dissertation have been completed.

At the time that the student takes the qualifying examination, the graduate faculty will conduct a review of the student’s status in the program. This review will include, as a minimum, the following:

·          Performance on the qualifying examination,

·          Progress and performance in courses,

·          Possible serious impediments to further progress toward the doctorate.

Such a review could result in binding recommendations from the graduate faculty or strong recommendations that the student address a problem within a certain time frame or could even result in dismissal from the program.

Minor in Computer Science

Master’s Degree—The Graduate Council requires that a student who wishes to earn a minor in computer science in a master’s degree program complete at least nine semester hours of computer science graduate credit. In addition, the  Department of Computer Science and Engineering requires that the following requirements be satisfied:

1.       At least three  semester hours must be at the full graduate (8000) level.

2.       At least six semester hours must be in one of the following areas: artificial intelligence, software engineering, high performance computing, graphics and visualization, theory, or computer security.

3.       All prerequisites courses for the minor courses included in the program of study must be satisfied.

The student must be accepted by a minor professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and have the approval of both the minor professor and the Graduate Coordinator in Computer Science and Engineering of the minor program of study prior to enrollment in graduate courses for the minor. The minor professor will be included in the student’s graduate committee.

Minor in Computer Science Ph.D. Degree—The Graduate Council requires that a student who wishes to earn a minor in computer science in a Ph.D. degree program complete at least 12 semester hours of computer science graduate credit. In addition, the Department of Computer Science and Engineering requires that the following requirements be satisfied:

·          At least three semester hours must be at the full graduate (8000) level.

·          At least six semester hours must be in one of the following areas: artificial intelligence, software engineering, high performance computing, graphics and visualization, theory, or computer security.

·          All prerequisite courses for the minor courses included in the program of study must be satisfied.

The student must be accepted by a minor professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and have the approval of both the minor professor and the Graduate Coordinator in Computer Science and Engineering of the minor program of study prior to enrollment in graduate courses for the minor. The minor professor will be included in the student’s graduate committee.

Academic Performance:

Academic Probation—Once admitted to the graduate program in Computer Science, a student who fails to maintain a satisfactory academic record will be considered to be on academic probation.  A graduate GPA will be computed for each student at the end of each semester.  The student's graduate GPA is the average of all graduate courses attempted while in the CS graduate program.

·          A student whose graduate GPA drops below 3.00 is automatically on academic probation.

·          A student who obtains a grade below a B on a prerequisite course is automatically on academic probation. 

·          To be removed from probation, the student, by the completion of the next nine credit hours of progress toward the degree, must:

¨        achieve a graduate GPA of 3.00 or above, and

¨        earn a grade of B or above on any prerequisite course for which a grade lower than B was previously obtained.

With the approval of the Graduate Coordinator and the Dean of the College of Engineering , a student may repeat one course per degree.  This policy applies to all courses (even those not on the program of study) taken as a graduate student related to a specific program, and only to those courses taken at MSU. 

With the exception of those courses approved for repeated credit (e.g., internships, special topics, individual studies, thesis, dissertation, etc.), a specific course may be repeated only once.  Both courses will remain on the permanent transcript, and both grades will be computed in final averages.  No additional program credit hours will be generated from a repeated course.

At the beginning of each semester the Department of Computer Science and Engineering Graduate Studies Committee will evaluate the records of all Computer Science graduate students currently on probation, as well as students making a grade of D,  F, or U during the previous semester.  The Graduate Studies Committee will consider recommending that the Dean of the College of Engineering dismiss a student enrolled in a graduate program in Computer Science if:

·          The student was admitted on TOEFL contingency and fails to make satisfactory progress towards completion of the appropriate English as a Second Language sequence of courses.

·          The student was admitted without GRE scores and fails to take the GRE General Test during the next semester or fails to obtain a satisfactory composite score on the GRE.

·          The student was admitted with contingencies due to deficiencies in prerequisite coursework and fails to make satisfactory progress toward completion of the prerequisites.

·          The student is on academic probation and is unable to meet all requirements for removal from probation by the completion of the next nine credit hours of progress toward the degree.

·          The student makes a grade of D or F in a graduate or undergraduate course attempted while in the graduate program in Computer Science.

·          The student receives a grade of U in an S/U graded course.

Appeals Process—A student who has been dismissed from the Computer Science graduate program has the right to appeal the dismissal.

·          Within four weeks of being notified of the dismissal, a student who wishes to appeal must write a letter requesting a reconsideration of the dismissal, giving all pertinent facts and explaining any extenuating circumstances.  The letter should be addressed to the Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering.  The Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering will review this appeal and will render a decision within five working days.  If the decision is in favor of the student, the Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering will recommend to the Dean of the College of Engineering that the student's dismissal from the Computer Science graduate program be rescinded.

·          If the student is dissatisfied with the decision of the Department Head, the student may appeal in writing to the Dean of the College of Engineering .  See Academic Status, Appeal in this publication. 

·          If this appeal is unsuccessful, the student may then appeal to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Graduate Courses—Course prerequisites are noted in parentheses.

 CSE 6990    Special Topics in Computer Science. 1-9 hours

CSE 7000     Directed Individual Study. 1-6 hours

CSE 8000     Research/Thesis. 1-6 hours

CSE 8011     Seminar. 1 hour

CSE 8080     Directed Project in Computer Science. 1-3 hours

CSE 8990     Special Topics in Computer Science. 1-9 hours

CSE 9000     Research/Dissertation. 1-20 hours

Artificial Intelligence:

CSE 6633     Artificial Intelligence (CSE 2383 and CSE 2813 with a grade of C or better). 3 hours

CSE 6653     Cognitive Science (CSE 4633/6633 or PSY 4713 or PHI 4143/6143 or AN 4623/6623 or EN 4403/6403). 3 hours

CSE 6663     Human-Computer Interaction (CSE 3813 with a grade of C or better for CS majors, permission of instructor for non-majors). 3 hours

CSE 6673     Psychology of Human-Computer Interaction (PSY 3713 or CSE 4663/6663 or IE 4113/6113 or consent of instructor). 3 hours

CSE 8613     Cognitive Models of Skill (Graduate Standing). 3 hours

CSE 8633     Natural Language Processing (CSE 4633/6633). 3 hours

CSE 8663     Neural Computing (CSE 4633/6633).  3 hours

CSE 8673     Machine Learning (CSE  4633/6633).  3 hours

CSE 9633     Topics in Artificial Intelligence (consent of instructor). 3 hours Software Engineering:

CSE 6214     Introduction to Software Engineering (CSE 2383 with a grade of C or better). 4 hours

CSE 6233     Software Architecture and Design Paradigms (CSE 4214/6214 with a grade of C or better). 3 hours

CSE 6243     Information and Computer Security (CSE 4733/6733 with a grade of C or better). 3 hours

CSE 6273     Introduction to Computer Forensics (Senior standing in CSE/SE/CPE/MIS/CJ). 3 hours

CSE 6283     Software Testing and Quality Assurance (CSE 4214/6214 with a grade of C or better). 3 hours

CSE 8233     Software Engineering Project Management (CSE 4214/6214). 3 hours

CSE 8243     Software Specification (CSE  4214/6214). 3 hours

CSE 8253     Software Design (CSE 4214/6214). 3 hours

CSE 8263     Software Verification and Validation (CSE 3813 and either CSE4214/6214 or CSE 8253). 3 hours

CSE 8273     Software Requirements Engineering (CSE 4214/6214 with a C or better). 3 hours

CSE 9253     Topics in Software Engineering (consent of instructor). 3 hours

High Performance Computing:

CSE 6153     Data Communications and Computer Networks (CSE 1384 or ECE 3732 and ECE 3724 all with a grade of C or better). 3 hours

CSE 6163     Designing Parallel Algorithms (CSE 3324 or CSE 4733/6733 with a grade of C or better). 3 hours

CSE 6743     Operating Systems II (CSE 4733/6733 with a grade of C or better). 3 hours

CSE 8123     Advanced Computer Organization. 3 hours

CSE 8153     Advanced Data Communications (CSE 4153/6153 or equivalent). 3 hours

CSE 8163     Parallel and Distributing Scientific Computing (CSE 4163/6163). 3 hours

CSE 8733     Advanced Systems Programming (CSE 4733/6733). 3 hours

CSE 9133     Topics in High Performance Computing (consent of instructor). 3 hours

Programming Languages:

CSE 6723     Compiler Construction (Credit or registration in CSE 4713/6713 ). 3 hours

Database Systems:

CSE 6503     Database Management Systems (CSE 2383 and CSE 2813 both with a grade of C or better). 3 hours

CSE 8533     Database System Design (CSE 4503/6503). 3 hours

CSE 8543     Current Issues in Database System Design (CSE 4503/6503). 3 hours

Theory of Computation:

CSE 6833     Introduction to Analysis of Algorithms (CSE 2383, CSE 2813, and MA 2733 all with a grade of C or better. 3 hours

CSE 8813     Formal Languages and Automata Theory (CSE 3813). 3 hours

CSE 8823     Introduction to Combinatorics and Graph Theory (CSE 3813 and MA 1723 or consent of instructor). 3 hours

CSE 8833     Algorithms (CSE 4833/6833). 3 hours

CSE 8843     Complexity of Sequential and Parallel Algorithms (CSE 4833/6833). 3 hours

Computer Graphics and Visualization:

CSE 6413     Principles of Computer Graphics (CSE 2383 with a grade of C or better and MA 3113). 3 hours

CSE 8413     Visualization (CSE 4413/6413). 3 hours

CSE 8433     Advanced Computer Graphics (CSE 4413/6413). 3 hours

CSE 9413     Topics in Computer Graphics and Visualization (consent of instructor). 3 hours

The following courses will not generally apply toward a major in computer science.

CSE 6713     Programming Languages (ECE 3724 and CSE 3813 both with a grade of C or better). 3 hours

CSE 6733     Operating Systems I (CSE 2383 and ECE 3724 both with a grade of C or better). 3 hours

CP 8013       First Work Semester (Approval of  Co-op Office, acceptance by employing organization, and admission to the University and to                           graduate study). 3 hours

CP 8023        Second Work Semester (CP 8013). 3 hours

CP 8033        Third Work Semester (CP 8023). 3 hours

CP 8043        Fourth Work Semester (CP 8033). 3 hours

CP 8053        Fifth Work Semester (CP 8043). 3 hours