The Master of Science in Computer Science is 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 applications. Graduates will also be prepared for further work at the doctoral level.

The program is designed for students having a strong undergraduate foundation in computer science. Students whose undergraduate degree is not in computer science may be admitted to the program and demonstrate the necessary background by completing or exempting five prerequisite courses.

A student entering the program must meet all admission requirements of the Hood College Graduate School. In addition, the student must have completed undergraduate courses, or their equivalent, in differential and integral calculus.

This program meets the needs of working students who study on a part-time basis. It is also suitable for full-time study if the student satisfies the foundation requirements. An international student who must have full-time status and who enters the program without completion of the foundation courses may need to take additional courses that are not part of the program in order to maintain that status when beginning the program. In this case, we will assist the student to enroll in courses in other related areas, such as mathematics. These supplementary courses will not count towards the degree completion.

The amount of time required to complete the degree will vary, depending on how many courses are taken each semester. All program requirements must be completed within seven years.

The prerequisite courses represent background knowledge and skills necessary for successful completion of degree requirements. A student holding a baccalaureate degree in computer science will normally exempt all prerequisite courses. Other students may, depending on their academic background and upon review by the department, exempt some or all of the prerequisite courses. Upon acceptance into the program, the student should consult with the program director to determine which prerequisite courses, if any, must be completed. This determination will normally be made through analysis of the student's undergraduate academic transcript. The credits received for prerequisite courses completed at Hood are in addition to the 33 credits needed for the degree.

Prerequisite Courses:

• MATH 505 Discrete Mathematics
• CS 503 Programming and Algorithms I)
• CS 504 Programming and Algorithms II
• CS 508 Computer Organization and Design
• CS 519 Advanced Data Structures

A student must complete 33 credits, including 18 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.

The following core courses are required:

• CS 520 Algorithm Analysis
• CS 524 Principles of Software Engineering
• CS 564 Operating Systems
• CS 528 Artificial Intelligence
• One of following two courses:
  • CS 561 Computer Architecture
  • CS 571 Programming Languages

The program offers several options for completing the remaining 18 credits. A student may take all the credits as elective work, or may take 9 credits within a Specialty Track and the remaining credits as elective work. The choice of which option and which elective work best suit the student's goals should be made in consultation with a faculty advisor. The department currently offers a Specialty Track in Artificial Intelligence and a Specialty Track in Networks and Distributed Computing.

Regardless of which option is chosen, as part of the required elective work a student may, with permission of the department, elect to do a 6 credit thesis (CSCI 580), a 3 or 6 credit field work project (CSCI 585), or a 6 credit Software Engineering Project (CSCI 595).

Students following the specialty track in artificial intelligence must complete the following:

• CS 528 Artificial Intelligence
• Two of the following courses:
  • CS 542 Perception in Artificial Intelligence
  • CS 543 Machine Learning
  • CS 544 Knowledge Representation and Reasoning
• Six elective credits. Elective work may include thesis, fieldwork project, or software engineering project.

Students following the specialty track in networks and distributed computing must complete the following:

• CS 536 Web Services
• CS 553 Data Communications and Network Security
• CS 566 Parallel Processing
• Six elective credits. Elective work may include thesis, fieldwork project, or software engineering project.