COMPUTER SCIENCE 2006-2007 GRADUATE CATALOG

-126- COMPUTER SCIENCE

Larry Dunning, Chair

Ronald Lancaster, Graduate Coordinator 221 Hayes Hall

Phone: 419-372-2337 Degree Offered Master of Science Graduate Faculty

Professors: Larry Dunning, Ph.D.; Laura Leventhal, Ph.D.; Raymon Kresman, Ph.D.

Associate Professors: Julie Barnes, Ph.D.; David Chilson, Ph.D.; Mohammad Dadfar, Ph.D.; Ronald Lancaster, Ph.D.; Walter Maner, Ph.D.; Hassan Rajaei, Ph.D.; Guy Zimmerman, Ph.D.

Assistant Professors: Joseph Chao, Ph.D.

The Department of Computer Science offers the Master of Science degree. The M.S. program provides educational opportunities in a wide range of fields of computer science.

Students who wish may select a specialization in parallel and distributed computing, software engineering, or operations research. The parallel and distributed computing specialization is designed for students interested in the design, analysis and use of integrated, distributed information

processing systems. It includes intensive studies on principles of computer networking, client-server computing, high performance computer

architectures, centralized and decentralized operating systems, and creation/visualization of data objects over the network.

The software engineering specialization is designed for students who want a focused study of software engineering. The program provides intensive studies in the software lifecycle, software development methodologies, formal models of software engineering, human-computer interaction, and database management.

The operations research specialization is designed for those interested in applying mathematical techniques to model and analyzing decision

problems. The program includes theory and applications for mathematical programming, network analysis, probability models and simulation.

COMPUTER SCIENCE 2006-2007 GRADUATE CATALOG

-127- Prerequisites to Graduate Work

Applicants should have a background in computer science equivalent to that provided by the core undergraduate curriculum. (This does not apply to students with a concentration in operations research, as indicated below.) Prerequisites may be satisfied by courses actually taken as an

undergraduate, by remedial course work taken while a graduate student, or by substantial practical experience in the computer field. Also, applicants should have a minimum mathematical background of differential calculus, integral calculus, and discrete mathematics. Additional courses in

mathematics and statistics are also desirable. Deficiencies in mathematics may be made up at the beginning of graduate study.

Applicants planning to specialize in operations research should have a full- year sequence in programming using a higher-level language and one course in computer organization and assembler. Additional prerequisites are a full year of calculus and one course each in linear algebra, statistics, and

operations research. Deficiencies in background may be made up at the beginning of graduate study.

Admission Procedure

Applicants seeking admission to the M.S. program in computer science

should follow the instructions outlined in the “Graduate Admission” section of this catalog. Those desiring an assistantship should provide a professional résumé as part of the application materials.

Degree Requirements Master of Science

Candidates must complete a total of 33 hours of graduate course work, including 15 hours of regular computer science course work at the 600 level, three hours of either CS 691 or CS 699, and 15 additional hours of course work. These additional hours may include computer science course work at the 500 or 600 level. Students in Plan II, and students in Plan I with no more than three hours of credit for CS 699, may include up to three hours chosen from the following: CS 585, CS 589, or approved graduate courses in other departments. Candidates must maintain a 3.0 grade point average overall, as well as a 3.0 grade point average in computer science courses. Students may pursue the M.S. degree under one of two plans.

Plan I: Candidates must prepare a formal thesis while enrolled in CS 699 for at least three hours. No more than six hours of CS 699 may be included in the required total of 33 semester hours of graduate credit. The thesis must be defended at an open meeting. Enrollment in CS 699 is restricted to students who have completed at least 18 hours of course work.

COMPUTER SCIENCE 2006-2007 GRADUATE CATALOG

-128-

Plan II: Candidates must complete a project while enrolled in CS 691 for at least three hours. No more than three hours of CS 691 may be included in the required total of 33 hours. Enrollment in CS 691 is restricted to students who have completed at least 18 hours of course work. The project must be presented at an open meeting.

Requirements for Optional Specializations

Parallel and Distributed Computing: The following courses are required of students specializing in parallel and distributed computing: (1) CS 508, 525, 529, 607, 629; (2) either CS 615 or CS 625; (3) a thesis (CS 699) under Plan I or a graduate project (CS 691) under Plan II. CS 542 is a

recommended course for this specialization. Software Engineering: The following courses are required of students specializing in software

engineering: (1) CS 525, 562, 564, 664; (2) two of CS 615, 625, 665; (3) a thesis (CS 699) under Plan I or a graduate project (CS 691) under Plan II. Operations Research: The following courses are required of students

specializing in operations research: (1) CS 542 or OR 572; (2) CS 612, 647, 649; (3) OR 661, 662; (4) three of the following: CS 301 (Contemporary Technologies), CS 335 (Data Structures and Algorithms), 520, 525, 551, 562, 564, 625, 664; (5) one of the following: STAT 502, 508, 514, 516; (6) a graduate project (CS 691).

Requirements for the Dual Master’s Degree

A student may design a program of study incorporating computer science and another graduate discipline, leading to the simultaneous award of two master's degrees. This option requires simultaneous admission into the two programs, and is not open to students already pursuing a graduate degree at BGSU. The Graduate College requires a program of study of at least 50 hours for the two degrees, including a maximum of six hours of thesis and no more than eight hours of independent study, readings, and special

program registrations. The Department of Computer Science requires that all dual degree students complete a thesis. No CS specializations are available to the student in a dual degree program. The CS requirements for the dual degree program are as follows:

• 12 hours of regular computer science course work at the 600 level

• 6 hours of thesis research, either CS 699 or the equivalent course in the other program (see below for additional information on the thesis

requirement)

• 12 additional hours of computer science course work at the 500 or 600 level. These hours may not include CS 585 or CS 589.

COMPUTER SCIENCE 2006-2007 GRADUATE CATALOG

-129- Graduate Courses

Please access graduate courses online at

http://webapps.bgsu.edu/courses/search.php Graduate courses offered by