Master's Degree

General and Coursework Requirements for the MSCS Degree

The student shall plan a program of study and have it approved by the CS graduate committee. 30 credit hours of CS, ECE, or Math courses are required to complete the M.S. degree, with at least 15 of the credits at the 6600 level. A maximum of 6 credits of CS 6692, Special Problems in Computer Science, may count towards degree requirements. A maximum of 6 credits of CS 6660 Computer Science Project may be counted towards the degree requirements. 

All MSCS students must complete CS 5512 and CS 5561. If the student has completed CS 4412 with a grade of at least a B-, then another CS 55xx course may be substituted. If the student has completed CS4461 with a grade of at least a B-, then another CS 55xx course may be substituted. All MSCS graduate courses must be completed with a grade of B- or higher. CS 5512 or 4412 and CS 5561 or 4461 must be completed with a grade of B- or higher before taking any 66xx level courses applied toward the MSCS.

MSCS students can choose either a thesis-based option or a coursework-only option. Coursework/credit requirements for the options are as follows:

Thesis Option (30 credits)

MS Progress Review 

A progress review of each MS student will be conducted at the beginning of each Fall and Spring semester. The following requirements form the basis of the student progress review:

1. Timely Completion of Leveling Courses.

   Leveling courses should be completed within 12 months of admission to the degree program.

2. Early Submission of a Study List.

   An MS student should submit a study list no later than the second week of the second semester after admittance showing the courses the student is planning to take to complete MS course requirements.

3. Adequate GPA Performance.

   Students must earn a B- or better in each leveling course. A GPA of at least 3.0 must be maintained across all courses on a student's study list.

4. Limited Course Repeats

   A student may have a total of at most two course repeats for the duration of the MS program. Only one repeat may be used in satisfying leveling course requirements.

5. Steady Completion of Coursework

   By the end of one year after being fully admitted to the MS program, a student must have successfully completed at least 9 MS coursework credit hours (not counting thesis credit hours). A minimum of 9 coursework credit hours across the three semesters prior to the semester of the progress review must be maintained throughout the MS program until all coursework is complete. This rate represents a strict minimum. It is anticipated that students will complete coursework much more quickly than this.

6. Timely Completion of a Thesis Proposal

   MS students pursuing the Thesis Track must successfully pass their thesis proposal by the end of the fourth semester after admittance (i.e. within 16 months).

7. Duration of MS Study

   Students should complete all MS degree requirements (courses, thesis proposal, thesis, and thesis defense presentation) within three years from the time of admission.

Failure to meet any of the above requirements will result in a written warning accompanied by instructions on actions that the student should take. If a student fails to satisfactorily comply with written requests, the student will be placed on Unsatisfactory status, leading to termination from the MS program.

A student may be dropped at any time based on a recommendation from their Committee, the Graduate Committee, and the Department Chair.

Application for Graduation

Funding

Limited funding opportunities, including research and teaching assistantships, may be available. More information is available from the Graduate School.

 

Once a thesis topic has been firmly established, the student should submit a thesis proposal. The thesis proposal consists of A) the thesis proposal document and B) the thesis proposal presentation. The written thesis proposal document should be prepared first, as described below. Once the student’s first two committee members have approved the document, the student gives the proposal to the third committee member and schedules the time for the formal presentation of the thesis proposal. No thesis defense can be scheduled without first having the proposal presented and approved.

Thesis Proposal Document

The thesis proposal document should be submitted to the committee as soon as possible and must be submitted by the end of the fourth semester after the student begins the program. No thesis defense can be scheduled without first having the proposal presented and approved.

The document must adhere to the manuscript preparation guidelines from the ISU Graduate School.

Below are guidelines for the thesis proposal. While we aim to provide useful, detailed guidance on creating a successful proposal, these guidelines are intended to allow for some flexibility in accommodating individual needs and styles.

From reading your thesis, your thesis committee should be able to answer the following questions:

1. What problem do you want to solve?
2. Who cares about this problem and why?
3. What have others done to solve this problem and why is this inadequate?
4. What is your proposed solution to this problem?
5. How can you demonstrate that this is a good solution?

The thesis proposal document should contain the following:

• Abstract: 1 to 2 paragraphs summarizing the proposal.
• Introduction: 1 to 2 pages answering questions 1 and 2 above.
• Related Work: 1 to 2 pages answering question 3 above.
• Thesis statement: 1 to 2 sentences stating what is to be demonstrated in your thesis.
• Project Description: 3 to 5 pages answering question 4 above.
• Validation: 1/2 to 2 pages answering question 5 above.
• Thesis Schedule: ¼ to ½ page specifying dates for completion of major milestones.
• Bibliography: 2 to 5 pages containing references for all work cited.

Here we provide detail on the content of each of these sections:

Abstract - This section gives a short summary of the proposal. When you schedule your thesis proposal presentation, the title and abstract will need to be emailed to the Graduate Academic Advisor.

Introduction - This section prepares the reader to understand and appreciate the thesis statement. It should include problem motivation, definitions for important terms, and a clear formulation and statement of the problem being solved. You may choose to include subsections such as “Background” and “Motivation” in this section. The introduction should answer the questions “What problem do you want to solve?” and “Who cares about this problem and why?”

Related Work – This section provides a survey of literature that is closely related to your thesis statement as proof that you understand how your work builds on and is complementary to the work that has been or is being done by others. The related works section should answers the question “What have others done to solve the problem and why is this inadequate?”

Thesis statement – A clear, concise statement representing what the proposed research will demonstrate. A good thesis statement will make a specific claim that your readers care about. Getting your readers to care about the claim is the primary purpose of the introduction and related work sections.

Here are examples of good MS thesis statements:

• A dynamic dead variable analysis will reduce the size of the hash table in explicit model checking by marking more variables dead compared to static dead variable analysis.
• Model checking with magnetic disk requires less time when using a chained partitioned hash table than when using an open address monolithic hash table because delayed duplicate detection time is reduced.
• Given a set of precepts P and an associated training set Tr, a precept-driven learning algorithm (PDLA) can be designed which produces better results in generalization than when Tr alone is used.
• When trunk type, network traffic type, and customer characteristics are considered in setting overbooking factors, bandwidth can be used more efficiently and utilization can be predicted more accurately.

Project Description – This section describes the solution you are proposing and a plan for successful realization of the proposed solution. Your goal here is to provide a convincing argument to your committee that the plan you have laid out, if followed precisely, will enable the objective and convincing defense of your thesis statement. The project description should answer the question “What is your proposed solution to this problem?”

Validation – This section defines the methods and metrics you will use to show that your proposed solution is effective. The validation section should answer the question “How can you demonstrate that this is a good solution?”

Thesis Schedule – This section outlines a proposed schedule for the completion of your thesis work. You should include dates for submitting the thesis to your advisor, submitting the thesis to each of your committee members, and the final thesis defense. You should also specify other research milestones that will help you maintain a consistent pace toward timely completion of the thesis project.

The thesis defense must be scheduled at least three weeks in advance. Scheduling the defense can only be completed after the first two committee members have read and approved the thesis. As a safe rough estimate, plan on approximately seven weeks between the time you first give your completed thesis to your advisor and the time you make your final defense.

Bibliography – This section lists references for work cited in the body of the thesis. References should be complete and consistently formatted according to your particular sub-discipline of computer science.

Thesis Proposal Presentation

Oral Presentation Target Audience: ISU CS faculty members who may not be familiar with the topic.

A 12-15 minute oral presentation of the thesis proposal will be prepared and presented to the thesis committee and the invited public. The student should prepare to answer committee member's questions regarding methods, problem significance, proposed solution, and related literature. At the conclusion of the presentation and questions, the student and public leave the room while the committee deliberates to accept/reject the proposal, resulting in a decision that can range from unqualified acceptance to unqualified rejection.

A primary goal with the presentation is to emphasize the importance of developing effective communication and presentation skills. While the central ideas of the proposal document should be presented, the oral presentation provides a unique format for the student to be able to add engaging examples and explanations. It is expected that the presentation is well-rehearsed and we recommend practicing with an audience that can provide helpful suggestions to improve the presentation. 

Thesis Proposal Presentation Scheduling

Prior to scheduling:

• Draft and revise the proposal under the supervision of your advisor.
• Obtain verbal confirmation from both your advisor and second thesis committee member that the proposal is in final form.
• Give your third committee member a copy of the proposal.
• Arrange a date, time, and place for the proposal presentation, ensuring that all three committee members are able to attend. The College of Business secretary can help you schedule the Kelly Room, BA 304, or the College of Business Conference room. Reserve the room one hour; your presentation should not go beyond 15 minutes, but added time will be required for answering questions from the audience and your committee.
• Fill out and obtain signatures on the Thesis Proposal Form.

At least 1 week before the presentation: 

• Give the completed Thesis Proposal Form, as well as a copy of the abstract (formatted in Word), to the Graduate Academic Advisor.

At the presentation:

• Obtain signatures from all members of the committee on the Thesis Proposal Approval Form.
• Give a copy of the proposal and the signed approval form to the Graduate Academic Advisor to sign.

Thesis

Your Master's thesis should aim to contribute to advancing of the field of Computer Science. This may include the development of tools, theories, or solutions that others working in the same or related areas can use to solve problems of interest. Creativity and originality are fundamental elements of this process. To be impactful, the research needs to be tied in to existing related work in the research area and demonstrate knowledge, skills, and techniques gained during the student's Computer Science graduate education. Where possible, students should seek to publish their thesis research so that the field can benefit from their contributions.

Formatting Guidelines

Thesis Format: Students should follow the thesis manuscript preparation guidelines provided by the ISU Graduate School when formatting their thesis.

Citations:

The ISU Graduate Schools requires the ISU CS department to verify that thesis references use a format that is clear and consistent. Be sure that your citations contain all necessary information and are formatted consistently. (Oftentimes students will copy citations from 3rd party sources without verifying their completeness of format.) The following instructions will help to maintain consistency (and to prevent delays caused by needing to revise manuscripts during approval stages):

1. Follow the style of a top-tier journal (not conference proceedings) in your research area. In some cases journals specify conventions, in other cases you can look at and imitate examples of publications from a journal.
2. Do your best to be as complete and consistent as possible:

• Maintain a consistent style for each type of publication (e.g., book, article, etc.) throughout--italics, bold, quotes, punctuation, names (full names or initials), numbering (numeric or spelled out), and indentation.
• Ensure all elements for a citation are included. This includes all author or editor names, the title, the year, and, as appropriate, other elements such as the journal name, the volume, the issue number, pages, month, publisher, city, state/country, and institution for MS theses or technical reports.
• The bibliography should be ordered alphabetically by the last name of the reference's first author.

While variation in structure is permitted, a typical thesis will be structured as follows:

• Ch 1 - Introduction of the problem and motivation for its significance.
• Ch 2 - A thorough summary of related and similar work
• Ch 3 ... n-1 - A progressive description of work undertaken to prove the thesis, often including:
  • background information (e.g., terms and definitions)
  • methods descriptions (e.g., algorithms, theorems, and models)
  • evaluation and results (e.g., metrics, proofs, simulations, complexity analysis).
• Final chapter - Summary of the thesis contributions and discussion of possible avenues for future work.
• Bibliography
• Appendices (e.g., extended results, code fragments, documentation)

 The thesis document

Target Audience: Researchers who are presumed to be familiar with the general topic (i.e., your committee).

The goal with the thesis document is to prepare a paper that can be submitted for publication. Except where the ISU Manuscript Style guide directs otherwise, the thesis should read like a paper being submitted for publication. Any other pertinent material not deemed suitable for inclusion in an academic publication should be included in the appendices. Aim to produce a manuscript that is on par with the that of publications found in top-tier journals/conferences in the research area of your thesis.

Thesis Defense

Thesis Defense Target Audience: Computer science faculty who are not familiar with your research topic.

A thesis oral presentation should be well-rehearsed. Practicing before a live audience can help to ensure that the presentation will go smoothly.

Thesis Defense Format:

Thesis defenses are open to the public. In preparation, the student must create a polished presentation, designed to last 25 minutes. The student should briefly provide a broad overview of the research, but should primarily concentrate on outlining the technical details of the work. After the defense presentation, the audience and committee will be afforded the opportunity to ask questions regarding the related works, methods, validation techniques, etc. Following the questions and answers, the committee may choose to ask additional questions with the audience being asked to first vacate the room. Once the committee members have no more questions, they will invite the student to step out so that they can deliberate and make a decision.

Thesis Defense Results:

The thesis committee can reach one of four possible decisions:

Pass without qualifications

Pass with qualifications (resulting from the need for thesis revisions and/or additional course knowledge)

Recess (resulting from the need for substantial thesis revisions and/or additional course knowledge—a subsequent defense cannot be held for at least one month)

Fail (resulting in termination from the MS program)

The student's advisor serves as the defense committee chair. The chair manages the necessary forms for conducting votes, gathering signatures, etc.

Thesis Defense Instructions

Before Scheduling:

• Compose the thesis document under the mentorship of your advisor.
• After your advisor approves your thesis, give a copy to your second committee member.
• Make revisions suggested by the second committee member and obtain his/her approval to proceed.
• Apply to graduate.
• Verify your Graduate Progress Report (in DegreeWorks). Complete a Program of Study Change Form as needed.

Approximately 1 month before to the defense:

• Choose a date, time, and location for the defense presentation, making sure that all the members of your MS committee are available to attend. It is not uncommon for this to take longer than expected owing to travel, illness or time off. The College of Business secretary can help you schedule the Kelly Room, BA 304, or the College of Business Conference room. Reserve the room for two hours. Complete the Thesis Defense Scheduling form.

No later than 3 weeks before the defense (earlier is better):

• Email the Graduate Academic Advisor an electronic version of your thesis in PDF format together with your abstract as a Word document. Submit the completed Thesis Defense Scheduling form (with all mandatory signatures) to the Graduate Academic Advisor.  If these steps are not completed 3 weeks (or more) before the actual day you have scheduled the defense, you will be required to reschedule for a date that is at least 3 weeks out and complete a new Thesis Defense Scheduling form.
• Give your third committee member a copy of your thesis.

No later than 2 weeks before to the defense:

• Upon submission of your thesis, the Graduate Academic Advisor will review and reply with any mandatory formatting changes.  If revisions are required, these must be made before the defense can be scheduled. If revisions are not completed at least 2 weeks before the defense date, the student will be required to reinitiate the schedule process for a new defense date.

Day of the defense (or closely thereafter):

• Make necessary revisions to your thesis as required by your committee.
• Complete the Thesis Defense form and collect signatures from your committee members at the defense. Submit this form to the Graduate Academic Advisor immediately following the defense.

Course-Only/Non-thesis

Successfully completing the Course-Only/Non-thesis requires the student to complete only course credits within the time frame given for finishing the MS program.

For more information please see the catalog.

• Thesis/Project Defense Scheduling Form
• Program of Study Form
• Change of Program Form
• Change of Committee Form
• Thesis/Project Proposal Form
• Thesis/Project LaTeX Template
• Thesis/Project Word Template