Introductory Courses
No Introductory Course may be substituted for any other course at any level.
Introductory courses may be waived for any of the following conditions based on faculty review:
- The student has the appropriate course work to satisfy an Introductory Course.
- The student has appropriate and verified professional experience to satisfy an Introductory Course.
- If an exam is available, the student passes a
Graduate Assessment Examination (GAE) in the Introductory Course area.
Foundation Courses
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CSC 421 Applied Algorithms and Structures
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CSC 435 Distributed Systems I
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CSC 447 Concepts of Programming Languages
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CSC 453 Principles of Database Management Systems
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SE 450 Object-Oriented Software Development
OR
SE 456 Architecture of Real-Time Systems
Major Elective Courses
Twenty-eight credit hours of Major Electives are required. Graduates of the MS in Computer Science program must be proficient in at least one broad area of Computer Science listed below. For this reason students will take the remaining twenty-eight credit hours as follows:
- Twelve credit hours (typically taken as three 4-credit courses) from one area.
- SIxteen credit hours (typically taken as four 4-credit courses) from any area, including the option to take the SE Studio Capstone, the 2-course GAM studio sequence, the 1-course CS capstone, the Research Colloquium course, or write an MS Thesis, or develop an MS Research Project.
The courses in each area are listed below. The Independent Study courses (CSC 695) may be taken for up to 8 credits and at most 4 credit hours of CSC 695 can count towards the chosen area.
Areas
Research and Thesis Options
As part of their electives, students have the option of signing up for the Research Colloquium, or completing a Research Project, or writing a Master Thesis, or participating in a Graduate Internship.
Research Colloquium
The research colloquium consists of weekly talks by a variety of speakers including faculty, students, and guests from the academic and business communities. The lectures feature new creative and scholarly work that encompasses the disciplines and areas of interest of the school of computing. Students interested in attending the colloquium and receiving credit should sign up for the
CSC 500 Research Colloquium course (NOTE: this course carries only 2 credits; it may be taken twice for credit.) Student evaluation is based on attendance as well as an online journal with reflections on each of the presentations. The educational objectives are to expose students to creative and scholarly research at DePaul and elsewhere, and to engage students in the thought process of identifying and solving challenging research problems.
Master's Research
Students interested in a more in-depth study of a particular area can choose to work with a faculty member (not necessarily their academic advisor) on an independent study or research project. The work involved may include system development, empirical studies, or theoretical work. The student will register for up to 4 credit hours of
CSC 695 Master's Research. 4 credit hours of CSC 695 replaces one 500 level major elective course in the M.S. in Computer Science program. CSC 695 can be taken multiple times for up to 8 credit hours. Students must successfully complete the Foundation courses prior to their first enrollment in CSC 695. Students interested in the Master's Thesis option will typically take 8 credits of CSC 695.
Master's Thesis
A student who is working on a research project and has made an original contribution to their area of study may choose to complete a Master's Thesis. Additional information and requirements for School of Computing students pursuing the thesis option can be found on the
SoC Master's Thesis Guideline page.
Graduate Internship
In cooperation with local employers, the graduate program offers students the opportunity to integrate their academic experience with on-the-job training in computer related work areas. Students may take
CSC 697 Graduate Internship for up to four credits. Admission to the internship program requires consent of the Instructor and a Student Services Advisor. International students may complete curricular practical training (CPT) through this class provided they first obtain CPT authorization from the International Student and Scholar Services (ISS) before beginning the internship.