Courses and Requirements
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Masters Degree Details

Excel Planning Worksheet

Fall 2011 - course guide

Courses for 2010-2011

Courses for 2009-2010

The B.S. and M.S. are separate degrees.

  • Students will be admitted to the masters program while undergraduates, but don’t attain graduate student status until their bachelors degree is completed
  • You can start on your Masters degree requirements while you are still an undergraduate: Up to 12 credits towards the Masters degree requirements earned after admission and prior to completion of the Bachelors degree can count towards the Masters degree provided that
    • Courses are 500-level and above
    • Courses are not used to fulfill any Bachelors degree requirement

Degree Requirements

40 credits total, including:

  1. 36 credits of approved graded 400-level and 500-level courses except as substituted by research credit as described below. Of these courses:
    1. at least 32 credits must be Computer Science and Engineering courses.
      Students who wish to substitute courses in other fields for Computer Science and Engineering courses may petition to do so by presenting a coherent course plan and written justification for this plan to the program advisor for approval by the start of their Master's degree program.
    2. at least 20 credits must be from 500-level Computer Science and Engineering 4-credit graded courses or other approved Computer Science and Engineering graded coursework at the 500-level.
    3. one course must provide training in writing; e.g. TC 401 (5) Style in Scientific and Technical Writing or TC 509 (3) Writing the Scientific Article. This requirement is waived for students who have completed TC 333 or other course with similar training in writing.
  2. Four (4) additional credits of Computer Science and Engineering research colloquium (519 or 520) or single credit research seminars (590).
  3. Students may substitute up to 12 credits of CSE 600 that includes a final written report on the research in place of graded Computer Science and Engineering courses in 1 (a) above. Of these, 4 credits of research may be substituted for graded credits in 1(b) above.
  4. Subsequent to their admission to the Master’s program, students must complete: both:
    1. either an approved internship/co-op or at least 3 credits of Computer Science and Engineering research.
    2. at least one approved course from the Computer Science and Engineering Integrated Project course list.
  5. Courses taken prior to completion of the bachelors degree may apply to the Masters requirements only if all the following points are met:
    1. Courses are numbered 500-level or higher
    2. Courses fulfill masters requirements as outlined above
    3. Courses are taken after a student is admitted to the BS/MS program
    4. Credits do not satisfy any undergraduate requirements, such as departmental requirements or general elective credits.
    5. A maximum of 12 graduate credits taken as an undergrad may apply to the Masters

Curriculum details

Courses: Students will complete their masters requirements primarily through a combination of approved coursework from our PhD-track masters courses, our Professional Masters Program courses, and 400-level courses. View all PhD, PMP, and undergraduate course listings here.

Integrated Project & Research/Internship Requirements: Subsequent to their admission to the Masters program, students must complete either

  • an approved internship/co-op or at least 3 credits of CSE research (CSE 498/9 or 600)
  • at least one approved CSE Integrated Project (i.e., Capstone) course. These courses include new 500-level capstone-style courses we will develop as well as CSE 428, CSE 454, CSE 441, CSE 460, CSE 468, CSE 477, and CSE 481.

Potential timelines for completing the degree:

  • All masters work in one year
    3 graded courses per quarter plus 1-2 credits colloquium/research seminar per quarter
    1 course per quarter can be replaced by research
  • 12 credits as an undergrad, plus one year of master's work
    2 graded courses per quarter or 1 graded course plus research

Questions or concerns?

Please also read through our BS/MS FAQ page. This page, and the FAQ, contains all current details on the CSE combined BS/MS program, and will be updated as new details emerge. While we can't provide any additional details, please contact us if you have questions or concerns.

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