As at most U.S. universities, there are various different levels of requirements students must fulfill on the way to a Master's degree. The requirements established by Montana State University have this structure:
- The University as a whole sets the minimum requirements for obtaining a Master's degree in any discipline.
- The College of Engineering, which houses the Computer Science Department, may extend the minimum requirements established by the University for all Master's degrees awarded in the College of Engineering.
- The Computer Science Department may further extend the requirements for a Master's degree in Computer Science beyond the general requirements set by the College of Engineering and the University.
This page will help you determine all of the requirements you must meet on the way to your Master's degree.
Division of Graduate Education Requirements
The standards and requirements imposed by the the Division of
Graduate Education on admission to the MS program and on completion of
the MS degree can be found at
http://www.montana.edu/gradstudies
Carefully read everything on this site that relates to
graduate school and the Master's program.Notice that you can apply to
graduate school online on this site.
In particular, potential graduate students should pay special
attention to the sections of the online graduate catalog that apply to
the MS degree by visiting
http://www.montana.edu/gradstudies/catalog.shtml
College of Engineering Requirements
At this time, the College of Engineering imposes no additional
standards and requirements beyond those specified by the Division of
Graduate Education. Students are encouraged to read the COE Graduate Student Handbook.
Computer Science Department Requirements
The Computer Science Department does impose additional standards and requirements for admission to the MS program and on the attainment of the MS degree.
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Requirements for Admission into the Master of Science Program
Applicants to the Computer Science MS program must meet all College of Engineering and Division of Graduate Education admission requirements. In addition applicants must meet the following
admission requirements of the Computer Science Department.
1. Graduate Record Exam (GRE): All applicants must
take the graduate record exam. The Computer Science Department does NOT
further require that the content-specific exam for computer science be
taken. The general exam suffices. Typical minimum GRE scores for
admission are:
|
Verbal
|
Quantitative
|
Analytical Writing
|
|
450
|
650
|
3.5
|
These numbers are, however, just one data set used in determining
admission to the program. High undergraduate grades and/or strong
letters of recommendation can result in a positive evaluation even if
GRE scores are somewhat lower than these.
2. TOEFL: Foreign students from countries where the
primary language is not English, and who do not have a previous degree
from an English-speaking university, must complete the TOEFL exam with
a score that meets the Division of Graduate Education standards, which
currently are:
|
Computer
|
Paper
|
Internet
|
|
213
|
550
|
80
|
3. Positive Reference Letters: Applicants must be
able to submit three letters of reference that address the applicant's
chances of success in the MS program from persons who are familiar with
the applicant's academic successes and talents.
4. Previous Degree Grade Point Average: Applicants must have earned a 3.0 GPA during the last two years of their most recent degree.
5. Previous Bachelor's Degree: A previous Bachelor's degree (or higher) is required.
Students whose prior degree is not in computer science, will be
required to complete remedial computer science courses before gaining
full admission to the MS program.
6. Previous Coursework: Applicants with previous
Bachelor's degrees in computer science from known, reputable
institutions (and who meet the other admission requirements) will be
admitted into the MS program without deficiencies.
The transcripts of applicants from institutions unfamiliar to MSU
will be reviewed to determine whether the applicants have sufficient
background to be admitted directly into the MS program. Background
course requirements include the usual programming, data structures, and
discrete mathematics courses expected of computer science students, as
well as
- software engineering
- computer architecture
- theory of computing
- operating systems
and a substantial number of other upper division courses, including such subjects as
- networks
- compilers
- graphics
- artificial intelligence
- database systems
- distributed computing
and others.
Applicants who cannot show proof of sufficient previous coursework
or expertise in these areas may, at the discretion of the Computer
Science Department, be admitted into the MS program with appropriate
courses from the MSU undergraduate Computer Science curriculum listed
as deficiencies. Identified deficiency courses must be taken in
addition to the courses required for the MS degree (see the section
Track for Students with an Undergraduate Degree in a Non-Computer
Science Discipline below).
Applicants must be
aware that these are minimum requirements and do not by themselves
guarantee admission to the MS program. Applications are evaluated and
accepted based on enrollments in the Computer Science Department and
other factors, such as whether an applicant needs financial support and
whether the Department has financial support to offer.
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Updated: 2009-08-27
