Security and Network (SNW) (9 hours required) COS 533: Cryptography Algorithms COS 587: Database Security COS 588: Computer Network Security

Specialty Electives (6 hours required) COS 514: Database and Data Mining COS 520: Multimedia Design COS 537: Artificial Intelligence COS 599: Special Topics in Technology COS 697: Independent Study COS 698: Internship in Computer Science COS 796: Project Course (may be repeated once)

Thesis Option (6 hours required) COS 797: Residence Credit for Thesis/Professional Project COS 799: Thesis

Master's Thesis

1. Students submitting a thesis in partial fulfillment of the master’s degree must prepare it in conformity with the regulations approved by the Computer and Technical Sciences Graduate Student Committee. Three (3) approval pages bearing original signatures of the graduate committee must be included with three (3) typewritten, clear, unbound copies of the thesis, all presented to the CTS Graduate Student Committee at least two weeks prior to the end of summer school and three weeks prior to the end of the Fall or Spring semester. Two (2) copies are bound and become a property of the Program; one (1) copy is bound and becomes a property of Blazer Library. A thesis must be developed under the direction of a full-time member of the Graduate Faculty.

Minimum Hours Required

30. The Master of Science in the Computer Science Technology Degree Program requires a minimum of thirty (30) semester credit hours, not including the foundation courses.

Comprehensive Examination(s)/Thesis Defense

All candidates with a thesis option and a project option must defend their work. All other students will be subject to an exit examination with written and oral components. The graduate committee may declare a candidate successful or may ask him/her to repeat the defense. Anyone not successful after two attempts will be terminated with no degree conferred from the MSCST program.

Time Limit for Degree Completion

All program requirements must be completed within three (3) years from initial admission for full-time and four (4) years for part-time students from initial admission, unless otherwise approved by the Computer Science Graduate Student Coordinator.

Repeat Option

A student may repeat a graduate course. The lower grade is removed and does not count toward total hours or toward the student’s grade-point-average. This action will be initiated by the petition of the student to the Graduate Student Coordinator and the Division of Computer and Technical Sciences, and may be done only once per course.

Probation

If, upon completion of 12 or more semester credit hours of graduate course work, a student has a GPA of less than 3.0, he/she is placed on academic probation. He/she will have one full-time semester or the equivalent (9 semester credit hours) to remove the scholastic probation by attaining a 3.0 cumulative GPA.

Dismissal

If probation is not removed during the next semester, students will be dismissed from the program. Students who have been dismissed from the program for this reason may apply for re-admission after one semester. Readmitted students will have one full-time semester or its equivalent (9 semester credit hours) to remove the scholastic probation by attaining a 3.0 average. Students placed on scholastic probation are not eligible for assistantship. Enrollment may be terminated for any of the following reasons:

1. Scholastic probation for three semesters of enrollment.
2. Two unsuccessful attempts to defend the thesis, the project, or the final EXIT and oral examination.
3. In cases where the student’s Advisory Committee recommends termination after the student has passed the written comprehensive examination, the Graduate faculty will vote on the recommendation. If the Graduate faculty concurs and the student dissents, the student will have an opportunity to meet with the Graduate faculty, after which a second vote will be taken and a final recommendation will be made to the Division of Computer and Technical Sciences.

KSU CATALOGUE, 2009-2010 176