| Program Requirements | Master of Science | Master of Arts | Combined B.S./Masters | Time Limits |
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The Department offers courses, curriculum, and research leading to a Master of Science (M.S.) and a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Computer Science. Additional information on our graduate program can be obtained by e-mailing questions to cs-gradinfo@cs.kent.edu.
A student entering the program must have the core components of an undergraduate computer science curriculum. In mathematics, students must have successfully completed course work equivalent to Discrete Mathematics (CS/MATH 31011), Calculus I (MATH 12002), Calculus II (MATH 12003), and Linear Algebra (MATH 21001). In computer science, students are required to have successfully completed coursework equivalent to Data Structures (CS 33001), one additional introductory programming course (CS 23021), Computer Architecture (CS 35101), Operating Systems (CS 33211), and Design & Analysis of Algorithms (CS 46101).
Admission to the Department is done through the Admissions office at Kent State University.
Program Requirements
The Master’s program requires a total of 32 graduate level credit hours in Computer Science (courses outside CS must be approved by the advisor and Graduate Coordinator). Twenty six of these credit hours must be in coursework at the 60000 level or above. Only a total of three credit hours of CS 69098 Research or CS 89991 Research Seminar in Computer Science may count towards the degree (however, students are allowed to take these courses multiple times).
The student must develop a Master’s Plan of Work that is approved by the advisor and Graduate Coordinator. The Plan of Work must ensure that the student completes at least one course in three different areas/topics. The Plan of Work must be filled out and submitted to the Graduate Coordinator within one year of entrance to the program, but can later be modified with approval from the advisor and Graduate Coordinator.
The student must take CS 69191 Masters Seminar (two credits) and make a public presentation of project and/or research work (excluding Thesis or Project defense) a minimum of one time before graduation. The presentation must take place in the Master’s seminar at least one full term before graduation and not more than two years after entering the program. This course can be taken multiple times, but counts for only two credits towards the degree.
Master of Science
Candidates for the Master of Science degree must write and defend a suitable Master’s Thesis for which six credit hours are earned in CS 69199 Thesis I. A Master’s Thesis committee must be formed that includes the advisor and at least two other graduate faculty members. The thesis topic and committee must be approved by the advisor and Graduate Coordinator. The final version of the Thesis must be approved by the advisor, committee, and Graduate Coordinator.
Summary of Master of Science requirements: 24 credits (i.e., typically eight courses, six of which are at the 60000 level or above), plus the Master’s Plan of Work, plus two credits CS 69191 Masters Seminar and presentation, and plus six credits of CS 69199 Thesis I and Thesis defense.
All students writing a thesis are required to file a
Notification of Approved Thesis Topic form, which is to be signed by members of the Thesis
Committee, the CS Graduate Coordinator, and the Department Chair, and then
submitted to the Division of Research and Graduate Studies.
Although a detailed thesis prospectus is not required, a paragraph should be
attached to the thesis topic form that includes a clear statement of the problem
to be undertaken and the procedure or methodology to be used in the research.
The CS Graduate Coordinator, in consultation with the CS Graduate Studies
Committee as necessary, will review the composition of the proposed committee for appropriate
balance, and the topic for strength and suitability as a Master's topic.
The Thesis Committee
This committee is composed of graduate faculty members and is appointed
by the CS Graduate Coordinator, in consultation with the CS Graduate Studies
Committee as necessary, when the candidate has developed an appropriate thesis topic and has an approved advisor. This committee will consist
of a minimum of:
The advisor, who will act as Chairman of the Committee.
Two additional members from the candidate's department.
The advisor and at least two of the remaining three must be members of
the Graduate Faculty who have been approved to direct theses. If a co-advisor is desired, he or she should be
included in the above members. If, for warranted reasons, it is desirous to have a person
on the committee who does not meet the above qualifications, special
permission must be obtained from the Division of the Research and Graduate
Studies. When the Thesis Committee has been formed, a
Notification of Approved Thesis Topic form
should be filed in the Division, with a copy for the CS Graduate Coordinator.
Responsibilities of the Thesis Committee: This committee is
responsible for the progress of the candidate's thesis and will keep
in touch with his or her research. When the advisor believes the thesis
is ready for preliminary approval, it will be circulated in easily legible
form among the members of the Committee.
The Final Examination
The Thesis Advisor will act as the Moderator at the Oral Defense. His or her
duties are to preside and to moderate. He or she should see to it that all
participants act in a civilized, polite, and proper manner. He or she should
be familiar with the procedures of the Oral Defense, and he or she has the
authority to suspend the examination should a situation arise which would
not be conducive to a fair examination.
The Final Oral Defense
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The Advisor will designate the time and place of the Final Oral Defense and notify all members of the Thesis Committee. The Oral Defense is open to any member of the University wishing to attend, and therefore, a facility adequate to meet this requirement should be provided. The Oral Defense should be scheduled to allow a minimum of ten days for all of the Thesis Committee to look over the thesis. In the absence of the Thesis Advisor, the Oral Defense may not be held. If it is a matter of long-term absence or enduring illness of the Advisor, the Chairperson of the department, in consultation with the appropriate administrator, should make appropriate arrangements for a substitute. |
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The Final Oral Defense will be open to the University community. Notification of the time and place of the Oral Defense should be provided to the CS Graduate Secretary so that it may be announced in a suitable venue. Copies of the abstract of the thesis should also be provided to the CS Graduate Secretary, and be available in the candidate's department prior to the Oral Defense to familiarize members of the Graduate Faculty with the methodology and findings. |
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The candidate will open the Oral Defense with a brief presentation of his or her findings, after which the members of the Thesis Committee will question the candidate in an order to be determined by the Advisor. When, in the opinion of the Advisor, members of the Thesis Committee have had an adequate opportunity to question the candidate, the Advisor may open the examination to appropriate questions from others present. |
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Questions dealing with the substance, meaning, and usefulness of the research in the thesis are of greatest propriety. Questions or comments dealing with punctuational or grammatical minutiae, spelling, etc., are out of order; such comments should be written out and privately submitted to the Advisor. |
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If, in the opinion of the Advisor or upon motion duly passed by a majority of the Committee, it is deemed desirable to discontinue the Oral Defense, the Advisor may recess the Oral Defense until a time mutually agreeable to the Advisor, the candidate, and the Thesis Committee. |
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When the questioning has run its course, the Advisor will adjourn the Oral Defense and the room will be cleared of everyone except the members of the Thesis Committee. Parliamentary procedure will be observed to determine the success or failure of the candidate, with the Advisor acting as chairman. |
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The candidate should be evaluated both
(a) upon the overall quality and significance of his or her thesis, and
(b) upon the oral defense of his or her findings. A candidate passes the Oral Defense if he or she passes with no more than one dissenting vote. |
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sign the Report of Final Examination form, recording their votes.
Committee members may vote "yes" or "no", but they may not
abstain.
The Advisor and Department Chairperson must sign the "Report of Final Examination" form, which is then forwarded to the Division of Research and Graduate Studies with a copy given to the CS Graduate Coordinator. |
Calendar for Graduation
See Calendar for Graduation online or on the Graduate Bulletin Board.
Style Guidelines for Theses and Dissertations
Guidelines for the final writing of the dissertation are found in the "Style Guide And Instructions for Typing Theses
and Dissertations", which is available from the Division of Research and
Graduate Studies. In addition, the American Mathematical Society publishes a booklet titled,
"A Manual for Authors of Mathematical Papers". Copies are available
within the Department. The advisor is another source -- perhaps the
most important one -- of help for students in their first effort at
mathematical exposition.
Theses and Dissertation Templates
- LaTeX Styles for Dissertation | dissertation.zip | Instructions
- LaTeX Styles for Thesis | thesis.zip | Instructions
- Thesis and Dissertation Abstract Template (.dot)
- Thesis and Dissertation Template (.dot)
Books on Technical Writing
A good book on good composition, style, and content organization for
technical writing is The Elements of Style by W. Strunk Jr.
and E. White published by Macmillan Publishing Co. Inc. of London.
You can check out a copy to read (it is very short) from the Graduate
Office (room 341 in our Department).
We have also arranged for the University Bookstore
to stock the following books on technical writing in computer science:
Writing for Computer Science: The Art of Effective Communication, Justin Zobel, Springer Verlag, 175 pages.
Bugs in Writing: A Guide to Debugging Your Prose, Lyn Dupre, Addison Wesley, 645 pages.
The two books have complementary strengths. The book by Zobel is a short
guide to writing technical papers or documents in computer science and is
easy to read. The one by Dupre is also easy to read (and considered
delightful by some reviewers) and gives multiple examples of many DOs and
DON'Ts in technical prose in CS. Depre's book focuses more on "good English
writing style" than on appropriate organization of material in CS technical
writing, and it provides multiple examples of good and bad techniques
that are not obvious to someone reading a short guide to CS Technical
Writing. In contrast, the Zobel book is a better short guide and focuses
more on the job of organizing and presenting material when writing a
CS thesis / dissertation / research paper. Both books have been recently
updated and republished and sell for about $20 each.
Additional information on technical writing can be found at the
following sites:
Master of Arts
Candidates for the Master of Arts degree are required to enroll for three credit hours in CS 69098 Research under the direction of a graduate faculty member and to develop a Master’s Project. A Master’s Project committee must be formed that includes the advisor and at least two other graduate faculty members. The committee and project topic must be approved by the Graduate Coordinator. The student must present and defend the project to the committee.
Summary of Master of Arts requirements: 27 credits (i.e., typically nine courses, seven of which are at the 60000 level or above), plus the Master’s Plan of Work, plus two credits CS 69191 Masters Seminar and presentation, and plus three credits of CS 69098 Research and project defense.
Combined B.S. / Masters Program
Kent State undergraduate students in computer science who have met the following requirements are eligible for the combined B.S. / Master's program:
Achieving a grade point average of 3.5 after 60 semester hours, or
Achieving a grade point average of 3.4 after 75 semester hours, or
Achieving a grade point average of 3.3 after 90 semester hours, or
Achieving a grade point average of 3.2 after 105 semester hours.
To enter this program, a student must:
Apply to the graduate program in the normal manner
Fill out the Combined Baccalaureate / Master's Program form (available from the CS Graduate Secretary). On this form, the student must:
List the hours completed to date and current undergraduate GPA
List the undergraduate courses remaining for the B.S. degree and the projected date each will be taken
Indicate the projected date for first graduate enrollment (when the first graduate course, including the double counted courses, will be taken)
List the graduate courses to be double-counted -- used to satisfy the requirements of the B.S. degree as well as the Master's degree
The completed form should then be given to the CS Graduate Secretary for signature by the CS Graduate Coordinator, Department Chair, and Undergraduate and Graduate Deans.
With regard to the double-counted courses, students may count up to 12 credit hours of graduate courses toward both their B.S. and Master's degree. These courses are typically at the 50000- or 60000-level, and may not include courses required by the B.S. degree, or required for admission into the Master's program. Instead, they are either:
50000-level courses that would normally be taken as 40000-level electives for the B.S. degree, or
60000-level courses required for the Master's degree.
Note that only 6 credits of 50000-level courses may count towards a Masters degree. Students considering this program should apply early enough to take the double-counted courses at the 50000-level as part of their B.S. degree. Courses taken earlier at the 40000-level can not be retroactively upgraded to 50000-level courses, and thus will not count toward the Master's degree.
Time Limits
All students admitted to the College of Arts and Sciences are subject to time limits for completion of their degree. Time limits are described in more detail in the Graduate Schools Catalog, but in general a Master's degree must be completed within six years
Students may request, in writing, an extension of one year over the listed time limits. Such requests should be sent to the CS Graduate Coordinator. Departments must notify the College of Arts and Sciences if such an extension is granted. Requests of more than one year over the time limit must be approved by the College.
