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Degree Requirements

Master of Engineering in Computer Science and Engineering The professional Master of Engineering degree in computer science and engineering requires 30 hours of course work beyond the B.S. This course work must include the following core courses:

CSCE 513 - Computer Architecture,
CSCE 531 - Compiler Construction,
CSCE 750 - Analysis of Algorithms,
CSCE 791 (1 hour) - Seminar in Advances in Computing
and an additional 12 hours in CSCE courses numbered 700 and above.

A maximum of six hours in non-CSCE courses and at most three hours of CSCE 798 may be applied toward the degree. CSCE 797 may not be applied toward the degree.

Master of Science in Computer Science and Engineering The Master of Science degree in computer science and engineering requires 24 hours of course work beyond the B.S., 6 hours of thesis preparation (CSCE 799), and a thesis. This course work must include the same core as the ME degree

CSCE 513 - Computer Architecture,
CSCE 531 - Compiler Construction,
CSCE 750 - Analysis of Algorithms,
CSCE 791 (1 hour) - Seminar in Advances in Computing
and an additional 9 hours in CSCE courses numbered 700 and above.

A maximum of 6 hours in non-CSCE courses and at most 3 hours of CSCE 798 may be applied toward the degree. CSCE 797 may not be applied toward the degree. The student must defend the thesis in a public presentation.

Master of Software Engineering

For students having adequate experience in software development or maintenance, the M.S.E. degree requires 30 hours of course work consisting of 15 hours in required software engineering courses, 15 hours of approved electives and satisfactory completion of a comprehensive software engineering exam. Students must also submit a report on some aspect of software engineering that demonstrates mastery of the subject and a high level of communication skills. The required core courses for the M.S.E. program are;

CSCE 740 - Software Engineering
CSCE 741 - Software Process
CSCE 742 - Software Architectures
CSCE 743 - Software Requirements
CSCE 747 - Software Testing
and an additional 15 hours of approved electives.

Students not having one year of experience in software development or maintenance will be required to take CSCE 793 Internship in Software Engineering as a prerequisite that must be completed before the degree will be awarded.

Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science and Engineering The requirements for the Ph.D. degree in Computer Science and Engineering fall into four categories: course requirements, the qualifying examination, the comprehensive examination, and the dissertation. Students who enter the program with a bachelor's degree must complete a minimum of 48 credit hours of graduate course work (excluding CSCE 799 and 899) and 12 hours of dissertation preparation (CSCE 899). Of the 48 hours, at least 24 must be in CSCE courses numbered 700 or above. This course work must include the following core courses:

CSCE 513 - Computer Architecture,
CSCE 531 - Compiler Construction,
CSCE 551 - Theory of Computation,
CSCE 750 - Analysis of Algorithms,
CSCE 791 (1 hour) - Seminar in Advances in Computing

The student's dissertation committee must approve the program of study, so this committee should be formed as early in a student's course of study as possible. Prior to admission to candidacy, the student is required to pass a written qualifying examination. This examination is designed to test fundamental knowledge and conceptual understanding of the mainstream areas of computer science and engineering. The Ph.D. comprehensive examination combines a written and an oral examination and seeks to discover whether the student has a sufficiently deep understanding of topics in the area of interest to carry out the proposed research. The written examination consists of two portions: the core, including architecture, algorithms, and compiler construction; and the research area of the student. The core portion is constructed and graded by the faculty as a whole. The dissertation committee, which also will make the final decision on whether the student has passed, constructs the research component. The oral examination is an in-depth test on the subject matter related to the student's dissertation topic and written exam. The committee may also examine the student on any other material it deems relevant. After completing the research and writing the dissertation, the student must defend the work in a public presentation.

Certificate of Graduate Studies in Information Assurance and Security The graduate certificate program in information assurance and security requires at least 18 hours of graduate study, at least half of which must be courses at the 700 level or above with the CSCE designator, completed within a period of six years before the award of the certificate. The 18 hours must include the three core courses:

CSCE 522 Information Security Principles,
CSCE 715 Network Systems Security,
and CSCE 727 Information Warfare.

At least 9 hours of additional courses must be selected with the approval of the director of graduate studies. Suggested Security Courses. Up to six hours of appropriate courses may be taken from other departments and/or by transfer credit. There is a Graduate School limitation that at most nine hours of courses that were used for another degree or certificate program at USC may be applied to the certificate. Students involved in the certificate program will often be involved in research with the Information Security Lab see URL.

Bachelor's/Master's Accelerated Program A combined B.S./M.S. or B.S./M.E. degree program is available to undergraduate students in computer science and engineering with 90 or more hours earned toward their baccalaureate degrees. Students accepted into this program must have a minimum overall GPA of 3.40 and at least 3.40 in the course work taken in computer science and engineering. Up to 9 credit hours above the 500 level may be applied toward both the B.S. and M.S. or M.E. degree requirements. The approval of the student�s advisor and the graduate director is required. Questions about this program should be directed to the graduate director. The form for application to the accelerated program is available on the Graduate School Forms website under the link "Bachelor's/Master's Education Plan." Each semester courses that will be used in the program must be approved using the form "Bachelor's/Master's Accelerated Plan" on the same website.

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