University of Florida :: Department of Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE)

 Academics

Masters Program

Masters Degree Overview

The CISE Department offers the Master of Science degree through the College of Engineering:

and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences:

The general requirements for M.S. in Computer Engineering and M.S. in Computer Science are identical.

The CISE department also offers Masters degrees via distance learning through the UF EDGE program. Two tracks are currently offered: General studies, and Bioinformatics.

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General Requirements

Masters students may choose between the thesis and the non-thesis options. The total credit hours required for either of the two options is 30. Up to 9 credits earned from another accredited institution may be transferred and must be applied during the first term of enrollment. For the thesis option, 6 credits of CIS 6971 are required and counted towards the 30-credit requirement. The student should choose one option when the supervisory committee is formed, and any subsequent change in option is subject to approval by the supervisory committee. The Graduate School requires that any change in option be completed at least one full semester prior to the intended date of graduation. (Note that once a student has taken the master's examination or has attempted a thesis defense, the option cannot be changed.)

A student seeking a Masters degree in the College of Engineering may become a candidate for the Master of Engineering degree, provided the student has a bachelor's degree in engineering from an ABET-accredited program or has taken sufficient engineering core course work to meet the minimum requirements specified by ABET. Students who do not meet this requirement will be candidates for the Master of Science degree.

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Supervision

Every entering M.S. graduate student should attend the New Student Orientation, usually given right before or at the beginning of Fall and Spring semester. The Graduate Coordinator provides general advisement for all new students upon entering the graduate program.

The student must form a supervisory committee no later than the end of the second semester of enrollment. The committee chairman henceforth becomes the student's advisor. The student should consult the advisor for advice in creating and pursuing a plan of study. For the thesis option, the supervisory committee must consist of three graduate faculty members, at least two (including the chair) of which must be from the CISE Department. For the non-thesis option, the committee must consist of a chair selected by the CISE Department.

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Course and GPA Requirement

All Master students are required to take the following core courses. Transferring any core course must be approved by the Graduate Affairs Committee. Students are advised to not take more than two core courses during any single term.

According to the Graduate School rule, students must maintain a 3.0 overall GPA, as well as a cumulative 3.0 GPA for all courses taken from CISE. In addition, the CISE core course requirements are such that each student can have at most one core course with a grade below "B" ("B-", "C+", or "C")

Recommended courses for different subject areas (not including core courses)

Computer Engineering/Computer Science

Required core courses:

Course and Credit Requirement for Thesis Option:

Course and Credit Requirement for Non-Thesis Option:

Digital Arts and Sciences

Required core courses (6 credits):

Additional core option courses (12 credits):

Course and Credit Requirement for Thesis Option:

Course and Credit Requirement for Project in Lieu of Thesis Option:

Establishing Equivalencies for Core Courses

A procedure has been put in place to determine core course equivalencies. If you believe that you have taken a course (or courses) including undergraduate courses that is equivalent to a core course in our department you will need to take the following steps:

This is a different process than transferring your degree or any other courses toward your degree, which must be done with John Bowers during the third and fourth weeks of classes.

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Masters Examination

All Masters students are required to pass an examination within six months prior to graduation. Students must be appropriately registered in their final term: 3-credit hours for Fall and Spring semesters and 2-credit hours for Summer semesters. Students with thesis option must register for 3 credits of CIS 6971 Masters Research in the final term. A graduation workshop is held every semester for graduating students to review the graduation requirements.

Students with thesis option are examined primarily on their thesis topic. The scope of the thesis will be determined by the student's supervisory committee. Each student must request that the oral examination be scheduled, in concurrence with the Supervisory Committee Chair. The examination announcement must be posted by the Student Services Center a minimum two weeks prior to the examination. Committee members must be provided a copy of the thesis one week prior to the examination.

Non-thesis option students are given a brief written examination after they have satisfied all course and grade requirements. The exam requires no advance preparation and may be administered in conjunction with the Exit Interview. Questions regarding the exam and/or Exit Interview should be directed to a graduate adviser.

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Applying to Enter the Ph.D. Program for CISE Masters Student

CISE M.S. students can apply to enter the Ph.D. program. A statement of purpose and three reference letters from CISE graduate faculty (the supervisory committee chair should be included for M.S. with thesis option) are required. The student's graduate record will be reviewed and evaluated before being considered for entry into the Ph.D. program.

All M.S.-to-Ph.D. decisions will be made in the early spring for the fall semester entry date. All materials should be submitted to Kristina Sapp at the Student Services Center before February 1.

Please visit the Prospective Students page for information on general admission to the CISE graduate program.

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Progress Toward Masters Degree

All requirements for the Masters degree shall be completed within five years after enrollment. Full-time students are expected to finish their requirements in three years. If a student fails to do this, a decision will be made by the Graduate Affairs Committee as to whether the student should continue in the program. The decision is based on recommendation by the student's advisor as well as on each student's progress towards the completion of the master's degree.

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Checklist For Masters

First Semester:

Second Semester:

Semester Before Graduation:

Semester of Graduation:

For additional information contact a CISE Academic Advisor or visit the CISE Student Services Center (E405 CSE Building).

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