Texas State CS  > Graduate and Advanced Education Program

Graduate and Advanced Education Program

Texas State University-San Marcos promises a variety of educational, professional, social, and cultural opportunities for its graduate students. The Department of Computer Science offers superior graduate degree programs to students seeking a Master of Science with a major in computer science or software engineering. The department also offers a Master of Arts degree in computer science which is similar to the M.S. in computer science except that it requires a minor. These programs are designed to prepare students for doctoral research, college teaching, public school teaching, or for careers in computer science as well as in software engineering. The department strives to advance the knowledge of computer science and software engineering and is well equipped with computer hardware, software, modern electronics, and microcomputer laboratories.

Graduate enrollment in the computer science and software engineering programs has increased multi-fold since 1984, the program's year of inception, and currently exceeds 125 students. Special efforts are made to schedule evening classes to accommodate computing professionals who wish to continue their education. The department also offers a limited number of laboratory and research assistantships for qualified students, though not usually in their first semester of study at Texas State, and teaching assistantships which require completion of at least eighteen graduate credit hours at Texas State. We encourage interested individuals to visit our campus and talk with the graduate advisor in the Department of Computer Science. The Department of Computer Science also offers the Master of Science degree in computer science and the Master of Science in software engineering degree programs in the North Austin area for the convenience of working professionals as well as full-time students in that area.

The Master of Science degree in computer science offers specialties in a wide range of areas. Analysis skills and real world problem solving are integrated in all graduate courses. These skills are vital for the design, development, maintenance, management, and supervision of complex computer systems.

The Master of Science degree in software engineering is designed to allow students to specialize in the complex and rapidly evolving field of software development including practical applications of scientific knowledge in the analysis, design, construction, and implementation of software systems and the associated documentation required to develop, operate, and maintain them. Both degrees will help students leverage their technical, professional, and managerial skills in new and existing careers.

With the support of the National Science Foundation, the University, and other sources, the CS Department has established excellent laboratories in all areas of instruction. In addition to University computing facilities, departmental labs provide student access to state-of-the-art multimedia-oriented Intel, AMD, Apple, and Sun Microsystems servers and workstations with 32-bit and 64-bit microprocessors running current versions of Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows Server, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CentOS Linux and Solaris. Application platforms include Oracle and MySQL relational database management systems, Oracle WebLogic, VMWare, Apache HTTP Server, and a wide range of compilers and assemblers, including the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC), Visual Studio .NET, Java Software Development Kit (SDK) , and the Sun C Compiler. We emphasize hands-on experience and implementation of concepts and methodologies covered in classes.

In addition to grant-funded research in several areas of computer science, our Software Engineering Institute (SEI) joins with industry to focus on projects of mutual interests. Our Industrial Advisory Board is also an important component in maintaining strong ties with industry. Students gain industrial experience through internship programs and cooperative education arrangements with industry. And, the University provides an excellent library facility.

The university's graduate catalog provides program and other information for graduate students. Contact the Texas State Graduate College to receive a graduate catalog.

Career

Program graduates find employment in numerous fields, including software engineering, intelligent systems, networking and communication, database design, man-machine communication, graphical user interfaces, UNIX programming, object-oriented systems, multimedia, operating systems, simulation and modeling, computer architecture and design, parallel processing, distributed systems, neural networking, and other application areas.

Contact Us

For contact information please visit the Contact Us page.

Thesis Students Information

Graduate College thesis information
Computer Science thesis guide (PDF)
Updated 2007-Nov-03 Computer Science thesis LaTeX class files (ZIP file)

Teaching Certification

The University's undergraduate catalog provides information regarding the available teacher certification programs. Contact the Texas State Office of Admissions to receive an Undergraduate Catalog.

RRHEC

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