Texas State CS > Graduate Program

Graduate Program

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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. In addition, the Department of Computer Science 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. The 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 is well equipped with computer hardware, software, modern electronics, and microcomputer laboratories.

The graduate enrollment in the computer science and software engineering programs currently exceeds 125 students. The graduate enrollment has increased multi-fold since 1984, the program's year of inception. The department has made special efforts 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.

Admission Policy

Applicants to the computer science and software engineering programs are generally required to:

1. Meet the Graduate College's grade point average requirement of not less than 2.75 on a 4.0 scale on the last 60 undergraduate hours.
2. Have a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score of 1000 (Verbal and Quantitative portions combined), including at least 300 on the Verbal portion and 600 on the Quantitative portion. Before an application for admission can be considered, the official results of the GRE must be on file with the Graduate College.
3. International students must satisfy the Graduate College TOEFL requirement: minimum of 550 (paper-based); 213 (computer-based); and 78 (iBT) with a minimum section score of 19 reading, 19 listening, 19 speaking, and 18 writing.
4. Meet any additional basic requirements for admission to the Graduate College. Furthermore, applicants must have their files completed by the application deadlines as indicated in the Graduate Catalog.

The basic Graduate College admission requirements for a degree-seeking student can be found in the "Admission Policies" section of the Graduate Catalog. International students have additional requirements and they should also refer the "Admission Policies" section. International applicants must meet the application deadlines as indicated in the Graduate Catalog.

As an option, individuals may apply for non-degree seeking "special student" admission from the Graduate College to enroll in computer science background courses before completing the GRE requirement.

To obtain more detailed information about master's programs, to apply for graduate admission, or to apply for non-degree special student admission, please write to:

The Graduate College
Texas State University-San Marcos
601 University Drive
San Marcos, Texas 78666-4605
Telephone: (512) 245-2581
Fax: (512) 245-8365
E-mail: gradcollege@txstate.edu

Advanced Education and Training Opportunities Provided by Our Programs

The department strives to advance the knowledge of computer science and software engineering. 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, the 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 Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, and Solaris 10. Our application platforms include Oracle 10g and MySQL relational database management systems, BEA WebLogic 6, VMWare, Apache HTTP Server 2, and a wide range of compilers and assemblers, including the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC), Visual Studio .NET 2003, Java Software Development Kit (SDK) 5, 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.

Background Requirements

Students are required to fulfill background course work if they do not have adequate undergraduate computer science background. The background requirements may be reduced if evidence is presented which show that the applicant has taken equivalent courses elsewhere prior to enrollment at Texas State. Background work must be completed before enrolling in graduate courses. Background courses are offered at Texas State and sometimes at the RRHEC campus in North Austin at various times; some background courses can be taken at other institutions.

The minimum undergraduate background requirements for computer science and software engineering majors are:

• CS 1428, CS 2308, CS 2318, CS 3339, CS 3358, CS 3409, 6 hours of advanced CS electives (3000-4000 level), and either CS 4318 or CS 4328. These courses must be completed with no grade less than a "C" and no more than two "C's".
• Eleven hours of mathematics courses with no grade below "C" which includes three hours of Discrete Mathematics (MATH 5358 or equivalent) and eight hours of Calculus (MATH 2471, MATH 2472).

In general, these requirements may be reduced if evidence is presented which shows that the applicant has taken equivalent courses elsewhere prior to enrollment at Texas State. Background work must be completed before enrolling in graduate courses.

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.

Comprehensive Examination

Texas State requires that all students seeking a graduate degree take a comprehensive examination.

1. Non-thesis graduate students take a programming exam, a communication exam and a written examination over the core courses.


2. Thesis graduate students take a programming exam, a communication exam and present an oral defense of their thesis.

   For information on thesis, please click here.)

Visit the Graduate comprehensive exam online page to register, view results and more.

Core Courses

Computer science majors must complete 15 graduate hours of core course work, including CS 5346, CS 5329, CS 5391, and at least one course from each of the following groups:
Group 1: CS 5306, CS 5310, CS 5332
Group 2: CS 5318, CS 5338

Software engineering majors must complete 21 graduate hours of core course work, including CS 5389, CS 5391, CS 5392, CS 5393, CS 5396, and two courses (6 hours) selected from CS 5306, CS 5310, CS 5329, CS 5332, CS 5346. Non-thesis students must also complete CS 5394.

Course Numbering

All course work in Computer Science applied to any graduate degrees must be at the graduate (5000) level.

Financial Aid

The Department of Computer Science offers financial aid in the form of teaching assistant, laboratory assistant, research assistant, and paper grader positions. Limited numbers of scholarships are also available. These kinds of financial assistance are awarded on a competitive basis and are usually available after the student completes at least one semester at Texas State. Application forms for these opportunities are available in the Department of Computer Science, Nueces Building, Room 247. For additional information, you may contact the Office of Student Financial Aid directly here.

Minor in Computer Science

A graduate minor in computer science requires six (thesis student) or nine (non-thesis student) semester hours of graduate credits in addition to the following background course requirements: CS 1428, CS 2308, CS 2318, CS 3358, and three hours of discrete mathematics (MATH 5358 or equivalent).

Graduate Minor in Software Engineering

A graduate minor in software engineering requires six (thesis student) or nine (non-thesis student) semester hours of graduate course hours in addition to the following background requirements: CS 1428, CS 2308, CS 2318, CS 3358, and three hours of discrete mathematics (MATH 5358 or equivalent). Students pursuing a non-thesis major must take the following three courses (9 hours): CS 5391, CS 5392, CS 5393. Students pursuing a thesis major must take two courses (6 hours): CS 5391 and either CS 5392 or CS 5393.

Graduate Minor in Forensic Systems

The Department of Computer Science offers a Master of Science degree with a special track in Forensic Systems.

The program's goal is to graduate students with the skills to be digital forensics practitioners and with credentials that recognize their abilities. This goal will be achieved by guiding students in their choices of graduate courses in Computer Science, Criminal Justice, Political Science, and other relevant fields that will focus and integrate the students' graduate coursework into the forensics domain.

Program Specifics

Master of Science.

The Master of Science degree with a major in computer science requires:

• Completion of at least 18 semester hours of course work in computer science, including the 15-hour core required for computer science majors.
• One of these two options:
  • Thesis option (30-semester hour degree): A thesis is required, and it must be accepted by a departmental supervisory committee of graduate faculty members, the department chair, and the graduate dean. The thesis program requires a minimum enrollment of 6 hours in thesis (CS 5399A, CS 5399B). Thesis credit requirement information is provided in the "Degree Information 'Thesis Requirements'" section of the graduate catalog. Completion of an approved minor of at least 6 graduate hours in the sciences (or the student not selecting a minor may replace the minor with 6 graduate hours of computer science courses) is also required.
  • Non-thesis option (36-semester hour degree): Completion of a minimum of 9 additional graduate computer science hours plus an approved minor of at least 9 graduate hours in the sciences (or the student not selecting a minor may replace the minor with 9 graduate hours of computer science courses) are required.

The Master of Science degree with a major in software engineering requires:

• Completion of 21 semester hours of graduate software engineering core course work.
• One of these two options:
  • Thesis option (30-semester hour degree): Completion of an additional 3 graduate computer science hours. A thesis is required and must be accepted by a departmental supervisory committee of graduate faculty members, the department chair, and the graduate dean. The thesis program requires a minimum enrollment of 6 hours in thesis (CS 5399A, CS 5399B). Thesis credit requirement information is provided in the "Degree Information 'Thesis Requirements'" section of the graduate catalog.
  • Non-thesis option (36-semester hour degree): Completion of CS 5394 and an additional 12 graduate computer science hours.

Master of Arts.

The Master of Arts degree with a major in computer science requires:

• Completion of at least 18 semester hours of graduate course work in computer science, including the 15-hour core required for computer science majors.
• One of these two options:
  • Thesis option (30-semester hour degree): A thesis is required, and it must be accepted by a departmental supervisory committee of graduate faculty members, the department chair, and the graduate dean. The thesis program requires a minimum enrollment of 6 hours in thesis (CS 5399A, CS 5399B). Thesis credit requirement information is provided in the "Degree Information 'Thesis Requirements'" section of the catalog. Completion of an approved minor of 6 graduate hours, which may or may not be from the sciences, is also required.
  • Non-thesis option (36-semester hour degree): Completion of a minimum of 9 additional graduate computer science hours plus an approved 9 hour minor, which may or may not be from the sciences, are also required.

Thesis 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.