Computer Science Department

Master of Science in Software Engineering

Students applying for the master’s program are expected to have an undergraduate background in computer science. Those students who do not have such a background must satisfy the breadth requirements described above. In particular, students who have not had an undergraduate course in programming languages must take CS 424 or 524 as a prerequisite to the MSSE program.

Unconditional Admission

Students applying to the M.S. program will be given unconditional admission if they meet all the
requirements of the School of Graduate Studies and of the Computer Science Department including the breadth requirements listed in the graduate program.

Conditional Admission

Conditional admission will be recommended for students who, in the judgment of the department, have the potential for successfully completing graduate work but who do not meet all of the requirements for admission.

Degree Requirements and Restrictions

The Master of Science in Software Engineering is conferred under Plan I or Plan II

Plan I. (thesis) A minimum of 27 semester hours of coursework and the writing of an acceptable
thesis is required. At least six hours of thesis credit (CS 699) must be earned. A student must
present his/her thesis and pass an oral examination based on the thesis and related coursework. Plan I students must register for CS 699 each term they receive supervision form their advisor.

Plan II. (non-thesis) A minimum of 33 semester hours of coursework is required. A Plan II student must pass a written comprehensive examination over the four core courses given below. Plan II students must complete at least 18 hours of coursework before taking the written comprehensive examination. The examination may only be taken twice.

The following requirements and restriction apply to a student in either plan.

Course Requirements

All students completing the M.S.S.E. must take the following three core courses (9 semester
hours):

CS 617 Design and Analysis of Algorithms
CS 650 The Software Engineering Process
CS 655 Formal Methods in Software Engineering

All students completing the M.S.S.E. must take one of the following (3 semester hours) as their
fourth core course:

CS 613 Computer Architecture
CS 690 Advanced Operating Systems

All students completing the M.S.S.E. must take the following four courses (12 semester hours):

CS 652 Object-Oriented Analysis and Design
CS 656 Software Testing
CS 666 Software Studio I (personal software process)
CS 668 Software Studio II (group software process)

Students completing the M.S.S.E. under Plan II (non-thesis) must take 9 additional semester hours of general elective courses. Students completing the M.S.S.E. under Plan I (thesis) must take 3 additional semester hours of a general elective course. A general elective can be any graduate level course that is pre-approved by the advisor.

No more than 50% of the hours in the program of study may be 500-level courses. No more than
three hours of selected topics or independent study courses may be included in a program of study. Exceptions must be recommended by the student’s advisor and approved by the department chair.

Grade Requirements

A grade of B or better must be earned in each of the core courses. No grade lower than C can be
counted toward a graduate degree. A 3.0 average must be maintained in all graduate work at UAH and in all work to be counted toward the degree.

Time Limit

The degree must be completed within six years. Courses older than six years may be validated according to Graduate School policy. Courses older than ten years may not be applied to the degree.

Transfer Credit

Graduate work may be transferred from another institution according to Graduate School policy.
Students who do not have an undergraduate CS degree must take the following prerequisites.

Requests for admission information can be sent by email to: admissions@cs.uah.edu