Computer Science

Program Information

Requirements for the Master of Science Degree

Curriculum

CPP Catalog

Required Courses (10 units):

  • CS 5250 Advanced Computer Architecture (3 units)
  • CS 5300 Advanced Algorithm Design and Analysis (3units)
  • CS 5800 Advanced Software Engineering (3 units)
  • CS 6640 Graduate Seminar (1 unit)

Required Project or Thesis (2 or 5 units):

  • CS 6910 Directed Study (1 unit) and
  • CS 6950 Master's Degree Project (1 unit)

or

  • CS 6910 Directed Study (2 units) and
  • CS 6960 Master's Degree Thesis (3 units)

Elective Courses (18 or 15 units):
Select 18 units (with Master's Degree Project) or 15 units (with Master's Degree Thesis) from the following list of courses or other courses approved by the Computer Science Graduate Committee:

  • CS 5100 Computer-Assisted Instruction
  • CS 5170 Natural Language Processing
  • CS 5180 Information Retrieval
  • CS 5190 Computer Vision
  • CS 5210 Robotics
  • CS 5220 Distributed Intelligence in Robotics
  • CS 5310 Computability and Complexity Theory
  • CS 5350 Parallel and Distributed Algorithms
  • CS 5370 Scheduling Algorithms
  • CS 5400 Topics in Compiler Design
  • CS 5500 Advanced Information Security
  • CS 5550 Computer Image Processing
  • CS 5650 Advanced Computer Networks
  • CS 5660 Distributed Computing Systems
  • CS 5700 Human Computer Interaction
  • CS 5750 Topics in Database Systems
  • CS 5850 Software Verification and Validation
  • CS 5860 Software Metrics and Models
  • CS 5990 Special Topics for Graduate Students

TOTAL UNITS REQUIRED: 30 units

Policies Relating to the Degree

Students are expected to be familiar with the general scholastic requirements described in the "Graduate Studies" section of the Cal Poly, Pomona catalog.

All graduate students must meet/contact with the Graduate Coordinator or attend an orientation meeting.

Computer Science MS students can take up to 6 semester units of CS 4000+ levels elective classes to satisfy their elective courses requirement, excluding the following courses: CS 4000, CS 4310, CS 4610, CS 4620, CS 4630, and CS 4800. However, these 4000+ level classes cannot be classes that a CS MS student already took in their undergraduate curriculum. Current Cal Poly Pomona Computer Science BS students planning on continuing to the Computer Science MS program should check the policy here. For CS 4990 courses, a total credit limited to 6 semester units of is applicable to a degree, with a maximum of 2 sections of per semester. The same restriction applies for CS 5990 courses as well. Therefore, in a master’s contract, a CS MS student can have a maximum of 6 semester units of CS 4990 and 6 semester units of CS 5990 course credits.

No more than 9 semester units of acceptable graduate credit may be transferred from another graduate institution. No more than 9 semester units taken through Extended University may be used on a contract. No more than 9 semester units of acceptable graduate credit may be petitioned by an undergraduate student.

A total limit of 9 semester units of transfer, Extended University, and/or units petitioned for graduate credit may be included on a master’s contract. The stipulated time limit of 7 years applies to all of the above. A grade point average of 3.0 (B) or better must be maintained in all upper-division undergraduate and all graduate courses.

Admission to the program does not admit a student to candidacy for a degree. Advancement to Candidacy is granted to an unconditional student and upon the recommendation of his or her faculty advisor, and implies a readiness to attempt thesis. The candidate must be enrolled during the quarter of graduation.

Computer Science graduate courses are, in general, offered on a routine schedule. The required courses CS 5250, CS 5300, CS 5800 and CS 6640 are offered every year. All other graduate courses CS 5xxx are offered every two years. Project and thesis courses CS 69x0 are offered on demand.

Financial Aid

The Department offers limited financial aid in the form of Graduate Assistant and Teaching Associate. Graduate Assistants provide professional non-teaching assistance to faculty members while Teaching Associate primarily involve classroom and laboratory instruction. The number of positions available varies from quarter to quarter, and the compensation depends upon teaching experience and/or the number of employed hours per week.

Only students who have been Advanced to Candidacy are eligible for graduate assistantships. This means that you must be Unconditional and that you must have passed the Graduation Writing Test.

Support in the form of loans and grants based on need may be available through the campus Financial Aid Office. For more information, call (909) 869-3700.

Catalog

The University Catalog offers more detail about courses and regulations. You may order a copy of the Catalog by calling the Bronco Bookstore (909) 869-3275. You may also view the Catalog on-line.

Schedule of Classes

A new Schedule of Classes is issued for each quarter. It shows courses and the times they are being offered. Call the Bronco Bookstore for information about ordering a copy. This information is also available through the Public Class Schedule and BroncoDirect.

Evening Courses

Graduate courses traditionally meet in late afternoons and evenings. Undergraduate courses, on the other hand, usually meet earlier in the day. If you work during the day and you need to take remedial undergraduate courses, then you may want to take these courses at another institution before applying to Cal Poly Pomona.