Bulletin Year: 2022 - 2023 Graduate Bulletin | View the current NMU Catalog.

Admission Requirements

  • Comply with the regular admission requirements of the College of Graduate Studies and Research, which includes an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0, and
  • have either:
    a) a bachelor's degree in Computer Science, or
    b) at the very minimum,  have completed coursework equivalent to a minor in Computer Science.

If a student’s background is insufficient to serve as a prerequisite for a desired course, the student may take the appropriate undergraduate prerequisites. Such courses will not count toward the degree.

All Applicants must submit:

  1. Graduate admission application and fee.  
  2. Official transcripts from all previously attended post-secondary institutions.
  3. Three letters of recommendation.

Application Due Dates

Rolling admissions for Fall and Winter semesters.

MS in Computer Science Curriculum

For department information or additional degree requirements, go to the Mathematics and Computer Science department page.

Total Credits Required 32
Core Courses 4
CS 500 Seminar in Computer Science 1
CS 510 Advanced Algorithm Design 3
 
Breadth Requirement 12
One course must be taken in 3 out of the following categories; at least 8 credits must be at the 500-level  
 
    CATEGORY 1: SOFTWARE  
     CS 514 Software Engineering (4 cr.)  
     CS 516 Advanced Operating Systems (4 cr.)  
     CS 582 Advanced Database Systems (4 cr.)  
 
    CATEGORY 2: NETWORKING  
     CS 444 Parallel and Distributed Processing (4 cr.)  
     CS 542 Advanced Topics in Networking (4 cr.)  
 
    CATEGORY 3: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE  
     CS 470 Artificial Intelligence (4 cr.)  
     CS 570 Machine Learning (4 cr.)  
     CS 572 Evolutionary Computation (4 cr.)  
 
    CATEGORY 4: THEORY  
     CS 520 Computational Complexity Theory (4 cr.)  
     CS 522 Formal Languages and Automata Theory (4 cr.)  
     CS 526 Randomness and Computation (4 cr.)  
 
    CATEGORY 5: PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES  
     CS 424 Compilers: Theory and Practice (4 cr.)  
     CS 550 Principles of Programming Languages (4 cr.)  
     CS 556 Functional Programming (4 cr.)  
 
Special topics in Computer Science (CS 595) may be used to satisfy one of the above breadth requirements provided the course is so advertised; the content and credit count may vary. Directed Studies in Computer Science (CS 598) may as well with written permission of the advisor, but no more than 8 credits of CS 598 may be used.  
 
Electives 8-12
May be satisfied by any advisor-approved graduate course at the 400-level or above offered by the university, especially graduate courses in mathematics.  
 
Research Capstone 4-8
Choose one option:  
    Thesis (8 credits)  
     CS 589 Research in Computer Science (1 - 4 cr.) 4
     CS 599 Thesis in Computer Science (1 - 4 cr.) 4
 
    Project (4 credits)  
     CS 594 Project in Computer Science (1 - 4 cr.) 4

Graduation Requirements

Graduates must meet the requirements of the College of Graduate Studies as outlined in the Graduate Bulletin in addition to the following:

  • Complete the minimum number of credits for the degree 
  • Maintain a 3.0 GPA
  • Successfully complete capstone project or thesis

Thesis capstone students must take 8 credit hours of elective courses, CS 589 Research in Computer Science (4cr), CS 599 Thesis in Computer Science (4cr), and perform original research under the direction of a research advisor. The thesis must be defended by the candidate in an oral examination. Capstone project students must take 12 credit hours of elective courses, CS 594 Project in Computer Science (4cr) and submit a written manuscript.


Bulletin Year: 2022 - 2023 Graduate Bulletin | View the current NMU Catalog.