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Master of Science - Columbus State University

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Academics

Master of Science

Program Description

The TSYS School of Computer Science offers the Master of Science in Applied Computer Science, with four concentrations: Cybersecurity, Modeling and Simulation, Software Development, and Traditional.

Career Opportunities

Our graduates typically take jobs as:

  • Software Engineers / Architects
  • Computer Programmers / Software Developers
  • Web Developers
  • Game & Simulation Programmers
  • Modeling and Simulation Developers
  • Computer and Network Security Specialists
  • Network Managers
  • Information Security Professionals
  • Information Security Officers

Admission Requirements

Requirements for all applicants for admission into the program for the Master of Science in Applied Computer Science include the following:

  1. An undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university,
    AND
  2. A minimum 2.75 undergraduate cumulative GPA,
    OR
    A minimum 3.00 cumulative GPA in the student's undergraduate major,
    OR
    Significant experience (as judged by the Computer Science School) in industrial software development as documented by a resume and other appropriate documents, including published papers or patents.

Students may be admitted to the program unconditionally or conditionally (provisionally).

Additional requirements for unconditional admission into the MS program include:

  1. An undergraduate major in Computer Science, Applied Computer Science, Computer Information Science / Systems, Computer Engineering or other closely related field from an accredited college or university
    AND
  2. Demonstrated experience in the fundamentals of computer programming and knowledge in the fundamental principles of computer science, as evidenced by either
    • a passing grade of B or better in courses substantially equivalent to
      CPSC 6105 - Fundamental Principles of Computer Science and Data Structures, and
      CPSC 6106 - Fundamentals of Computer Programming and Data Structures
      OR
    • a score of 50th percentile or higher on the GRE computer science test,
      OR
    • passing tests of programming competency in data structures and other areas of computer science
      AND
  3. A minimum combined score of 900 (pre Nov. 2011) or 290 (after Nov. 2011) on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE. The GRE requirement will be waived for students with an undergraduate GPA of 3.25 or higher obtained from an accredited institution.

Students admitted conditionally to the program must show proficiency in Fundamental Principles of Computer Science (CPSC 6105) and Fundamentals of Computer Programming and Data Structures (CPSC 6106) before being allowed to take any 6*** course for graduate credit in Computer Science.

Students admitted conditionally to the program are required to take and obtain the minimum combined score described above on the Graduate Record Examination within the first semester of initial enrollment at Columbus State University.

Learning Outcomes

All graduates in the MS in Applied CS program will be able to apply techniques and technologies from the computer science core. 

Graduates in the Modeling & Simulation concentration will be able to:

  • understand and evaluate different types of simulation paradigms and select an appropriate package for a given simulation problem,
  • design and create simulations using simulation packages and/or writing code for a specific problem.
  • use computer visualization to help highlight or enhance the analysis of results produced by a simulation.
  • produce solutions in a distributed and/or enterprise environment

Graduates in the Cybersecurity concentration will be able to forensically analyze organizational software and networks in order to design and implement software security solutions to protect information systems against exploits and intrusions.

Graduates in the Software Development concentration will be able to manage, measure, design, implement, test and maintain software systems in various application domains.

Graduates in the Traditional concentration will be able to use advanced theory and concepts underlying computer science including computer architecture, programming languages, database systems and computer networks to solve real-world problems.

Additional Program Requirements

Approval of an application for the Master of Science degree in Applied Computer Science is contingent upon the successful completion of an approved program and recommendation for the degree by the College of Science. Applications for degree conferral must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar no later than the semester prior to completion of degree requirements.

The following requirements must be met for the completion of the degree program:

  • Students must earn a 3.0 grade point average calculated on all graduate work attempted for which letter grades are awarded.
  • At least 27 of the hours required for the degree must be earned in the program. A maximum of six semester hours with no grade lower than B may be accepted for transfer. Transfer credit will not be used in computing the student's grade point average.
  • All degree requirements must be completed within seven years of first enrollment.
  • Any program for the Master of Science in Applied Computer Science must include at least ten courses (30 semester hours) taken for graduate credit.
  • Any program for the Master of Science in Applied Computer Science must include at least six courses (18 semester hours) at the graduate (6000 or above) level.
  • Any program for the Master's Degree in Applied Computer Science must include four courses (12 semester hours) in the Core Curriculum.
  • Any student who has taken a 5000-level core course for undergraduate credit at CSU will not be required to retake the course and may apply it as a prerequisite as appropriate. The student will not receive graduate credit for the course.
  • A student opting for a thesis in Applied Computer Science must take CPSC 6985 – Research and Thesis at least twice for a minimum total of four credit hours. Only four hours of CPSC 6985 may be applied to the Master's Degree.
  • A candidate for the MS thesis option degree must take CPSC 6986 Thesis Defense during the semester of their defense.
  • A student who elects the thesis option for the degree may not graduate until a thesis has been produced, approved by the student's thesis committee, and successfully defended in a public presentation.
  • A student who changes from the thesis option to the non-thesis option for a degree may not apply any hours taken in CPSC 6985 towards the 30-hour minimum for the degree.

Program of Study

The Master of Science in Applied Computer Science program requires students to complete 30 hours of computer science coursework and an exit course, CPSC 6000. Students selecting the thesis option are required to complete 34 hours. The students must select one of the following four concentrations:

(A)  Cybersecurity

(B)  Software Development

(C)  Modeling & Simulation

(D)  Traditional

Area 1 Program Core Required Hours: 12
Core courses are required of all concentrations. Take the following four courses:

CPSC 6107 Survey of Modeling and Simulation
CPSC 6109 Advanced Algorithms
CPSC 6119 Object-Oriented Development
CPSC 6126 Introduction to Cybersecurity

Area 2 Program Concentration Required Hours: 18

A. Cybersecurity
CPSC 6125 Advanced Operating Systems
CPSC 6157 Computer Network and Management

Select four courses from the following:
CPSC 6128 Network Security
CPSC 6136 Human Aspects of Cybersecurity
CPSC 6159 Cybersecurity Investigations and Crisis Management
CPSC 6167 Cybersecurity Risk Management
CPSC 6178 Software Testing and Quality Assurance
CPSC 6190 Applied Cryptography
Three (3) credit hours of CPSC 6000-level courses with the exception of CPSC 6105 and CPSC 6106.


B. Software Development
CPSC 6127 Contemporary Issues in Database Management Systems
CPSC 6129 Advanced Programming Languages

Select four courses from the following:
CPSC 6138 Mobile Systems and Applications
CPSC 6175 Web Site Development and Technologies
CPSC 6177 Advanced Software Design
CPSC 6178 Software Testing and Quality Assurance
CPSC 6179 Software Project Planning and Management
CPSC 6180 Software Measurement and Estimation
Three (3) credit hours of CPSC 6000-level courses with the exception of CPSC 6105 and CPSC 6106.

C. Modeling and Simulation
CPSC 6127 Contemporary Issues in Database Management Systems
CPSC 6185 Intelligent Systems

Select four courses from the following:
CPSC 6118 – Human-Computer Interface Development
CPSC 6142 – System Simulation 
CPSC 6143 – Simulation Project 
CPSC 6147 – Computer Graphics & Visualization
CPSC 6148 – Simulation and Gaming
Three (3) credit hours of CPSC 6000-level courses with the exception of CPSC 6105 and CPSC 6106.

D. Traditional
CPSC 6125 Advanced Operating Systems
CPSC 6127 Contemporary Issues in Database Management
CPSC 6129 Advanced Programming Languages
CPSC 6185 Intelligent Systems
CPSC 6157 Network and Cloud Management
Three (3) credit hours of CPSC 6000-level courses with the exception of CPSC 6105 and CPSC 6106.



Area 3: Thesis Option Required Hours: 4
Thesis option requires the following:
CPSC 6985 Research and Thesis
CPSC 6986 Thesis Defense

Area 4: Graduate Exit Examination
Graduating students must successfully complete CPSC 6000 which will required the student to complete an exit survey and a comprehensive exam.

Total Required Hours: 30-34

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