Computer Science, Accelerated B.S./M.S.

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Program Requirements for the Accelerated B.S./M.S. with a major in Computer Science

Choice of Graduate Courses

Students accepted into the combined program begin the Master of Science coursework in their undergraduate senior year. Students are required to take CMPS 5153 - Advanced Software Engineering and two courses from below that count toward the MS degree and for which Credit by Examination may be earned:

CMPS 5133 - Advanced Computer Architecture
CMPS 5143 - Advanced Operating Systems
One approved graduate CMPS course for 3 hours of an undergraduate advanced CMPS elective course.

If students take CMPS 4103 Introduction to Operating Systems, CMPS 4453 Computer Architecture or CMPS 4113 Software Engineering and count them toward their BS degree instead, they forfeit those hours as they will not count toward the MS. However, they may take an approved substitute graduate course in those areas to count toward the MS only. Each semester thereafter, accelerated undergraduate students must consult the Computer Science Graduate Coordinator on their graduate courses, which will follow the requirements for the traditional Master Degree with a major in Computer Science at Midwestern State University. Students in the accelerated program will take the remaining 9 semester hours in the core for the Master of Science Degree:

CMPS 5113 - Advanced Programming Language Concepts
CMPS 5143 - Advanced Operating Systems  or CMPS 5133 - Advanced Computer Architecture  (depending on which was not taken in the senior year)
CMPS 5243 - Algorithm Analysis

and an additional 12-15 graduate semester credits, depending on whether the file paper or non-file paper option is chosen.

Degree Options

Each candidate must choose one of the following options:

File Paper Option 30 semester credit hours - Complete 12 additional hours of graduate computer science course work, excluding CMPS 5013 - Fundamentals of Computer Architecture , CMPS 5016 - Fundamentals of Computer Programming , and write a substantial file paper meeting guidelines established by the department. CMPS 6903 - Research Methods in Computer Science and three credit hours of CMPS 6901 - Independent Graduate Study in Computer Science (one hour in each of three semesters) must be taken in support of a file paper. Note that students selecting the file paper option must take at least two courses either at the undergraduate or graduate level in the area of interest of their file paper as approved by their research advisor. The Master of Science file paper must be presented before a Computer Science Graduate Committee. The student’s first enrollment in CMPS 6901 will be established by the student’s research advisor in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator.
Non-File Paper Option 33 semester credit hours - Complete 15 additional hours of graduate computer science course work, exclusive of CMPS 6901 - Independent Graduate Study in Computer Science and CMPS 5013 - Fundamentals of Computer Architecture , CMPS 5016 - Fundamentals of Computer Programming .