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The
course-work requirements for MS in Computer Science at NC
A&T SU must be satisfied by:
- Two three
credit hours courses in core area required of all
students in the program.
- Required
courses specific to the student's track (Students
selecting General Track design their curriculum in
consultation with their advisor, and with approval of
Director of Graduate Studies)
- Approved
elective courses in the student's track for students
pursuing a specialty track in Software Engineering, or
Computational Science and Engineering Track or
Artificial Intelligence
- Elective
courses chosen with the prior written approval of the
student’s advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies.
- With
permission of a student’s advisor and the Director of
Graduate Studies, the student may take up to a maximum
of two electives outside the Computer Science
Department.
The
Masters of Science in Computer
Science at NC A&T SU can be earned with one of
three options: Project, Thesis, or course. The Thesis option
requires thirty credit hours consisting of twenty-four
credit hours of course work and six credit hours for the
thesis. The Project option requires thirty-three credit
hours consisting of thirty credit hours of course work and
three credit hours for the project. The course option is the
default option for all students, and requires thirty-three
credit hours of course work. Graduate credit hours are
earned only on courses numbered 600 and above, and at least
half of the credit hours must be in courses numbered 700 and
above.
As stated before, students may specialize in one of three
tracks (Software Engineering Track, Computational Science
and Engineering Track, and Artificial Intelligence Track),
or select the General Track and design their own program in
consultation of their advisor such that all requirements for
MS in CS at NC A&T SU are satisfied. Students choosing
Software Engineering, or Computational Science and
Engineering Track or Artificial Intelligence may benefit
from the following description of the three areas:
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING(SE):
Software
engineering can be defined as the systematic approach to
the development, operation, maintenance, and retirement
of software. Software is not only program code, but
includes the various documents needed for the
development, installation, utilization, and maintenance
of a system. Engineering refers to the application of a
systems approach to the production of large software
systems. Methodologies for analysis and design are
evolving, and being automated through the use of CASE
(computer aided software engineering) tools. The methods
of software engineering seek to produce high quality
systems, on time, at the lowest possible cost. Research
projects include object oriented methodologies, software
production cost modeling, software reliability
engineering, software reuse, and the social implications
of computer technology. In accordance with our
historical mission, the program also provides students
with knowledge of organizational theory, management
practices, information economics, and societal and
policy frameworks.
COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE
AND ENGINEERNG(CSE):
Computational
science is a relatively new branch of science and has
emerged as a powerful and indispensable method of
analyzing a variety of problems in research, production
and process development, and manufacturing.
Computational modeling and simulation is being accepted
as a third methodology in scientific research,
complementing the traditional approaches of theory and
experiment. Computational modeling, simulation, and
visualization are immensely useful for studying things
that are otherwise too big, too small, too expensive,
too scarce, or too inaccessible to study. The rapid
growth of information technology and its applications in
the job market created a need for multi-skilled workers
at all levels, including the master’s.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE(AI):
Artificial
intelligence uses symbolic computation and complex
interrelations of variables to produce “intelligent”
responses to problem situations. The responses are
intelligent in the sense that unforeseen situations are
accommodated. Problems of interest are frequently
ill-structured: that is, they cannot be stated in the
forms required by commonly used deterministic and
sequential algorithms. Artificial intelligence often
involves search and inference, and frequently supports
human decision making. It is thus natural to view
artificial intelligence software as tackling problems as
humans would tackle them. Research topics include mobile
robots motion planning, computer vision, automated
reasoning, the acquisition and representation of
knowledge, and the analysis of decision making in
realistic business settings. Artificial intelligence
uses a multitude of paradigms, willingly collaborates
with other areas of computer science, and pursues
real-world applications.
INFORMATION ASSURANCE (IA):
With wide spread use of the Internet, Information Assurance has become a dominant issue in the Information Technology (IT) industry. Information Assurance has significantly influenced priorities for IT education, research, and development. To defend our homeland and stay at the forefront of scientific discovery, federal and local governments recognize the need for a well-trained workforce in emerging and advanced tools of information security. The rapid growth of Information Assurance in the job market created a need for well-trained workers at all levels, including the master’s. Research topics include network security, Web security, wireless security, intrusion detection, information privacy and security, and software development security.
GENERAL TRACK:
There are several
other research areas in the Department of Computer
Science. Students can select a research topic from these
areas as the project/thesis. Students must consult their
advisor to design their curriculum and project/thesis.
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