M.S. DEGREES GUIDELINES
There are two Master's degree programs within in the School of Computing (SoC) at the University of Utah:
- MS in Computer Science
- MS in Computing
Transfers between degree programs will be considered between semesters and will occur only once per academic year. An MS in Computing is earned within a particular track. Students are, in part, admitted based upon the track that they have selected during the admissions process. If students wish to switch tracks, they should seek approval from DGS and from the track directors of the tracks between which they wish to switch. Some flexibility will be allowed in terms of switching tracks; however, to remain in good standing, a student has to reach certain due progress milestones as determined by their degree/track required course specifications.
The Program of Study form should be filed with the School of Computing in the second semester of study and with the Graduate School prior to taking the qualifying examination. The Program of Study form must be submitted to the Graduate Records Office no later than the last day of the semester proceeding the semester of graduation.
The Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) is the responsible entity for all graduate degree related issues. He/she will act in consultation with the track directors for administration of the Computing Degree program. In the information that follows: statements stating that something will be done/approved by DGS should be understood to mean "DGS and/or the track directors".
REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS
Full-time graduate students in the School of Computing are ordinarily requested to register for 10 hours for TAs and 10 hours for RAs, which includes regular courses, seminars, and research credits as appropriate. This is especially the case for students being supported via research or teaching assistantships. Students who are not being supported by the school are required to take nine hours to be classified as full- time.
Graduate School policy dictates that a graduate student who receives a full tuition waiver during any semester in which he or she holds an assistantship, fellowship or traineeship is required to register for at least nine semester hours, including thesis research and seminars. Students must be registered for at least three hours per semester, exclusive of summer semester, to remain in a graduate degree program. Students who do not maintain continuous registration and who have not been granted a leave of absence by the Graduate School are subject to being discharged from the degree program.
Students doing theses must be registered for at least three semester hours during the semester of the student's thesis defense. Once a student has passed the thesis defense, the student does not have to register the next term if within the 90-day period to turn in the final thesis.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
All degree programs have certain course requirements. However, these represent a necessary, rather than sufficient, set of courses for graduation. To graduate, this coursework must appear on a student's approved program of study, a customized course plan developed by the student in conjunction with their committee.
Courses that count toward graduation must be on the program of study. The following default restrictions apply to these courses:
- CS courses must have a course number of 6000 or above (CS 5470):
- Compiler Principles and Techniques will also be allowed)
- Non-CS courses must have a course number of 5000 or above
- A grade of B- or better
- The GPA for all required courses must be at least 3.0
In the subsequent pages of this document, each degree program and/or track may specify modifications and/or additions to these restrictions. Students should also consult the Graduate School Handbook concerning any University requirements.
A student may register for CS 6020 if that student writes and publishes a peer-reviewed article based on research performed in the University of Utah School of Computing (SoC). The contribution of the student to the article should be equivalent to that conferred by first authorship. The paper should be published in a respectable outlet. It is the responsibility of the student's advisor to determine whether the student has made such a contribution, and whether the outlet is of sufficient quality. This paper must be accepted for publication prior to the end of the second year of study.
COURSE WAIVERS
A student may obtain a waiver for any of the required courses by demonstrating prior knowledge (e.g., completion of a similar course taken at another University). This waiver is obtained by petitioning the DGS. The waiver procedure should be initiated by first contacting the Graduate Coordinator. Waiving a required course does not reduce the 30 graduate credit hour requirement.
M.S. SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE
The M.S. Supervisory Committee consists of three members. At least two members must be SoC faculty. Any SoC regular faculty member may serve as a supervisory committee chair. Research or adjunct faculty may chair supervisory committees if accorded that privilege by the regular faculty. All official decisions of the committee are decided by majority vote.
M.S. COMPREHENSIVE EXAM
For the project and thesis options of this degree, the M.S. comprehensive exam will be administered by the student's supervisory committee and can be coupled with (i.e. satisfied by) a project or thesis proposal defense, and/or meeting a specified level of performance on a set of classes.
For students not doing a project or thesis, the comprehensive exam will typically be passed by meeting the grade requirements in required courses for their degree/track, but this can be modified at the discretion of the student's committee.
M.S. TRANSFER CREDIT
A student may not count more than nine semester hours of non-matriculated graduate work toward any graduate degree unless the student's registration for more than nine semester hours is specifically approved in advance by the SoC Director and the Dean of the Graduate School. Graduate courses taken as an undergraduate at the University of Utah cannot be counted towards a degree program unless a petition for graduate credit was filed with the University's Registrar at the time the course was taken.
Students who have done graduate study at other institutions may transfer up to six semester hours to the University of Utah. The courses must be bona fide graduate level class work (e.g., independent study is excluded), with grade B- or better. Students must be able to show that the course work was not used toward any other degree.
Approval of each course is granted by the student's supervisory committee and the DGS. Course appropriateness is determined by consideration of course content and the student's declared research area. Approved courses are certified by a transfer credit form. Approval of a course taken elsewhere for transfer credit does not imply fulfillment of any specific required course.
M.S. PROJECT DOCUMENT (Project Option)
The supervisory committee must give preliminary approval of a project document prior to the defense. The defense can be scheduled after this approval. To schedule the defense, contact the Graduate Coordinator. Students are strongly encouraged to schedule the defense during a regular colloquium slot.
The student must provide one copy of the project document to the chair of the supervisory committee at least three weeks before the defense, and one copy to each of the other committee members at least two weeks prior to the defense. A complete draft of the thesis must be delivered to the Graduate Coordinator one week prior to the announced time of defense. This copy will be made available for public access. Students are encouraged to place an additional copy on the SoC web pages at least one week prior to the announced time of defense.
Like the thesis option, the project option does require a "defense" of the project document before the full committee. The project option, however, provides flexibility in terms of what constitutes a valid project and the corresponding record of that project (i.e. project document). This is to be established by the student's committee with consideration for any additional requirements required by the track in which the degree is sought.
M.S. THESIS DOCUMENT (Thesis Option)
The supervisory committee must give preliminary approval of the thesis prior to the defense. The defense can be scheduled after this approval. To schedule the defense, contact the Graduate Coordinator. Students are strongly encouraged to schedule the defense during a regular colloquium slot.
The student must provide one copy of the thesis to the chair of the supervisory committee at least three weeks before the defense, and one copy to each of the other committee members at least two weeks prior to the defense. A complete draft of the thesis must be delivered to the Graduate Coordinator one week prior to the announced time of defense. This copy will be made available for public access. Students are encouraged to place an additional copy on the SoC web pages at least one week prior to the announced time of defense.
After successfully defending the thesis, the student must obtain approval from the Final Reader (typically the supervisory committee chair), School Director, and Dean of the Graduate School. A draft of the final thesis must then be presented to the Thesis Editor. Successful completion of the defense must be reported to the Graduate School at least four weeks before the last day of examinations in the final semester.
Students should also read the document regarding copyright notices provided by the School and declare their intentions regarding granting the School the right to photocopy the thesis before notifying the Graduate Coordinator of completion of the defense.
The student has one month after the defense to make any revisions prior to submitting the thesis to the Graduate School Thesis Editor. There will be at most two additional months to complete any changes required by the Thesis Editor before final acceptance. If either of these deadlines are not met, the candidate must redo the oral defense. The final thesis must be filed one week before the end of the semester of graduation.
Students are expected to offer each committee member a bound copy of the thesis once it is completed. Detailed policies and procedures concerning the thesis are contained in "A Handbook for Theses and Dissertations" published by the Graduate School.
RESIDENCY
One year of study must be spent in full-time residency at the University (i.e., the student must enroll for a minimum of nine hours per semester for two consecutive semesters, summer optionally excluded). After the residency requirement is fulfilled, registration for three semester hours of CS 6970 (M.S. Thesis Research) is considered a full load. At least 24 semester hours must be in resident study at the University of Utah.
LEAVE OF ABSENCE
If a student does not plan to take classes during a Fall or Spring semester, a leave of absence must be requested. Contact the Graduate Coordinator for the proper form.
| Milestone | Good Progress | Acceptable Progress | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choose Advisor | 1 Semester | 2 Semester | |
| Full committee formed | 2 Semesters | 3 Semesters | |
| Program of study | 2 Semesters | 3 Semesters | |
| Complete required courses | 3 Semesters | 3 Semesters | 3 Semesters |
| Defend Proposal | 3 Semesters | 4 Semester | U. req. 1 semester before defense |
| Thesis Defense | 4 Semesters | 5 Semesters | |
| Final document | U. req.: document finalized in 3 months of defense |
MONITORING OF PROGRESS
Annual meetings and reports: Each year the student will prepare a one-page summary of their progress and submit it to the advisory committee in preparation for a meeting that includes the student and advisory committee. The advisory committee will meet with the student and hear a presentation from the student and engage the student in a discussion about their progress in the program. A "meeting" in this context is some form of interactive communication between the student and the committee. The important aspect of this meeting is that the student and the committee be able to ask questions of one another and respond to those questions. In this document advisory committee refers to either the initial committee or full committee, depending on which committee is active during that particular part of the program.
The advisor will prepare a short report (approved by the advisory committee), which includes a checklist of milestones (using a form provided by the School). This report will comment on any milestone that is not met within the time frame denoted as "good." In the event that students have unmet milestones that have passed the "acceptable" time frame (as indicated in the guidelines), the advisory committee can either request an exception to keep the student in good standing (and justify the exception) or recommend that the student not be considered in good standing.
The advisory committee will also give an overall evaluation of the student's progress as acceptable, unacceptable, or borderline and make recommendations of what (if any) actions should be taken by the student and the department.
Actions by the DGS and the School: In the event that a student is found not to be in good standing (a decision made by the DGS based on reports from the advisory committee) one or more actions may be taken. For example, the School may assign the DGS to counsel the student, deny opportunities to serve as departmentally funded TA, discontinue tuition waiver benefits, or remove the student from the program. In the event that a faculty member fails to meet with advisory committees and report on their students, the DGS may elect to disallow this faculty to advise new students.
DEFENSE (Thesis Option)
Within three months of the thesis defense, the student must receive final reading approval from the thesis committee and the thesis editor. Failure to do so will result in probationary status and will require that the student re-defend the thesis.
