Master of Science in Computer Science

School of Science, Engineering, and Technology
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The program is professionally oriented and designed to prepare students for employment in industry or government. Courses emphasize practical concerns and the relevant theoretical background. The program will provide appropriate background for diverse tasks such as developing scientifi c and engineering applications, developing system software, developing safety or security critical systems, solving computationally hard problems, and developing distributed applications. While not intended as preparation for subsequent entrance to a Ph.D. program, this goal is not precluded. After specific course requirements are met, students may select appropriate electives to suit their individual interests within the program. Anticipated areas of interest include software engineering, systems programming, and artificial intelligence.

Degree Conferred: M.S.

Program Requirements for Admission

Requirements More Information
GPA A minimum GPA of 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale).
Education
  • A baccalaureate degree in Computer Science or a related field from an accredited institution.
  • While a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science is not required, admission without deficiency requires that an applicant has completed the following courses or approved equivalents. If these courses are not taken before admission to the program, they may be taken at Penn State Harrisburg, but the student will receive at most 3 credits toward the M.S. degree for these courses.
    • analysis of algorithms (CMPSC 463)
    • operating systems (CMPSC 472)
    • database design (CMPSC 430)
    • linear algebra (MATH 430)
  • In addition, the following courses are required for admission without deficiency. If these courses or approved equivalents are not taken before admission to the program, they may be taken at Penn State Harrisburg, but no credit from these courses will be applied toward the M.S. degree.
    • calculus, one year (MATH 140 and 141)
    • discrete or finite mathematics (MATH 315)
Supporting Materials
  • Three letters of reference, at least one of which is from an academic source.
  • A letter outlining significant work experience and academic and career objectives.
  • At the discretion of the program, students may be required to provide scores from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and/or the GRE subject test in computer science.
  • GRE test scores are required for those indicating interest in an assistantship.

 

Application Deadline

Semester Deadline
Fall May 31
Spring September 30
Summer February 28

Application Process

Gather supporting materials and begin the standard graduate application.

The Curriculum

A total of 30 graduate credits (400 level or above) is required for the Master of Science in Computer Science. Students are required to take the following courses: MA SC 505, and COMP 511, 512, and 519. Additionally, students are required to complete either a thesis or a paper as described below. Students who believe that they have completed a course substantially similar to one of the specific course requirements may apply to have their previous work evaluated for possible exemption from that requirement. If the exemption is granted, another approved course shall be taken in place of that required course. The remaining 18 credits must be completed according to one of the following options:

  1. Thesis Option: Research into a specific computer science problem, development of a scholarly written paper, and an oral defense. This option requires: 6 credits of COMP 600, 3 additional credits from approved 500 level electives in computer science, mathematics, engineering, and information systems courses, and 9 credits from approved 400-level and 500-level electives in computer science, mathematics, engineering, and information systems courses.
  2. Paper Option: In-depth study of a specifi c computer science problem, development of a written paper or project, and an oral defense. This option requires: 3 credits of COMP 594, 9 credits from approved 500 level electives in computer science, mathematics, engineering, and information systems courses, and 6 credits from approved 400 and 500 level electives in computer science, mathematics, engineering, and information systems courses.

A maximum of 9 transfer credits will be allowed for course work completed as a graduate student at another institution.

Prescribed Courses 15-18 credits

  • MASC 505 CONCRETE MATHEMATICS (3). Prerequisite: MATH 315 or approval of the program
  • COMP 511 DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF ALGORITHMS (3). Prerequisites: COMP 411, MA SC 505
  • COMP 512 ADVANCED OPERATING SYSTEMS (3). Prerequisite: COMP 412
  • COMP 519 ADVANCED TOPICS IN DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (3). Prerequisites: COMP 419, MATH 315
  • COMP 594 MASTER'S STUDIES (3) or COMP 600 THESIS RESEARCH (1-6). Prerequisites: A minimum of two of the 500-level computer science required courses or permission of the program

Additional Courses

Students in the Computer Science graduate program at Penn State Harrisburg must take at least 21 or 24 (depending on the option) of the required 30 graduate credits at the 500 level. Certain 400-level courses may be counted toward the remaining hours. These additional courses include:

Computer Science (COMP)

  • CMPSC 422 OBJECT-ORIENTED PROGRAMMING WITH C++ (3) Prerequisite: CMPSC 122 or equivalent
  • CMPSC 423 OBJECT-ORIENTED PROGRAMMING WITH JAVA (3) Prerequisite: CMPSC 122 or equivalent
  • CMPSC 426 OBJECT-ORIENTED DESIGN (3) Prerequisite: CMPSC 422 or 423
  • CMPSC 429 ADVANCED ADA PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE (3) Prerequisite: CMPSC 428
  • CMPSC 436 COMMUNICATIONS AND NETWORKING (3) Prerequisite: CMPSC 312
  • CMPSC 441 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (3) Prerequisite: CMPSC 122 or equivalent; CMPSC 462
  • CMPSC 452 NUMERICAL ANALYSIS I (3) Prerequisite: CMPSC 121 or equivalent, MATH 430
  • CMPSC 457 COMPUTER GRAPHICS ALGORITHMS (3) Prerequisite: CMPSC 422 and MATH 430
  • CMPSC 460 PRINCIPLES OF PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES (3) Prerequisite: CMPSC 312, 469, 462
  • CMPSC 470 COMPILER CONSTRUCTION (3) Prerequisite: CMPSC 312, 469, 462
  • CMPSC 487W SOFTWARE ENGINEERING AND DESIGN (3) Prerequisite: CMPSC 462, MATH 315
  • CMPSC 497 SPECIAL TOPICS (1-9) (This course may or may not count toward graduate credit; it depends on the specific topic)
  • COMP 513 FORMAL METHODS FOR SOFTWARE ENGINEERING (3) Prerequisite: CMPSC CMPSC 487W and COMP 511, or permission of the program.
  • COMP 516 ADVANCED PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES (3). Prerequisite: COMP 460 or permission of program.
  • COMP 517 COMPUTER SECURITY (3). Prerequisite: MATH 315
  • COMP 520 ADVANCED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (3). Prerequisite: COMP 511 or permission of the program
  • COMP 524 EVOLUTIONARY COMPUTATION (3). Prerequisite: COMP 511 or permission of the program
  • COMP 545 COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE (3). Prerequisite: CMPSC 312
  • COMP 556 NEURONAL COMPUTATION (3). Prerequisites: CMPSC 402, MATH 430, or permission of the program
  • COMP 591 TOPICS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE (1-3). Prerequisite: permission of the program
  • COMP 596 INDIVIDUAL STUDIES (1-9).
  • COMP 597 SPECIAL TOPICS (1-9).

Mathematical Science (MA SC)

  • MATH 412 DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS AND CONTINUOUS MODELS II (4). Prerequisites: MATH 230 or MATH 231; MATH 250 or MATH 251
  • MATH 425 INTRODUCTION TO OPERATIONS RESEARCH (3). Prerequisite: MATH 141
  • MATH 431 LINEAR ALGEBRA AND DISCRETE MODELS II (3). Prerequisite: MATH 430
  • MATH 450 MATHEMATICAL MODELING (3). Prerequisites: Either MATH 315 and MATH 430; or MATH 405 or MATH 412

Information Systems (INFSY)

  • INFSY 570 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING IN THE ANALYSIS AND DESIGN OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS (3). Prerequisite: INFSY 535

Both the graduate coordinator and the student’s academic adviser must provide approval before 400-level courses not listed above may be applied toward credit in the Computer Science graduate degree program.

Suggested Tracks

For students with interests in the areas of software engineering, systems programming, and artificial intelligence, the program suggests the following course work. These tracks are only advisory–there is no requirement that a student follow any track, and tracks will not be noted on diplomas or transcripts.

Track in Software Engineering: Students following the track in software engineering will be provided with the conceptual tools needed for designing and managing large software systems. In addition to the required core, the track in software engineering consists of the following courses: COMP 513, 516, and INFSY 570. In addition to these courses, CMPSC 470 is highly recommended, as compiler development is an ideal environment for gaining practical experience with software engineering techniques and tools.

Track in Systems Programming: Students following the track in systems programming will receive instruction in both the conceptual foundation of systems software and the implementation of such systems. In addition to the required core, the track in systems programming consists of the following courses: CMPSC 436, 517, and 545.

Track in Artificial Intelligence: Students following the track in artifi cial intelligence are expected to gain an understanding in the theory and applications of AI methods as well as evolutionary methods for solving a variety of problems. In addition to the required core, the track in artificial intelligence consists of the following courses: COMP 520, 524, and 556.

Optional Areas of Interest

After specific course requirements are met, appropriate selection of electives enables students to meet individual interests. Students are not limited to the suggested tracks above. In addition to software engineering, systems programming, and artificial intelligence, optional areas of interest include: data mining, bioinformatics, computer security, graphics, and genetic algorithms.

Transfer Credits and Course Substitutions

Students who believe that they have completed a course substantially similar to one of the specific course requirements may apply to have their previous work evaluated for possible exemption from that requirement. If the exemption is granted, another approved course shall be taken in place of that required course. A maximum of 9 transfer credits will be allowed for course work completed as a graduate student at another institution.

Grade-Point Average

A minimum grade-point average of 3.0 must be earned for course work approved by the program taken as a graduate student.

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