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  • Computer Science, M.S.C.S.
WVU Morgantown

Computer Science, M.S.C.S.

  • Overview
  • Areas of Emphasis
  • Learning Outcomes

Curriculum in Masters of Science in Computer Science

A candidate for the M.S. degree in computer science must comply with the rules and regulations as outlined in the WVU Graduate Catalog and the specific requirements of the Statler College and the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.

Program Requirements

All M.S. degree candidates are required to perform research and follow a planned program of study. The student’s research advisor, in conjunction with the student’s Advising and Examining Committee (AEC) will be responsible for determining the plan of study appropriate to the student’s needs. The underlying principle of the planned program is to provide the students with the necessary support to complete their degree and prepare them for their career.

Curriculum Requirements

Course List
Code Title Hours
A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required
Course Requirements *
No more than 9 credit hours may be at the 400 level.
Plan of Study
CS 796Graduate Seminar1
Focus Area
Complete one Focus Area in any area:9
One Core course
Two Elective courses
Complete 6 additional credit hours from core courses from the other two areas that are not the primary focus area.6
AOE or Elective Courses9-12
Courses used to satisfy major and minor requirements in MSCS cannot be used to satisfy the requirements for the AOE in Data Science or Cybersecurity. Choose an AOE in Computational Data Science or Cybersecurity or 9 additional credit hours from the courses listed in any CS focus area.
Complete 1 of the following options:6-7
Thesis Option - 7 hours
CS 796
Graduate Seminar (1 hour)
CS 697
Research (6 hours)
Final Oral or Written Examination
Thesis
Problem Report Option - 6 hours
Complete a minimum 3 additional hours of coursework, at least 3 hours of which must be from the completed focus area.
CS 697
Research (3 hours)
Final Oral or Written Examination
Formal written report or professional report/paper
Coursework Option - 6 hours
Complete a minimum of 6 additional hours of coursework, at least 6 hours of which must be from the completed focus area.
Total Hours31-35
*

Students who do not hold a baccalaureate degree in computer science are required to take a set of undergraduate computer science courses above and beyond the minimum coursework requirements.

Focus Areas

Computer Systems

Course List
Code Title Hours
Core Courses
CPE 553
Advanced Networking Concepts
CPE 670
Switching Circuit Theory 1
Elective Courses
CPE 435
Computer Incident Response
CPE 520
Application of Neural Networks
CPE 521
Applied Fuzzy Logic
CPE 536
Computer Data Forensics
CPE 538
Intro Computer Security Management
CPE 664
Sensor Actuator Networks
CS 453
Data and Computer Communications
CS 533
Developing Portable Software
CS 539
Computer Forensics and the Law
CS 555
Advanced Computer Systems Architecture
CS 556
Distributed and Pervasive Compt
CS 568
Computer Network Forensics

Software/Knowledge Engineering

Course List
Code Title Hours
Core Courses
CPE 684
Advanced Real-Time Systems
CS 630
Empirical Methods in Software Engineering and Computer Science
CS 677
Pattern Recognition
CPE 520Application of Neural Networks3
Elective Courses
BIOM 693
Special Topics ( Advanced Biometrics)
CS 533
Developing Portable Software
CS 558
Multimedia Systems
CS 572
Advanced Artificial Intelligence Techniques
CS 674
Computational Photography
CS 676
Machine Learning
CS 678
Computer Vision
CS 793
Special Topics (Search-based Software Engineering, Software Reliability)
CPE 620Deep Learning3
CS 573Advanced Data Mining3
CS 560Big Data Engineering3
CS 569Cybersecurity and Big Data Analytics3
SENG 564Software Engineering of Mobile Applications3
EE 565
Advanced Image Processing
SENG 530
Software Verification and Validation

Theory of Computing

Course List
Code Title Hours
Core Courses
CS 510
Formal Specification of Language
CS 520
Advanced Analysis of Algorithms
CS 525
Computational Complexity
Elective Courses
CS 410
Compiler Construction
CS 420
Design of Algorithms
CS 422
Automata Theory
CS 426
Discrete Mathematics 2
CS 593
Special Topics (Network Optimization)
CS 623
String Algorithms
CS 693
Special Topics (Fixed Parameter Algorithms)
CS 677
Pattern Recognition
CS 726
Algorithmic Graph Theory
CS 727
Information Dissemination
CS 793
Special Topics (Approximation Algorithms)
CS 793
Special Topics (Randomized Algorithms)

Final Examination

M.S. students following the thesis or problem report option must prepare a written research proposal. The proposal must be approved by the student's AEC at least one semester prior to the final oral examination.

All students following the thesis or problem report option are required to pass a final oral or written examination, administered by their AEC, covering the thesis or problem report and/or related course material.

All master’s students must defend their thesis or problem report at an oral exam, attended by all members of the committee.

A student who fails the research defense may repeat the defense at most once, at a time determined by the AEC but not necessarily during the same semester.

Suggested Plan of Study

The plan below illustrates the Thesis Option. It is important for students to take courses in the order specified as much as possible; all prerequisites and concurrent requirements must be observed.  A typical M.S.C.S degree program that completes degree requirements in one and half years is as follows. Those students who lack course prerequisites may require more than three semesters of full-time study to complete the degree. Students with research assistantships may also require more than three semesters to complete the degree.

First Year
FallHoursSpringHours
Focus Area 1 Core Course3Focus Area 1 Elective Course3
Focus Area 1 Elective Course3Focus Area 2 Core Course3
AOE or Elective Course3AOE Elective Course3
CS 7961CS 7961
 10 10
Second Year
FallHours 
Focus Area 3 Core Course3 
AOE or Elective Course3 
CS 6976 
 12
Total credit hours: 32

Areas of Emphasis Offered

  • Computational Data Science
  • Cybersecurity

Area of Emphasis in Computational Data Science

Course List
Code Title Hours
Data Science Core *
CS 560Big Data Engineering3
Select one of the following:3
CS 573
Advanced Data Mining
CS 676
Machine Learning
CS 677
Pattern Recognition
Data Science Electives ** *6
Cyber-Security:
CS 568
Computer Network Forensics
CS 569
Cybersecurity and Big Data Analytics
Theoretical Foundations:
CS 520
Advanced Analysis of Algorithms
CS 540
Theory of Database Systems
CS 623
String Algorithms
Image and Video Analytics:
CPE 520
Application of Neural Networks
CS 593
Special Topics (3-D Computer Vision)
CS 678
Computer Vision
CS 674
Computational Photography
Software Engineering:
CS 630
Empirical Methods in Software Engineering and Computer Science
Total Hours12
*

 Students pursuing this area of emphasis must successfully complete a total of 12 hours in identified data science courses.  To fulfill the requirements for the Area of Emphasis in Computational Data Science graduate students must successfully complete the following set of courses: two courses from the Data Science core, one of which must be CS 560 – Big Data Engineering, plus one other course from the Data Science core; and two courses (6 credit hours) from the Data Science electives listed in the accompanying table. Students are encouraged but not required to choose Data Science elective courses from the same topic area.  This is intended to foster a more concentrated focus in the student’s data science expertise.  Students may also, if they choose, take one of the Data Science core courses, not already taken, as a data science elective.

**

 Students may choose to take one optional elective course from a department other than the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. Courses outside of the Lane  Department to satisfy the elective requirements of this area of emphasis must be approved by the Lane Department’s Computational Data Science coordinator.

 

Area of Emphasis in Cybersecurity

Course List
Code Title Hours
A 3.0 GPA is required in AOE coursework.
Required Courses
CPE 536Computer Data Forensics3
CPE 568Computer Network Forensics3
CS 539Computer Forensics and the Law3
Select one of the following:3
CPE 538
Intro Computer Security Management
CS 569
Cybersecurity and Big Data Analytics
Total Hours12

Major Learning Outcomes

Computer Science

It is our goal that in the first five years after graduation our students will:

  1. Achieve success and proficiency in the Computer Science profession.
  2. Be recognized as leaders.
  3. Contribute to the well-being of society.
  • Computer Engineering
  • Computer Science
    • Computer Science, M.S.C.S.
    • Computer Science, Ph.D.
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Software Engineering

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