Accelerated B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science

The combined B.S./M.S. program in Computer Science provides exceptional undergraduates with the opportunity to obtain both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Computer Science in a shorter time than typically required to earn a B.S. plus M.S. if both degrees are pursued separately. The goal of the program is to produce graduates with a broad, solid grounding in Computer Science to support further study at the doctoral level or to enable the graduate for an advanced position in industry or research laboratory.

Admission Requirements

Students may apply for the accelerated B.S./M.S. program from the second semester of the junior year through the second semester of the senior year (when they have accumulated at least 80 credit hours and before they have graduated with the B.S. degree). Students must have been admitted to the Computer Science professional program.

Minimum standards for admission to the concurrent program are a cumulative GPA of 3.00 and a GPA of 3.25 in the Computer Science Core courses. Retention in the program requires maintenance of a 3.00 GPA in both undergraduate and graduate coursework.

Application Process

Before acceptance into the accelerated degree program, the student will select a major professor from the Graduate Faculty in Computer Science. The major professor should agree to supervise the student’s graduate program and provide a reference letter, including their plan to supervise, in the Graduate School application. The rest of the application process will be the same as for the traditional M.S. degree except completion of the B.S. degree is not required.

The KSU online graduate application form must be completed before the first semester of enrollment. In general, applicants are only considered for fall enrollment. Applicants should complete the K-State Graduate School application process. The applicant’s statement of academic objectives must be submitted with the application. Three letters of reference and transcript(s) of all undergraduate work must be submitted with the application.

The graduate program will process the application of the student and forward it to the Graduate School, as currently occurs for students holding a B.S. who apply to the M.S. program. Should the student meet the requirements, provisional admission to the M.S. program will be granted, pending the award of the B.S. degree. The B.S. degree may be awarded at any time following the completion of the undergraduate degree requirements. Alternatively, the B.S. and M.S. degrees may be awarded concurrently.

Program Guidelines

Students must first complete the requirements of the B.S. in Computer Science. However, because up to nine credit hours may be applied to both degrees, nine credits of Computer Science courses should be taken for graduate credit. These courses should be taken from the following:

Languages

Systems

Applied CS

Theory

Note that CIS 705 can be substituted for CIS 505 in the B.S. requirements. Also, CIS 751 can be substituted for CIS 551. Students who take CIS 505 or CIS 551 cannot take CIS 705 or CIS 751, respectively, to meet the M.S. program requirements. The graduate-level courses can be taken as either technical electives or unrestricted electives for the B.S. program.

To complete the accelerated program, students must satisfy the requirements of the M.S. in Computer Science. However, only the following options are available to students in the accelerated program: a report option requiring 30 hours including 2 credit hours of report and 1 credit hour of seminar, or a thesis option requiring 30 hours including 6 credit hours of research. An oral presentation is required for each option, and original research is required for the thesis option.

The student will work closely with the major professor to form a supervisory committee and file a program of study by the end of the first full semester following the student’s acceptance into the accelerated degree program, or the second semester of the student’s junior year, whichever is later. The undergraduate advisor will advise the student in the academic progress toward the B.S. degree, and the major professor will supervise the student’s academic progress and preparation for the M.S. degree capstone (report or thesis).