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Department of Computer Science
The George Washington University 801 22nd Street NW, Suite 704 Washington DC 20052 Voice: (202) 994-7181 Fax: (202) 994-4875 E-mail: cs@gwu.edu 
Graduate Student HandbookMaster of Science ProgramSection contents
Admission to the Master of Science ProgramAdmission to the Master of Science program requires a bachelor's degree in an appropriate subject from a recognized institution of higher learning. A degree in Engineering Technology is usually not considered appropriate preparation for graduate study in engineering. A grade point average of at least 3.0 (based on a 4.00 scale), or equivalent, for the last 60 hours of undergraduate work is required for admission. Admission to the program is selective. The results of the GRE examination and other tests are considered if they are submitted with the application. In addition, you must be adequately prepared in the basic sciences and in mathematics (at least four semester courses beyond precalculus). A summary of the minimum requirements for admission is provided below:
If you otherwise qualify for admission but lack some or all of the specific course requirements for your chosen area of concentration, you may be admitted to graduate study with a list of deficiency courses. You must then remedy the deficiency at the earliest opportunity by taking the given undergraduate courses, without graduate credit, and passing them with some distinction (generally, at least a B). If you believe that you satisfy all admissions requirements except some or all of the specific requirements of the area of concentration, the best course of action is to apply for graduate admission. In this way, your letter of admission will specify in writing the required deficiency courses and the expected "distinction" (usually a grade of B or better). If your application is rejected upon first submission, your letter will provide a rationale for the rejection. It is possible to satisfy the perceived specific deficiency by undertaking additional study prior to applying for graduate admission. This study may be undertaken by enrolling in the Division of Continuing Education at George Washington University or by enrolling in another recognized university. Keep in mind that if you follow the latter course, you risk that the courses taken may not be appropriate, the admission requirements may change during the course of study, or your later application to GW will be rejected for a reason other than the specific deficiencies. It is therefore in your interest to confer with the department office or with a faculty member before you proceed with courses. It is best of all simply to apply for admission. If an application for admission is rejected, a reconsideration may be requested. Submit a request for reconsideration to the SEAS Admissions Office together with supporting documentation which addresses the cause of rejection. You should note that admission to the Masters program is competetive. If you are assigned specific deficiency courses at the time of admission, but have, in fact, sufficent experience (perhaps in industry) in the specific fields, your academic advisor may waive any or all of these courses. A specific form is available for this purpose. Masters Program: Academic AdvisorWhen applying for graduate study, you may request on your application a specific professor in CS to serve as your academic advisor; in general the department will honor such a request. If you do not specify an advisor, one will be assigned. Your letter of admission will indicate your academic advisor.You should depend upon your academic advisor to explain all questions relating to the preparation and administration of your degree program, and to assist you in resolving problems which may arise during the course of study. In registering for courses, your advisor's signature is required only for the first time you are enrolling. On the other hand, you should feel free to consult your advisor as appropriate during your stay at GW, as that professor has the experience in the field, and at this University, to give you very useful guidance. Do not expect your advisor to serve as a tutor in coursework, however. It is important that you develop a smooth working relationship with your advisor. If for any reason you wish to change to a different advisor, filling in a simple form will accomplish this. Form 1: Planning the Course of StudySoon after you begin your program in CS, you should visit your academic advisor to plan your course of study. You will need to select the courses you wish to take in consultation with your advisor (see below regarding course distribution) . Pay attention to the prerequisites of each course and to the offering semesters of the courses to see that they can be taken in proper sequence. Both the prerequisites and the semesters in which the course may be offered are given in the University Bulletin.A program of study consists of 10 courses (30 semester hours). Of the 10 courses, 3 are the core courses ( CS 210, CS 211, CS 212) that are required of all Masters students. A Masters core course may be waived only if you have taken an equivalent graduate course in your prior studies.You may choose to focus your Masters program in an "area of focus" -- normally 2 or 3 courses will be outside your area of focus in order to provide breadth in your graduate program, and the remainder in your area of focus. However, this is only a recommended program of study. The courses in each area of focus/concentration are given on that area's page. An outside-the-area course may be in or outside the CS department. Check with your advisor regarding courses outside the department; these must be at the graduate level and in some sense appropriate to your field of study. Normally, up to two courses outside the department may be counted towards your Masters program requirements. If you choose the Thesis Option, two courses of thesis work (6 semester hours) replace two of your courses. The two thesis courses are designated 299 and 300 and are normally taken in consecutive semesters. Those students who wish to do supervised research, or a project, but do not wish to pursue the two course Masters thesis option can choose to register for the Independent Research courses under the supervision of a faculty member. Normally, a faculty member must approve your research project and you are expected to work closely under their supervision to complete the course requirements. The actual courses to satisfy the above requirements are made with the advice and consent of your academic advisor. In any event, all courses taken for credit toward the masters degree program must be designated for graduate credit, and no more than 2 courses at the 100 level can be taken for graduate credit. Once you and your advisor agree on your plan of study, submit a Graduate Program of Studies (Form 1) document to your advisor and to the department for approval. This document becomes, upon approval, a plan whereby your progress toward graduation is judged, and it is kept in the SEAS Student Services office. Your Form 1 must show a complete masters program of at least ten courses. Your Form 1 is a plan, not a contract. If you need to change your program for any reason, just complete a new Form 1, and, once it is signed, the new Form 1 supercedes the old one. You cannot graduate until you have passed each course approved on the Form 1 with satisfactory grades. You must decide whether to enroll in the thesis option or the nonthesis option within your area of concentration. This decision is not a permanent commitment; it can be changed at a later time in consultation with your advisor, and documented on a revised Form 1. A summary of the Masters degree program requirements is shown below:
Masters degree: Thesis OptionThe thesis option is intended for students who wish to be involved in research during their master's program. Students who plan to pursue a doctoral degree may find this option particularly rewarding as they learn about research areas and methodology early in their graduate studies. In the thesis option, you will select a research advisor who will guide and oversee the direction of the research. This research advisor may or may not be the same individual as your academic advisor. Normally you select a research advisor from among the professors in your area of concentration.It is your responsibility to solicit a research advisor by visiting a faculty member, describing the interest in thesis research, and obtaining agreement from the professor to direct the research. The professor may decline to direct the research if he is uninterested in the subject matter, does not have sufficient time to devote to the research, or for some other reason. Once you have a research advisor, be certain your Form 1 is up to date; also complete a Form 2 to document your research topic. You can start research on your thesis whenever it is convenient for you and your research advisor. Once the thesis is completed, you must defend it, normally in an oral presentation and examination before a committee consisting of your research advisor and at least two other faculty members. Complete a Form 3, which essentially is a formal request for an examination of the Master's thesis. Following the defense of the thesis, an additional form is available for certifying that the defense was successful. Masters degree: Scholarship RequirementsThe grades given for graduate credit in courses numbered 200 or greater is as follows:
Other grades that may be assigned are A-, B+, B-, C+, and C-. A minimum grade-point average of 3.0 is required for award of a master's degree. A student who receives two grades of F or three grades below B- is barred from further enrollment in graduate courses and ordinarily will not be readmitted as a degree candidate. A student may not repeat for credit a course in which he or she has received a grade of C- or above, unless required to do so by the department chair. A written statement requiring the student to repeat such a course for credit must be submitted to the registrar by the department chair. Withdrawals and Incompletes You may withdraw from a course at any time, without academic penalty, before the last day of classes. Submit a properly signed drop/add form through the proper channels. If you withdraw after the official end of the drop/add period (normally after the fourth week of classes), the grade of W will appear on your transcript. This has no effect on your grade-point average. See the Bulletin regarding the amount of tuition to be refunded. Tuition refunds are the responsibility of the University administration; the Department has no control over these. At the option of the instructor, the grade of I may be recorded if a student, for reasons beyond his control, is unable to complete the work of the course and if the instructor is informed of and approves such reasons before the date when grades must be reported. The grade is used only if the student's prior performance and class attendance is satisfactory. Any failure to complete the work of a course that is not satisfactorily explained will be graded F. If acceptable reasons are later presented, the instructor might initiate an appropriate grade change. VERY IMPORTANT: A grade of Incomplete carries with it a non-negotiable obligation to complete the course. The grade of I cannot be removed by registering for the course a second time at GW, by "sitting through" the class again, or by taking its equivalent elsewhere. The only way to remove the I is to complete the course work. An incomplete that is not removed within one calendar year is automatically changed to an F. The department recommends that a student seek to remove an incomplete grade as soon as possible. The student must submit a formal request in writing to request receiving an incomplete grade (the form is available from the SEAS Student Services Office or the CS Department). The instructor will state the work to be completed and the date by which it is to be completed in order to remove the grade of I. Only the instructor who granted the grade of I may change the grade. The grade of Z is assigned when a student is registered for a course that he has not attended and for which he has done no substantial graded work. A grade of Z appears on the transcript but does not affect the grade-point average. If you unexpectedly receive a Z in a course, contact the instructor, as this may have been caused by a misunderstanding or paperwork error. Residence and Continuous EnrollmentAll work for the degree must be done in residence (that is, in the Washington area and registered at GW) unless a special exception is granted by the department chair.In addition, you are expected to be continuously enrolled in the School until the degree is conferred. In special circumstances such as:
If you are taking no courses for a semester (for example, because you have already taken two courses of thesis work but are still finishing your thesis), then he must enroll in the "Continuing Research" course (code number is available from the CS Department) for 1 credit hour. This credit hour does not count toward the degree requirements. If you have completed all degree requirements before a given semester, and are awaiting graduation at the end of that semester, you must register for "Continuous Enrollment." The course and code numbers are available from the CS Department or the SEAS Student Services office. VERY IMPORTANT: Do not, under any circumstances, simply "disappear" before you have completed graduation requirements. This will cause you much more paperwork than the alternatives, and is academically very risky, because a student who "breaks registration" (neither takes any courses, nor enrolls in an inactive status)is dropped from University rolls and must apply for readmission to the degree program under whatever conditions and regulations are in force at that time. Masters degree: Time LimitA time limit is imposed upon the degree programs. A full-time student is allowed a maximum of three calendar years (excluding time spent taking only English as a Foreign Language) to complete all degree requirements. A part-time student is allowed a maximum of five calendar years. These time limits do not include any period of registration as an unclassified student before admission to degree candidate status or any period spent on approved leave of absence.Students who do not complete degree requirements within the allowed time will have their degree candidate status terminated. They may be readmitted to degree candidate status under conditions by the department chair and approved by the dean. Master's degree: Changing Areas of ConcentrationThere is no formal process to change your area of focus/concentration. After switching to a new area of concentration, you may need to complete a new Graduate Program of Studies (Form 1).Masters degree: GraduationVERY IMPORTANT: You must apply to graduate.Application forms may be obtained from the SEAS Student Services Office (Tompkins 102), and are due October 1 for graduation at the end of the Fall semester, and February 1 for graduation at the end of the Spring semester. Before applying, contact SEAS Student Services to ascertain that all graduate courses have been completed satisfactorily. This is done by comparing the list of all graduate courses taken, with grades, to the list of courses appearing on the Graduate Program of Studies (Form 1) on file with the records office. Discrepancies will hinder the graduation process. |
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