Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Master of Computer Information Science

Program Overview

The Computer Science track in the Master of Computer and Information Science (MCIS) program at Cleveland State University is a professional degree program specifically designed to combine a thorough education in computer and information science with applications in the areas of business, engineering, mathematics, or other relevant fields.  The program emphasizes study of computing using the latest technologies.  It focuses on the theoretical capabilities of computing including problem solving and algorithms.  Graduates of the program will be prepared for immediate employment in business, industry and government, or pursue higher studies in the discipline.

 

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Contact Info

Application and admission questions: Dr. Haodong Wang, Graduate Program Director

 

Admission Requirements

Applicants with a bachelor's degree in computer science or computer engineering are encouraged to apply.  Applicants in related fields will also be considered for admission, but they may be required to take additional prerequisite courses.  Credits earned for prerequisite courses cannot be used to meet graduate program requirements.  Admission to the program requires a minimum undergraduate cumulative grade-point average of 3.0.  The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) are required for all international students.

The GRE is also required if one or more of the following conditions is true:

  • The undergraduate degree was awarded by a college or university outside of the United States or Canada, or by a Canadian institution not accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers.
  • An unaccredited college or university awarded the undergraduate degree.
  • The undergraduate degree was in a discipline unrelated to software engineering, electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, or information management.
  • The year of the baccalaureate degree precedes the date of application to the College of Graduate Studies by more than six years.
  • International students should refer to the International Student Admission section of the Graduate Catalog for more information.

If the GRE is required, a minimum score of the 60th percentile in the Quantitative Reasoning portion is required, but this minimum score does not guarantee admission.

If an English language proficiency examination is required, then a TOEFL score of at least 550 on the paper-based exam, 78 on the internet exam (including at least 20 in reading, 21 in listening, 17 in writing, and 20 in speaking), 6.0 on the IELTS exam, 5.0 on the iTEP exam, or 213 on the computer-based exam, is required.  Students who do not satisfy these requirements, but who do satisfy the University's TOEFL requirements, will be tested upon arrival at CSU by the English as a Second Language Program.  Depending on test results, students may be required to take a writing (ESL 502) and/or speaking (ESL 503) course.

Preparatory Program

Students who do not have a degree in a computing field, and who want to apply for the graduate degree in Computer Science, will be required to complete the following preparatory program and earn a grade of B or better in each course. Students who previously earned a grade of B or better in an equivalent course can have the corresponding requirements waived with prior authorization by the program.

Analytical Methods
ESC 310 Probability and Statistics for Engineers
MTH 220 Introduction to Discrete Mathematics

Application Programming
CIS 260 - Introduction to Programming
CIS 265 - Data Structures (Prerequisites: CIS 260)
CIS 390 - Introduction to Algorithms (Prerequisite: CIS 265)

Systems Programming
CIS 335 - Language Processors (Prerequisite: CIS 265)
CIS 340 - C/C++ For Systems Programming (Co-requisite: CIS 265)
CIS 345 - Operating Systems (Prerequisite: CIS 340)

Degree Requirements

The degree requires a minimum of 32 credit hours. Students in the MCIS-CS program may elect to complete a thesis option or a non-thesis option. Students are encouraged to select the thesis option.

Thesis Sub-track
Students in the Thesis track are required to complete a minimum of 12 credits of elective coursework in addition to 6 credits of MS thesis research.
Non-Thesis Sub-track
Students in the Thesis track are required to complete a minimum of 18 credits of elective coursework.
Internship Option
Students who select the Internship Option are required to complete at least one credit of EEC 602 Internship in addition to the minimum 32 credit hours required for the graduate program.


Core Courses – 14 credits
All students are required to complete the following core courses:

  • CIS 600 Advanced Computer Architecture
  • CIS 601 Graduate Seminar in Computer Science
  • CIS 606 Analysis of Algorithms     
  • CIS 620 Advanced Operating Systems
  • CIS 600 Advanced Computer Architecture
  • CIS 524 Programming Languages


Elective Courses

  • CIS 530 Introduction to Database Systems and Processing
  • CIS 554 Data Communications and Networking
  • CIS 580 Introduction to Computer Architecture
  • CIS 590 Foundations of Computing
  • CIS 611 Relational Database Systems
  • CIS 612 Advanced Topics In Database Systems
  • CIS 630 Enterprise Application Development
  • CIS 631 Distributed Object Systems
  • CIS 632 Mobile Computing (cross-listed as EEC 687)
  • CIS 634 Object-Oriented Software Engineering
  • CIS 635 Software Engineering Metrics, Economics, & Management
  • CIS 650 Compiler Design
  • CIS 658 Multimedia Computing
  • CIS 660 Data Mining (cross-listed as EEC 525)
  • CIS 666 Artificial Intelligence
  • CIS 667 Bioinformatics
  • CIS 675 Information Security
  • EEC 521 Software Engineering
  • EEC 522 Software Systems Modeling and Analysis
  • EEC 621 Internet Software Systems
  • EEC 622 Formal Methods in Software Engineering
  • EEC 623 Software Quality Assurance
  • EEC 624 Software Testing
  • EEC 625 Software Design and Architecture
  • EEC 683 Computer Networks II
  • EEC 684 Parallel Processing Systems
  • EEC 688 Secure and Dependable Computing

 

Financial Assistance

The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science offers a number of research and teaching assistantships and graduate tuition grants. In addition, internships in local industry are available.

 

Research

Faculty members are engaged in research in a wide variety of topics in the field of Computer Science and Engineering. There are a number of active, externally funded, projects in areas such as computer network security, software engineering, mobile computing, distributed computing, and computer science education.

 

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