Graduate Programs

Computer Science M.S.

The master’s program in computer science is designed to prepare students for advanced careers in the computer industry, to create a research environment in computer science, and to prepare students for graduate work at the Ph.D. level.

See University master’s degree requirements. The master’s program in computer science consists of two options. The first option involves the completion of an approved program of 45 credits. The second option requires the completion of an approved program of 45 credits, which includes 6 to 9 credits of thesis. In both options, coursework is to include core courses in theory and programming practice, plus a 9-credit concentration in one of the areas listed on the computer science departmental web site. For the thesis option, successful completion of a final oral examination covering the thesis is required.

Theory Requirement

One theory course from:

CS 581Theory of Computation

3

CS 584Algorithm Design and Analysis

3

CS 578Programming Language Semantics

3

Total Credit Hours: 3

Practice Requirement

One programming practice course from:

CS 558Programming Languages

3

Or any 500-level course designated by the department as a programming-intensive course.

Total Credit Hours: 3

Electives

You must take enough electives to have at least 45 total credits for the degree.  Electives can be any 500 level CS course. 15 elective credits can be from outside of Computer Science, such as ECE or Math. These non-CS courses must be graduate level and either belong to a list of pre-approved courses or have advisor approval. Students should obtain advisor approval in advance to avoid the risk of taking a course that will not be approved.  To request approval, submit a plan of study with the courses listed to the Graduate Advisor. Please note that non-PSU pre-admission credits are considered credits from outside our department.

Total Credit Hours: 30

Track Requirement

Take three courses from one of the following tracks:

Databases

Covers concepts, languages, implementation and application of  database management systems. Other topics that have been offered in the track include formal foundations of databases, databases for cloud and cluster environments, and data stream systems.
CS 586Introduction to Database Management Systems

3

And two courses from the following*:
CS 587Database Management Systems Implementation

3

CS 558Programming Languages

3

*Or any approved CS 510 course in Databases.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Covers modern algorithms underlying intelligent and learning systems.  Examples of topics covered in courses on this track include knowledge representation, planning, reasoning, combinatorial and adversarial search methods, natural language processing, computer vision, statistical machine learning, and evolutionary and reinforcement learning.
CS 541Artificial Intelligence

3

CS 545Machine Learning

3

One course from the following*:
CS 542Advanced Artificial Intelligence: Combinatorial Games

3

CS 543Advanced Artificial Intelligence: Combinatorial Search

3

CS 546Advanced Topics in Machine Learning

3

CS 570Machine Learning Seminar

1

Stat 671Statistical Learning I

3

Stat 672Statistical Learning II

3

Stat 673Statistical Learning III

3

*Or any approved CS 510 course in Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning.

Languages and Programming

Focuses on the design, implementation, and use of programming languages.  It includes exposure to a variety of programming paradigms, experience using programming languages to express the essential abstractions of a problem domain, courses on programming language implementation, and the study of formal methods for specifying and reasoning about programs and programming languages.
CS 558Programming Languages

3

Two courses from the following*:
CS 515Parallel Programming

3

CS 520Object-Oriented Programming & Design

3

CS 553Design Patterns

3

CS 557Functional Programming

3

CS 578Programming Language Semantics

3

*Or any approved CS 510 course in Languages and Programming.

Security

Focuses on protecting computing systems and user data from unauthorized access and use.  Topics include cryptography, network and host-based access control, vulnerability analysis, penetration testing, and reverse engineering.
CS 591Introduction to Computer Security

3

Two courses from the following*:
CS 576Computer Security Research Seminar

3

CS 585Cryptography

3

CS 592Malware Reverse Engineering

3

CS 593Digital Forensics

3

CS 595Web and Cloud Security

3

CS 596Network Security

3

*Or any approved CS 510 course in Security.

Software Engineering

Studies the principles, processes, techniques, and tools for building software systems.  Topics include software requirement, design, development, validation, and maintenance.
CS 554Software Engineering

3

Two courses from the following*:
CS 552Building Software Systems with Components

3

CS 553Design Patterns

3

CS 555Software Specification and Verification

3

CS 556Software Implementation and Testing

3

CS 561Open Source Software Development Laboratory

3

*Or any approved CS 510 course in Software Engineering.

Systems and Networking

Studies the design and implementation of operating systems, wired and wireless computer networks including high performance computer systems, data centers, cloud computing architectures, distributed systems, fault tolerance, concurrency, systems programming, and theoretical topics related to these areas.
CS 533Concepts of Operating Systems

3

CS 594Internetworking Protocols

3

One course from the following*:
CS 515Parallel Programming

3

CS 538Computer Architecture

3

CS 572Operating System Internals

3

CS 598Introduction to Wireless Network Protocols

3

*Or any approved CS 510 course in Systems and Networking.

Total Credit Hours: 9

Total Credit Hours: 45

Application for Graduation

You must apply for graduation no later than the first Friday of the term you wish to graduate.

The application for graduation can be found at: http://www.pdx.edu/ogs/forms

Cumulative Graduate GPA

You must have a graduate GPA of 3.0 or above in all graduate level coursework taken at PSU to graduate from a master's degree, doctoral degree, or graduate certificate program at PSU.

Degree Program GPA

You must have a GPA of 3.0 or above in all courses being used to meet your degree requirements. The number of credits being used to meet your degree requirements appears below along with the GPA for those courses. You must have the minimum number of credits needed for your degree before you can graduate.