Topics:

1.    About the Handbook for Graduate Students

2.    The University of Texas - Pan American Department of Computer Science

3.    Master’s Programs Overview

4.    Course Scheduling and Timelines for Completing the Master’s Degrees

5.    Application for Admission

6.    Admission Status and Prescribed Prerequisite Courses

7.    Financial Assistance

 8.    Selecting an Advisor

 9.    Degree Requirements, Catalog Date, and Degree Plan

10.    Required Faculty Supervised Work: Project or Thesis

11.    Final Examination

12.    Individual Research and Study

13.    Maintaining “Satisfactory Progress”

14.    Application for Graduation

15.    Graduation Ceremonies

16.    After Graduation

1.    About the Handbook for Graduate Students

This handbook provides detailed information concerning the Computer Science Master’s program at the University of Texas - Pan American (UTPA). It is meant to serve as a guide for students in successfully completing the program. It is primarily intended for students who are currently pursuing degrees in the program and assumes some familiarity with the university and its policies. The UTPA Graduate Catalog and other sections of the Department web site contain more detailed information about calendars, dates for deadlines, program requirements, as well as a listing of course descriptions.   

2.    The University of Texas - Pan American Department of Computer Science

The UTPA computer science program was established in 1983, and in 1995 the Department of Computer Science was formed from the former Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. The master’s program in computer science began in 1997 and the information technology program began in 2001. In 2008 there are about 70 students and some 20 degrees will be awarded. The department's web site, www.cs.panam.edu, provides more information, detailed descriptions of faculty research programs, etc. The primary contact for questions and information related specifically to the graduate programs is the Director. More general information is available from the Department Chair.

Department Computing facilities available to graduate students include the Advanced Studies Laboratory (open to all graduate students) and smaller laboratories focused on research. All graduate students receive departmental accounts for access to computing facilities, email, and storage upon entry to the program and for one year after graduation. Other computing facilities are available to all university students in the adjacent Academinc Services Building and include over 500 PC's and a laboratory of Sun workstations.

3.    Master’s Programs Overview

The Master of Science programs provides a broad foundation in computer science and in depth studies in several area. A core of computer science or information technology lecture courses is required. Further courses are selected from the 22 additional computer science and information technology courses and graduate courses in other departments.  Detailed information about degree requirements for the MS in Computer Science is available here, and for the Master's of Science in Information Technology, here. The program is designed to prepare students for positions in industry and education, enhance skills for the practicing professional, and supply a foundation for study at the doctoral level.

Currently, there are about 70 students actively pursuing master’s degrees. About one-half are fulltime students, with most of those employed on campus in the Department as Teaching and Research Assistants or in other technical position at UTPA. Most students work full time, and graduate classes are offered in the evening, Monday through Thursday.

4.    Course Scheduling and Timelines for Completing the Master’s Degrees

4.1     Scheduling of Courses

Required graduate courses are offered once each year in the Fall or Spring semester. Elective courses are typically offered once every two years. Other courses, such as Master's Thesis, Master's Project, and Independent Research and Study, are offered each semester. Schedules for future semesters are available here. Registration in any thesis, project, or research course requires consent of the instructor prior to registration. Information about room assignment is available through the online university ASSIST system.

4.2     Timelines for Completing Degree

4.2.1    MS in Computer Science

For students entering the program with a bachelor’s degree in computer science who are able to enroll fulltime (9 hours for graduate students) the expected time to complete the required 36 hours is two years. Relatively few courses are offered in the summer.

Students pursuing the MS in Computer science who enter the program with bachelor’s degrees in other areas are typically required to complete the graduate level foundation courses (e.g., CSCI 6300 and CSCI 6301). Undergraduate courses may also be required. The student’s acceptance letter specifies for each student the exact courses that must be completed. After acceptance, the student is to meet with the Graduate Director to ensure the sequence of courses prescribed in the acceptance letter correctly reflects the student's preparation. This is particularly important for students entering the programs with degrees granted outside the US, as the university depends on an outside firm to evaluate transcripts. The foundation courses are prerequisites for most of the required and elective courses which must be completed for the degree. It may not be possible to complete the degree as quickly when foundation courses are required, as when they are not required, due to prerequisite requirements. When foundation courses are required, the exact length of time will depend on the students background in computer science, specific offerings of courses, etc. The program Director or student’s advisor can address individual cases.

4.2.1.1     Example Timeline: Student with Bachelor’s in Computer Science, Thesis Option

Students are encouraged to complete required courses in the first year. All students complete a thesis or project working closely with faculty. The thesis option requires a semester of individualized study prior to enrollment in thesis courses. The thesis option is available to all students, though students who complete two foundations courses (see next example) may need to complete more than the minimum 36 hours in order to pursue the three semester thesis course sequence. The sample timeline below details a sequence of required courses, elective courses, pre-thesis study, and thesis work. Note that pre-thesis study begins in the second semester.  

4.2.2.2     Example Timeline: Student with Bachelor’s in field other than Computer Science and completing foundation courses, Project Option.

The example below is somewhat of a best case for students who will complete the two foundation courses. The timeline assumes that the student has the prerequisite mathematical background to enter the required course, Theoretical Foundations of Computer Science, in the first semester. The timeline also assumes that the student will be prepared to enroll in two elective courses elective courses offered the following semester. If the student is not prepared to enroll in two elective courses offered, it will be necessary to defer completion of required electives. This will result in a schedule which is less balanced with regards to the number of hours completed each semester. 12 hours should be considered the maximum number of hours attempted in any semester. There are certain scenarios of course offerings and student preparation which preclude completion of the degree in two years. Also, a written final examination covering material in the required courses must be completed with the project option during the student’s final semester. Time for independent study in preparation for this examination should be allotted during the semester in which it is taken.  

4.2.2     Master of Science in Information Technology

Students can complete the MS-IT degree in two years of full time (9 hours or more) study. Students are encouraged to complete required courses in the first year. Time should be allocated to preparation for the final examination during the semester in which it is taken.

5.    Application for Admission

Application to both the University and Department is through a single online application. Information about the application process is available at the University's Office of Graduate Studies. Admission to the MS program in Computer Science and the MS program in Information Technology requires admission to the Graduate School. Student's with a bachelor's degree in any field may enter either program. For applicants who do not hold a bachelor's degree in computer science a sequence of courses will be prescribed to prepare the student for graduate work.

6. Admission Status and Prescribed Prerequisite Courses

To be considered for unconditional admission to the Computer Science Master's program, in addition to meeting Graduate School admission requirements, the applicant must have 1) a grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 semester hours, or 90 quarter hours, of undergraduate courses completed, as shown on official transcripts, and 2) academic preparation for graduate work in computer science. This preparation is be shown by a) a bachelor's degree in computer science or b) a bachelor's degree in another field and graduate or advanced undergraduate courses preparing the student for graduate studies.  For applicants who do not hold a bachelor's degree in computer science a set of prerequiste courses will be prescribed.

Conditional/probationary admission will be considered for an applicant who does not satisfy the criteria for unconditional admission. For applicants who do not hold a bachelor's degree in computer science a sequence of courses will be prescribed by the Graduate Program Director to address the prerequisite requirements.  Conditional/probationary admission will be continued until a maximum of 9 semester hours of graduate courses has been attempted.  Successful completion (a grade of B, or higher) of all graduate courses attempted and successful completion of all prescribed prerequisite courses is required to receive unconditional admission to the program.

7.    Financial Assistance

Teaching assistantships are awarded by the department on a competitive basis.  Research assistantships are awarded on a project-by-project basis by the principal investigator on research and contract projects.  There are also fellowship opportunities for students who intend to continue study elsewhere at the doctoral level. For more information concerning application materials for assistantships and fellowships contact the Graduate Coordinator.  Loans and work-study are available through the Student Financial Aid Office and require filing a FAFSA form.  Information regarding loans, workstudy, and employment opportunities is available from Student Financial Assistance at (210) 381-2501.

 8.    Selecting an Advisor

All students should seek to identify a faculty member who will serve as their advisor for the technical work required to complete a thesis or project within their first one or two semesters of graduate study. This is particularly important for students who wish to pursue the thesis option for the MS-CS. In the required first semester seminar, CSCI 6174: Open Problems in Computer Science and Information Technology, each faculty member presents an overview of his or her research program. This serves as introduction to the research and interests of the department faculty, and students are strongly encouraged to follow up from faculty presentations with visits with the faculty members.

 9.    Degree Requirements, Catalog Date, and Degree Plan

Detailed degree requirements for the Master's of Science in Computer Science are available, here, and for the Master's of Science in Information Technology, here. In general there are courses that are required, selected from a set by the student (elective), and the degree's final project or thesis. Over the years, changes are occasionally made to degree requirements. In the event that changes are made to degree requirements after a student has enrolled, the student may elect to either meet the degree requirements in place at the date of first enrollment or those in effect at a later date.

There are university forms called Degree Plans that summarize student course work in tabular form and map courses into categories available for the MS-CS and MS-IT. These are completed at the time the student files (and pays for) the Application for Graduation (see below).

10.    Required Faculty Supervised Work: Project or Thesis

Students in the MS-CS program complete either a thesis or project. Students in the MS-IT program complete a project.

The MS-CS thesis option entails three semesters' study under the direction of a faculty member (CSCI 6380 and for 2 semesters CSCI 7300 ). Through these courses, the student gains an understanding of an area of current research and contributes to the state of the art in that area. The thesis option is chosen by students seeking to be involved in the Department's research efforts. The project option provides a more application-oriented experience completed in a single semester and is typically a software project supervised by one the department's faculty members.

For both MS-CS and MS-IT the master’s project is a semester long, typically software, project completed under the supervision of a faculty member. The project is usually selected and closely defined by the faculty supervisor, and the student’s effort is directed at the programming and documentation elements of the software system. More latitude may be allowed in system specification by a faculty member, but this is determined by the individual faculty member supervising the project.

A master’s thesis requires two semester’s work in addition to preparatory work in CSCI 6380. Any student 1) considering seeking a doctorate, 2) interested in working on a start of the art problem in computing, and/or 3) who desires to complete some course degree requirements through the thesis, rather than classroom coursework, should complete a thesis, rather than a project. The goal of the student’s thesis work is to or explore and hopefully advance the state of the art in computing. The work is supervised by the student’s thesis advisor and must be approved by the student’s thesis committee, consisting of three or more faculty members. The student’s initial efforts entail a review of relevant published literature in the field of interest, followed by a definition of the problem to be investigated, culminating in a formal, written proposal for the master’s thesis. This stage of work is ideally completed during enrollment in CSCI 6380. Over two semester’s enrollment in CSCI 7300, the student then typically completes a significant programming project that has been defined through the literature review and interaction with the thesis advisor and committee. Upon completion of the work, a written report of the work is distributed to the student’s thesis committee. The work is finally presented to the committee and others of the university community who might wish to attend. If the work is satisfactory, the thesis is complete and a bound volume of the report is placed in the university and department libraries. The quality of thesis work in the department has been high with the large majority of theses published in refereed conference proceedings or journals with the student as an author.

11. Final Examination

Students completing the MS-IT and MS-CS with project option must pass the degree's final examination. The examination covers the degree's required courses and is offered once each semester, typically six weeks prior to the end of the semester. Students should notify the Graduate Programs Director of their intent to take the examination and may request a set of sample questions.

12.    Individual Research and Study

The department provides the opportunity for students to complete independent research or study of topics not covered in classes through CSCI 6381: Independent Research and Study. Students typically make arrangement with the faculty member who would supervise the efforts well prior to the semester for which enrollment is anticipated. Enrollment in this course requires consent of the instructor.

13.    Maintaining “Satisfactory Progress”

Students are expected to maintain satisfactory progress in the program.  Satisfactory progress is maintained by having a 3.0 or higher grade point average each semester and receiving no more than two grades of C in all graduate courses.  Monitoring of progress in the program and counseling are the responsibility of the student's graduate faculty advisor.  If a student does not maintain satisfactory progress each semester, the student's advisor will notify members of the department's Graduate Committee.  The Committee will then meet to consider the student's continuation or termination in the program and may assign leveling course work.

14.    Application for Graduation

About six months prior to anticipated graduation the student completes the university's Application for Graduation in the Office of the Registrar and pays a $35 fee. Deadlines for each semester are listed in the Graduate Catalog. The Registrar's Office sends the Application for Graduation to the Department and at that time the student's degree plan is forwarded with the Application for approval by the college Dean's office and the university's Office of Graduate Studies.

15.    Graduation Ceremonies

Graduation ceremonies are held at the end of the Fall, Spring, and summer semesters, typically in December, May and August. There is no fee for guest attendance, but it is necessary to request tickets from the Graduate Office. Regalia rental is available through the university.

16.    After Graduation

The Department makes its best effort to maintain current addresses, contact information and employment positions for our graduates. Please drop the Department a note periodically with new information.