Curriculum
The Computer Science track welcomes students who are interested in a variety of technical topics pertaining to the development of software systems such as databases, networks, operating systems, graphics and animation systems, compilers, expert systems, and systems for scientific computing. Students will learn and apply a variety of programming languages and techniques to specify, design, implement, test, and maintain software systems.
Students in the Computer Science track take the required six core courses (core courses cover topics that are essential for the practicing software engineer) and all of the Computer Science track required courses. In addition, students must take two more graduate courses as electives, for a total of 15 courses.
Computer Science Track Electives - 6 credits
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Students can take any other two CS or INFO online (or on-campus) graduate courses except for INFO 605 and INFO 530.
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6 credits
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Core Course Descriptions
CS 544 - Computer Networks
Computer networks and computer communication; network topologies; local area networks and store-and-forward networks; circuit, message, and packet switching; CBX vs. LAN; network protocols and OSI reference model; performance analysis; and distributed systems. Includes case studies.
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CS 575 - Software Design
(Prerequisite: CS 580 or an undergraduate course in software engineering or systems analysis and design. Intended for CS and MSSE students; others must obtain departmental permission to enroll. Minimum Grade: C)
Introduces techniques and notations with formal (mathematical) underpinnings for specifying the structural and behavioral properties of software systems. Covers these systems at various levels of abstraction, from architecture to subsystem decompositions to module/class dependencies and interfaces. Students analyze, synthesize, and express software designs using a variety of special-purpose design notations, and obtain practical experience with a team project. Topics include software architecture, architectural styles, module interconnection languages, modularity and information hiding principles, object-oriented design patterns (structural and behavioral), Petri nets, state charts, state transition diagrams, and Z notation.
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CS 576 - Dependable Software Systems
(Prerequisite: CS 580 or an undergraduate course in software engineering or systems analysis and design. Intended for CS and MSSE students; others must obtain departmental permission to enroll. Minimum Grade: )
Offers an in-depth treatment of software testing and software reliability, two components of developing dependable software systems. Testing topics include path testing, data-flow testing, mutation testing, program slicing, fault interjection and program perturbation, paths and path products, syntax testing, logic-based testing, testing within the software development process, test execution automation and test design automation tools. Reliability topics include reliability metrics, fault avoidance, cleanroom software development, fault tolerance, exception handling, N-version programming, recovery blocks, formal methods, functional specifications, and Z notation.
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INFO 627 - Requirements Engineering & Management
(Pre-Requisites: INFO 620 Minimum Grade: C)
Provides students with an opportunity to explore and experience methodologies, tools, and techniques for eliciting, analyzing, specifying, and managing requirements in modern software development organizations. Focuses on the intersection of requirements engineering, strategic IS and business planning, and business process reengineering. Students will also learn about change management in requirements engineering context in response to a fast- paced, changing world. Upon completion of the course, each student should have new skills and insights that are immediately applicable to the performance of the requirements engineering project function.
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INFO 631 - Information Technology Integration
(Pre-Requisites: INFO 503 Minimum Grade: C and (INFO 532 Minimum Grade: C or INFO 601 Minimum Grade: C ) and INFO 605 Minimum Grade: C and (INFO 534 Minimum Grade: C or INFO 614 Minimum Grade: C ) and BUSN 501 Minimum Grade: C )
Focuses on integration of information technologies from an organizational perspective. Coverage includes IT Product and service selection and evaluation, impact of emerging technologies, standards, and vendor strategies. Emphasizes financial considerations including return on investment, time cost of money, depreciation, and system life.
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INFO 638 - Software Project Management
(Pre-Requisites: INFO 620 Minimum Grade: C)
Focuses on first-line management of software system development. Covers major themes including estimation (software cost factors, estimation models, and risk management), planning (work breakdown, scheduling, staffing, resource allocation, and creation of a project plan), and execution (team building, leadership, motivation, process tracking, control recovery, and communication within and outside the project).
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Computer Science Track Required Course Descriptions
CS 520- Computer Science Foundations
Survey of basic mathematics concepts needed for the study of computer science at the graduate level: induction, iteration, recursion; analysis of program running time; elementary probability and combinatorics; relations, graphs and trees; regular expressions and finite automata; propositional and predicate logic.
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CS 571 - Programming Tools and Environments (Winter)
Covers UNIX operating system, Shell programming, PERL, JAVA, and advanced features of C++ from the viewpoint of efficient software development.
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CS 521 - Data Structures and Algorithms I (Fall)
Techniques for analyzing algorithms: asymptotic notation, recurrences, and correctness of algorithms; divide and conquer: quick sort, merger sort, median and order statistics; elementary data structures: hashing, binary heaps, binary search trees, balanced search trees; graph algorithms: Depth and Breadth first searches, connected components, minimum spanning trees, shortest paths in graphs.
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CS 522 - Data Structures and Algorithms II (Winter)
(Pre-Requisites: CS 521 Minimum Grade: C or CS 557 Minimum Grade: C)
Discussion of algorithm design techniques, augmented data structures including Binomial and Fibonacci heaps and Splay tree; Amortized analysis of data structures, topics in pattern and string matching, network flow problem, matching in bipartite graphs, and topics in complexity theory including reduction and NP-completeness, and approximation algorithms.
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CS 525 - Theory of Computation (Spring)
(Pre-Requisites: CS 521 Minimum Grade: C or CS 557 Minimum Grade: C)
Theory of computation introduces basic mathematical models of computation and the finite representation of infinite objects. These topics covered in the course include: finite automata and regular languages, context free languages, Turning machines, Partial recursive functions, Church?s Thesis, undecidability, reducibility and completeness, and time complexity.
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CS 550 - Programming Languages (Spring)
Covers basic concepts of the design and implementation of programming languages, including data representation and types, functions, sequence control, environments, block structure, subroutines and coroutines, storage management. Emphasizes language features and implementation, not mastery of any particular languages.
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CS 530 - Developing User Interfaces (Fall)
This course examines the implementation of multimodal user interfaces within the context of interface design and evaluation. The course involves both practice implementing interfaces using current technologies and study of topical issues such as rapid prototyping, advanced input, and assistive technology.
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Computer Science Track Electives
Students can take any other two CS or INFO online (or on-campus) graduate courses except for INFO 605 and INFO 530.
