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2020-2021 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog

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Combined Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Master of Science in Data Science and Analytics

Qualified undergraduates may be admitted to a combined bachelor's/master's program and obtain both a B.S. in computer science (CS) and an M.S. in data science and analytics (DSA) within an accelerated time frame. Students admitted to this program will count up to 12 credits of graduate work in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the undergraduate. After completing 120 credits and all requirements for the bachelor's degree, students are awarded a bachelor's degree. A minimum of 21 graduate credits must be completed after the 120 credits of the bachelor's degree. All other master's degree requirements must be met.

Admission

Students will normally apply directly to the School of Computing and Information Systems for the combined B.S./M.S. program during their second academic year. Application requirements include:

  • Overall GPA of 3.25 or greater
  • Student must have been admitted to the computer science program
  • 60 hours of academic credit have been completed or are in progress
  • Two letters of recommendation
  • Academic transcripts (unofficial transcripts are allowable)
  • Letter of intent

Admission decisions will be made by the school admissions committee based on the student's previous academic success in computer science, as indicated by GPA and grades in the foundation computer science courses, as well as potential success in the graduate program, as indicated by the letters of recommendation, and the student's letter of intent. Decisions will normally be communicated to students within four weeks of submitting a complete application to the combined degree program.

Requirements

During Undergraduate Studies

All university requirements, including general education courses, must be completed before the final (graduate) year of the combined B.S./M.S. program. In the final undergraduate year, students will normally take 12 credits of graduate-level courses. If any courses are dual-listed, students in the combined B.S./M.S. program must complete all assignments expected of graduate students and they will be evaluated in the same way as graduate students.

  • Students will be considered undergraduates for tuition, academic requirements and financial aid purposes until all requirements for the undergraduate degree are completed. Following this they will be considered graduate students, will pay graduate tuition, and will be eligible for graduate financial aid.
  • The school has identified the following courses that students may dual-count toward the B.S. and M.S. degrees. Up to 12 credits can be dual counted. Students are strongly encouraged to work with the graduate program director in DSA to ensure all undergraduate and graduate requirements are met.
    • CIS 635 as both a DSA requirement and a CS elective
    • CIS 660 as both a DSA requirement and a CS elective
    • CIS 671 as both a DSA requirement and a CS elective
    • PSM 691 as both the DSA internship and the CS internship (CIS 490)
      Note: DSA students normally take 4-credit internships, while CS students only need two credits. To keep the number of dual counted credits to 12, only three of the credits for PSM 691 will be counted toward CIS 490.
  • It is recommended that students interested in the combined CS/DSA degree choose STA 216 as their math/statistics cognate elective, as STA 216 is the prerequisite for all of the DSA statistics courses.

During Graduate Studies

A student shall be considered a graduate student for all purposes upon either of the following events: the award of a baccalaureate degree or the completion of 120 credit hours.

Graduation Without Completion of the Program

If a student decides at some point to pursue only the undergraduate portion of the combined degree, the school will still recognize the graduate courses taken in lieu of undergraduate courses. Credit from the undergraduate degree cannot be used toward a graduate degree at a later date.

The student will still be responsible for completing all of their CS electives and the internship: CIS 490.

Suggested Order of Coursework

This sample order of coursework assumes that students will complete the CS foundation and general education courses with the help of their advisor and apply for undergraduate admission at the end of the winter semester of their second year. The following course sequence also assumes a strong mathematics background for the entering student. If mathematics deficiencies exist, completing the mathematics prerequisites should be the student's top priority.

Note: This is only one of many possible sequences of courses. Students are strongly encouraged to work with the graduate program director in DSA to ensure all undergraduate and graduate requirements are met, and to customize the combined program to their areas of interest. The following sequence makes no attempt to minimize credits. For example, the sequence assumes that all general education courses are distinct, and no "double dipping" is done.

Year One

Fall Semester:

Winter Semester:

Year Two

Fall Semester:

Winter Semester:

Year Three

Fall Semester:

Winter Semester:

Year Four

Fall Semester:

Winter Semester:

Spring/Summer Semester:

Year Five

Fall Semester:

Winter Semester:

Undergraduate credits that count toward B.S.

107

Graduate credits that count toward B.S. and M.S.

12 (Note: Only three credits of PSM 691 apply to B.S.)

Graduate credits that count toward M.S.

24

Total credits

143


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