MASTER’S DEGREE PROGRAM IN
Computer Science
College of Engineering,
Design and Computing
University of Colorado Denver
These degree requirements are in effect starting from 2022-2023 Admission.
The Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) offers a Master of Science degree
in Computer Science as part of the Computer Science and Engineering Graduate Program. The
CSE department also offers several graduate certificates, doctorate degrees and undergraduate
degrees. For a complete list of degrees, please visit the CSE website at cse.ucdenver.edu
Research areas of emphasis include: algorithms, automata theory, artificial intelligence,
big data management and mining, bio-informatics, cloud computing, communication
networks, combinatorial geometry, computational geometry, computer graphics, computer
security, computer systems, cyber physical systems, cyber security, database, distributed
computing, graph theory, high performance computing, information theory, internet,
mobile computing, mobile health systems, machine learning, parallel processing,
simulation, and software engineering.
MS in Computer Science Degree Requirements
For students interested in our master’s degree program, please see the College of Engineering,
Design and Computing Graduate Admissions website for admission requirements and deadlines.
Upon admission into the MS program, students are required to show adequate preparation
for their degree plan. Depending on their educational background, students may be
required to complete up to 12 credit hours of core foundational courses in addition to the
required 30 graduate credit hours. (Qualified applicants with no CS background who are
interested in graduate studies in CS may need more foundational courses.)
Master’s degree candidates are required to complete a program of study consisting of a minimum of
30 semester hours of graduate level computer science courses while maintaining a cumulative grade
point average of at least 3.0. Graduate courses with grades below B- cannot be applied towards the
completion of the graduate degree. Foundational courses assigned as part of admission must be
completed with a B or higher.
Students are responsible for completing all requirements towards graduation. Regular visits with a
CSE advisor are expected and will help to verify satisfactory progress towards a degree in computer
science. Students should start their MS Plan of Study during their first semester of study and
updated it on a consistent basis. It is recommended that students get to know CSE faculty well
enough that they can serve as references in the future.
Students who do not enroll for any course work for three consecutive semesters (including
summer) will be discontinued and need to reapply to the program. Students are expected to finish
the MS degree program within 5 years. Students who wish to receive credit for a course taken
longer than five years before their graduation date will need CSE graduate committee approval.
In their final semester, students must apply for graduation through UCD Access before
census date, complete an application for candidacy and meet with their for a graduation
check.
MSCS Graduate Course Categories
MS courses are divided into 3 categories: A, B and C. The number of credit hours
required by category vary by a student’s plan (thesis, project or course only). Students must
consult with their advisor to develop a MS Plan of Study during their first semester. This plan
should be modified and updated during their studies. The student must choose a plan (thesis,
project or course only) before the end of their first year. Each semester a MS Course List with A,
B and C courses is communicated to students and available at the CSE front desk each semester.
Students should consult with their faculty advisor for course selection and to update their plan of
study.
Category A (Core Courses)
CSCI 5446 Theory of Automata
CSCI 5451 Algorithms
CSCI 5593 Advanced Computer Architectures
CSCI 5573 Operating Systems
Category B (Breadth Courses)
In addition to the core courses (Category A), students will take breadth courses taught by the
full-time graduate faculty in the CSE Department. The availability of the courses vary from
semester to semester.
Category C
Category C courses consist of thesis, project, independent study and courses taught by part time or
non-computer science faculty. Students must choose a MS Plan (Plan I, II or III) before taking
Category C courses.
Students may take courses from Mathematics and other Engineering departments as Category C
courses with prior approval of the CSE Graduate Committee. In order to get approval, the student
must meet with their advisor and supply a syllabus for the course. If their advisor supports the
request, they will then forward the request to the CSE Graduate Committee. The decision of the
CSE Graduate Committee will be communicated via email and is final.
Transfer of Credit:
A maximum of nine semester hours of graduate course work may be transferred into the
program based on department approval. These courses are individually evaluated by the CSE
Graduate Committee. Core courses must be taken from the CSE department at CU Denver.
Internships:
Internships are available to students who have completed at least 2 category A courses and have a
cumulative GPA of 3.0. For international students, an internship is required for CPT. Students are
required to register for CSCI 5939 (Internship class), but the credit will not be counted towards MSCS
degree requirements.
MS Plans:
Students may choose Plan I (thesis), Plan II (project), or Plan III (course only). Both Plan I
and II require successful defense of thesis or project in the student’s graduating semester.
Plan III requires successful completion of a final MS course project.
Plan I – Thesis: Students will write and defend a thesis. Students MUST have a thesis advisor
chosen before their second year of study. Students in the thesis plan have priority in obtaining
departmental assistantships.
Students choosing to complete the Data Science and Biomedicine Track must follow the
curriculum requirements in that track. Please refer to the section “Data Science in Biomedicine
Track on the following page.”
Students in Plan I will complete:
A minimum of 9 credits in Category A.
A minimum of 12 credits in Category B. [4
th
Category A courses credited in Cat. B]
A maximum of 9 credits of Category C courses including 6 hours of MS thesis. Plan I
students are allowed to complete up to 3 credits of Independent with approval of their
faculty research advisor.
Plan II – MS Project: Students will write and defend a MS project. Students MUST have a
project advisor chosen before their second year of study.
Students in Plan II will complete:
Minimum of 3 out of 4 Category A courses. Students can complete all 4 if desired.
A minimum of 12 credits in Category B.
A maximum of 6 credits of Category C courses including 3 hours of MS project. Plan II
students are allowed to complete up to 3 credits of Independent with approval of their
faculty research advisor.
*Students can choose to complete all 4 Category A courses if desired, or take an additional Category B
to support their research.
Plan III – Course Only: Students must complete a MS course project. Students may complete
their MS course project after completing 9 credits in Category A. Students must declare their MS
course project in the first two weeks of the semester in which they desire to complete it. A list of
approved courses for the MS course project will be available in the CSE department each semester
before registration begins. The MS course project is an individually written final report
documenting research, implementation, results, analysis, and mastery of the subject. It must
demonstrate scholarly/scientific knowledge acquired over the course of their MS studies.
Students in Plan III will complete:
Minimum of 3 out 4 Category A courses. Students can complete all 4 if desired.
A minimum of 12 credits in Category B.
A maximum of 6 credits of Category C. Independent Study is not allowed.
*Students can choose to complete all 4 Category A courses if desired, or take an additional Category B
course depending on their interest.
Final MS Course Project:
A list of approved MS courses to complete the course project will be
available in the CSE department.
The final MS course project may be taken after completing at least three (3) “category
A” courses.
Students will email Dr. Ilkyeun Ra [Chair of the Graduate Committee] of their course
selection by the second 2
nd
week of the semester.
The instructor of the approved MS courses will submit his/her evaluation along with the
completed course project report to the Graduate Committee by the end of each semester.
The final course project must meet the following requirements:
1. Must be an individual semester term project.
2. Must demonstrate the mastery of the subject.
3. Must demonstrate scholarly/scientific knowledge acquired over the course of their
MS studies.
4. Must require significant research and implementation.
5. Must produce a written a final report documenting research,
implementation, results, analysis, and bibliography.
In any of the plans, if a student receives lower than a B- in a Category A course, the student can take a fourth
category A (other than the one he/she failed in) to satisfy minimum requirement of three Category A.
Academic Advisor
• A student who is in Plan I (thesis), and Plan II (MS project), will need to choose a full-time Computer
Science and Engineering faculty member with a graduate faculty appointment as a Thesis/MS Project
Advisor. The Thesis/MS Project Advisor will chair the Thesis/MS Project Committee. The
Thesis/MS Project Committee will consist of at least three members, two of whom must be CSE
graduate faculty members.
• Thesis/MS Project and Independent Study supervision:
1.
Full-time CSE faculty who are members of the CU Denver Graduate School may supervise thesis,
MS Project, and graduate independent studies.
2.
Tenured/tenure-track faculty from outside of CSE department may co-advise MS thesis, MS
Project, and graduate independent studies, along with the approval of the designated CSE faculty
advisor.
3.
Part-time CSE faculty, e.g., lecturers, honoraria, graduate students, may not supervise thesis and
MS Project. They may, however, serve as informal supervisors of graduate independent studies,
sponsored by a full-time tenured/tenure-track CSE faculty who is a member of the CU Denver
Graduate School faculty as the supervisor-of-record.
Students in the thesis plan have priority in obtaining departmental assistantships.
Data Science in Biomedicine Track (Plan I)
The Data Science in Biomedicine Track is offered under the Computer Science Master of
Science degree program for students who choose Plan I - Thesis. It is best to plan out the track
starting the first year to ensure timely graduation and availability of electives.
Track Requirements
36 Credit hours Total.
In addition to Plan I requirements, the student will complete an additional 9 credits of
electives from a list of courses related to Biomedical Computing and Informatics,
Bioinformatics, Health Informatics, etc. (meet with an advisor for current course
offerings).
Category B courses must be selected among CS courses focused on data science and
engineering and be approved by the program director.
Write a thesis with a focus on Data Science in Biomedicine.
Graduate Certificates
Graduate Certificate in Software Engineering
Students interested in the Graduate certificate in Software Engineering should follow Plan III-
Course Only option.
Certificate Objectives
To provide working or career-oriented students with knowledge and practice of the applied skills
needed to become successful software engineers. The learning outcomes are:
Learn basic knowledge for software requirements analysis and development.
Learn advanced skills for various techniques in software requirement analysis.
Learn how to design large scale complex systems and enterprise data systems
Master skills for development and management of large complex systems: software
planning, estimations, staffing, and scheduling.
Process to Attain Certificate Objectives
Students are required to take the following courses:
Software Architecture (CSCI 5010) AND
Software Project Management (CSCI 5011) AND
Either CSCI 5573 (Operating Systems) or CSCI 5593 (Advanced Computer
Architectures
Students must take and pass each course with a grade of B- or better and earn a GPA of at least 3.0
to obtain the Software Engineering Certificate.
Graduate Certificate in Cyber Security and Defense
The Graduate Certificate in Cyber Security and Defense prepares computer science professionals to
identify, analyze and mitigate technical cybersecurity related vulnerabilities, exploits and attacks
against network and critical cyber infrastructure. The coursework emphasizes practical technical
skills, analysis and research focused on current cybersecurity issues
Certificate Objectives
This certificate program focuses on both the technical and analytical aspects of advanced cyber
security and defense. The learning outcomes are:
Learn how to mitigate known cyber-related attaches against multiple network and
infrastructure devices.
Learn how to design secure solutions, analyze new cyber-attacks.
Provide solutions that balance risk, security, privacy, cost and operations.
Program Learning Outcomes
1. Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of cybersecurity principles and practices.
2. Identify and analyze various types of cyber and infrastructure threats and apply basic cybersecurity
defense concepts to develop and assess defensive solutions against them.
3. Apply cybersecurity knowledge and skills to maintain operations in the presence of risks.
4. Understand the national needs in the area of cybersecurity and learn the necessary skills to advance
their careers as practicing cybersecurity professionals.
5. Understand their professional responsibilities and make informed judgments in their cybersecurity
practices based on legal and ethical principles.
Process to Attain Certificate Objectives
Student will need to complete a sequence of four separate graduate-level courses:
CSCI 5742 —3 credits - Cybersecurity Programming and Analysis
CSCI 5743 —3 credits – Cyber and Infrastructure Defense
CSCI 5573 —3 credits – Operating Systems
CSCI 5765 - 3 credits – Computer Networks
Students must take and pass each course with a grade of B- or better and earn a GPA of at least
3.0 to obtain the Cyber Security and Defense Certificate.
Contact Information:
Please contact the CSE Department for information, appointments, and inquiries:
Mailing
Address:
Department of Computer Science and
Engineering Campus Box 109
PO Box 173364
Denver, CO 80217 - 3364
Location: Lawrence Street Center 8
th
floor
Telephone: (303) 315-1408
Fax: (303) 315-1410
Email: [email protected]
Department Staff:
Christina Ridd, Program Manager
Phone: 303-315-1411
Email: [email protected]
Megan Rogers, Graduate Coordinator and
Program Assistant
Phone: 303-315-1413
Email: [email protected]
FT CSE Faculty
Alaghband, Gita
Ph.D. University of Colorado Boulder
Research areas: parallel and distributed systems, high performance computing,
operating systems, computer architecture, simulation
Al Borno, Mazen
Ph.D. University of Toronto
Research areas: computational models, motor neuroscience, robotics
Altman, Tom
Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh
Research areas: theory, algorithms
Banaei-Kashani, Farnoush
Ph.D. University of Southern California
Research areas: big data, data science, data management and mining, database
systems, applied machine learning, computational biomedicine and biology
Biswas, Ashis Kumer
Ph.D. University of Texas at Arlington
Research areas: machine Learning, big data, deep learning, data science, and
bioinformatics
Choi, Min-Hyung
Ph.D. University of Iowa
Research areas: computer graphics, virtual reality, human computer interaction
Debnath, Madhuri
Ph.D. University of Texas at Arlington
Research areas: data mining, spatio-temporal data analysis, data science,
machine learning
Gethner, Ellen
Ph.D. University of British Columbia (Computer Science)
Ph.D. Ohio State University (Mathematics)
Research areas: graph theory and graph algorithms, combinatorial, discrete and
computational geometry, discrete mathematics, number theory
He, Liang
Ph.D. Nankai University, Tianjin, China
Research areas: cyber-physical systems, cognitive battery management, mobile
computing and systems, internet of things, networking and communication
Jafarian, J. Haadi
Ph.D. University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Research areas: proactive security for cyber threats, big data analytics for cyber
threat intelligence, security analytics and automation, and security of cyber-physical
systems and internet of things (IoT)
Lakhani, Salim
Ph.D. Purdue University
Research areas: cloud computing and security, distributed computing &
database systems.
Li, Zhengxiong
Ph.D. SUNY Buffalo Research areas: internet of things (IoT), cyber-
physical security, emerging technologies and applications (e.g. smart
health).
Nam, Sung
M.S. University of Colorado Boulder
Research areas:
Ogle, Dave
Ph.D. The Ohio State University
Research areas: parallel and distributed systems, network
architecture
Ra, Ilkyeun
Ph.D. Syracuse University
Research areas: high performance distributed computing and
computer communication network, cloud computing
Ricciardella, Diane
M.S. Naval Postgraduate School
Research areas: computer architecture, linguistic geometry, STEM
education
Stilman, Boris
Professor Emeritus
Ph.D. National Research Institute for Electrical Engineering, Moscow, USSR
Research areas: artificial intelligence, linguistic geometry
Sicker, Douglas
Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh
Research areas: telecommunications, IoT, artificial
intelligence
