Graduate Program: Distance Education
Master of Computer Science - Distance Education Pilot
The department is piloting the delivery of online courses, which are part of the Master of Computer Science (MSCS) program at Tennessee Tech University (TTU), which is available to individuals across the United States through a distance education option. This outreach program will provide students with an educational experience that parallels on-campus studies. Classes and assignments will be communicated using streaming media technology and the Internet, in which both on-campus and distance students can equally partake.
For university admission requirements/applications, refer to http://www.tntech.edu/admissions. For more information regarding our graduate program, refer to http://www.tntech.edu/csc/graduate-program.
Undergraduate Prerequisites for Application (All Applicants)
All U.S. students are eligible to participate in this program. The application process and admission requirements are the same for all students, regardless of residence. For details regarding the requirements for acceptance into the MSCS program, refer to the Admissions link at http://www.tntech.edu/csc/graduate-program.
Registration for Classes
Each semester, the student must be advised by a Graduate Advisor. Once advised, enrollment in classes can be achieved through the Banner self-service registration system. The Graduate School has a continuous registration policy. A student must be registered every semester (Fall and Spring). Otherwise, a student must take an official leave of absence as recognized by the Graduate School.
MSCS Curriculum
To pursue a Masters in Computer Science from TTU, a student must either (1) take 25 hours of course work (plus 6 hours of research) if they are working towards a thesis; or (2) take 31 hours of course work (plus 3 hours of project) for the non-thesis project option.
All students are required to take the one-hour-credit CSC Graduate Seminar course (CSC 6910). This is the only course that students are required to take on campus. It is an on-campus, two-day seminar (a Friday and Saturday), early in the semester. The remainder of this seminar course is on-line, with readings and assignments throughout the semester.
The required graduate core courses for all MSCS students are the following:
Internet-Based Computing Core (6 hours – 2 out of 3)
CSC 5200 – Computer Networks
CSC 6720 - Internet Protocols
CSC 6770 – Service Oriented Computing
Core Theory (6 hours):
CSC 6400 – Internet Algorithmics
plus one of the following:
CSC 5400 – Analysis of Algorithms
CSC 5450 – Introduction to Automata Theory and Computation
MATH 6450 – Advanced Theory of Computation (not offered on-line)
The student must then choose courses from an area of specialization, as well as choose from a broad selection of electives to fill out the remaining hours:
Specialization (6 hours from ONE of three areas):
Parallel and Distributed Computing
CSC 6750 – Parallel Programming
CSC 6760 – Grid Computing
Information Assurance and Security
CSC 5575 – Information Assurance and Security
CSC 6575 – Internet Security
Knowledge Discovery
CSC 6220 – Data Mining
CSC 6230 – Machine Learning
Electives (6 hours for thesis option; 12 hours for non-thesis option):
CSC 5240 – Artificial Intelligence
CSC 6250 – Knowledge-Based Systems
CSC 6730 – Advanced Networking
CSC 6740 – Web-Based Database
CSC 6800 – Advanced Topics
Or, any of the above available Specialization courses
Students can also take any of the following elective courses that are currently not offered on-line:
ME 5140 – Introduction to Robotics
ME 6640 – Advanced Robotics
DS 5125 – Computer Forensics and Investigations
DS 5260 – Network Security and Forensics
ECE 6060 – Theory and Applications of Neural Systems
ECE 6220 – Fuzzy Logic Control Systems
ISE 6450 – Artificial Neural Networks in Engineering
Students should refer to the CS graduate web-site for additional information regarding required course-work (http://www.tntech.edu/csc/graduate-program/ ).
FAQs
Q: How will the on-line courses count towards an MSCS degree?
A: These courses count just like on-campus courses. There is no distinction between the two delivery options in terms of credit.
Q: Will I be able to complete my degree through only on-line courses?
A: A future on-line degree option is still pending approval, with a target date set for Spring of 2011.
Q: Would I be able to register for an on-campus offering for a course even if it is offered off-campus?
A: Yes, students in the Distance Education program will be allowed to register for any on-campus classes with the normal on-campus tuition and fees.
Q: What is the cost for enrolling in a distance-education course offering?
A: The same as for any on-campus course, plus an electronic delivery fee. All in-state and out-of-state tuition rules apply.
Q: Whom should I contact regarding this opportunity?
A: For more information, you can contact the CS Graduate Program Coordinator at
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