Graduate Program - Master of Computer Science (Distance Education)
The department has made the Master's of Computer Science degree available to individuals across the United States by creating a distance education program. This outreach program will provide students with an educational experience that parallels on-campus studies. The MCS-DE program is currently not available for students residing abroad.
The program has been modified to accommodate individuals pursuing the degree from afar. Classes and assignments will be communicated using streaming media technology via the Internet or other forms of media.
For admission requirements and applications, contact gradsecy@csc.ncsu.edu . For degree requirements or program related questions, contact the Director of Graduate Programs at dgp@csc.ncsu.edu
- Prerequisites for Application
- Degree Requirements
- Registration for Classes
- Advisory Committee and Plan of Graduate Work
- Curriculum
- Colloqium Attendance
- Thesis (Not Required)
- Examination
- Patent Agreement
- Graduation Checkout
- Pursuing MS or PhD Studies
- FAQs
Prerequisites For Application
Only persons residing in the United States are eligible to enroll in the MCS Distance Education Program. Alternatively, all students, regardless of residence, may apply to the on-campus MCS program.
If you do not have a BS degree in Computer Science, preparatory course work should include a three-semester sequence in differential and integral calculus, a calculus-based course in probability and statistics and computer science courses equivalent to CSC 216, 226 (224), 236 (234), 316 (314) and one of 312, 333, or 456. No equivalent of 312, 333, or 456 is available on-line; please contact Admissions Specialist at Computer Science Graduate Programs for further information on this prerequisite.
Individuals must have a minimum undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 in order to be considered for a graduate degree program. This is a minimal GPA and strong GRE scores and letters are then needed for admission.
We will waive the GRE for students who have graduated from a US university majoring in Computer Science or Computer Engineering with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or better.
Degree Requirements
The Master of Computer Science Distance Education (MCS-DE) is a terminal professional degree requiring no thesis or comprehensive examination. MCS-DE students are typically self-supporting and enroll on a part-time basis taking one or two courses per semester. MCS-DE students must complete ten courses (30 credits) including three Core Courses plus CSC 600. Minors are neither required nor permitted. Up to three graduate courses, closely related to Computer Science, but outside the CSC Department, may be counted toward the student's degree. These courses must be pre-approved by the Director of Graduate Programs or be a College of Engineering or a Mathematics or a Statistics graduate course.
To graduate, a student must have a minimum 3.00 average on all graduate course work. This policy is strictly enforced.
Registration for Classes
MCS Distance Education students register for classes through Engineering Online (EOL), not through the TRACS system used for on-campus classes. See http://engineeringonline.ncsu.edu/ for the Engineering Online home page.
The Graduate School has a continuous registration policy. A student must be registered every semester (Fall, Spring). Otherwise, a student must take an official leave of absence as recognized by the Graduate School.
Academic Advisor and Plan of Graduate Work
The Director of Graduate Programs will serve as your academic advisor unless you specifically request another faculty member. This request must be in writing and must be approved by the DGP. You are not required to file a Plan of Graduate Work unless you request transfer credit from another institution.
Curriculum
At least 30 hours of course work (ten courses) are required. At least 21 hours must be in courses bearing the CSC prefix, and must include CSC 600 plus three core courses, two from one category and the third from the other category listed below:
Category 1:
Theory: CSC 505 (Algorithms), CSC 512 (Compiler Construction), CSC 565 (Graph Theory), CSC 579 (Performance Evaluation), CSC 580 (Numerical Analysis), CSC 707 (Theory of Computation).
Category 2:
Systems: CSC 501 (Operating Systems), CSC 506 (Parallel Architectures), CSC 510 (Software Engineering), CSC 520 (Artificial Intelligence), CSC 540 (Database Systems), CSC 562 (Graphics), CSC 570 (Networks).
The remaining courses may be chosen from the following:
- graduate courses within the College of Engineering (including Computer Science)
- graduate courses in the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences
- other graduate courses approved by your academic advisor
- at most one 400-level course outside Computer Science, approved by your advisor
All Computer Science credits must be at or above the 500 level. At most 3 credits outside Computer Science may be at the 400 level.
CSC 695 cannot be applied to MCS-DE requirements, and CSC 630 will not under normal circumstances be accepted. Prior approval of the DGP is required for using CSC 630 in this degree. Seminar type courses in the College of Engineering and in the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences will not be accepted. No more than two (2) credit hours of departmental seminar (S/U graded) may be included in the minimum 30-credit program.
Colloquium Attendance
MCS-DE students have an equivalent seminar attendance requirement to that of on-campus students, but this requirement is included as part of the CSC 600-601 DE course. DE students completing CSC 600-601 DE will automatically satisfy the requirement for seminar attendance.
Examinations
There are no comprehensive examinations. Exams are only required with individual
courses.
Patent Agreement
The Graduate School no longer requires a graduate student enrolled in non-thesis Masters Degree Programs which do not require the student to “participle in any sponsored research program funded by the Federal Government, by state appropriations, by university (departmental, foundation etc.) funds, or by private industry” to complete the standard Patent Agreement. Instead, they must submit a Patent Policy Acknowledgement for Non-Thesis Master's Students (Exemption) form.
Please submit originals of this form to the Graduate School (NCSU Campus Box 7102), Technology Transfer (NCSU Campus Box 8210), and the Computer Science Graduate Program office (NCSU Campus Box 8206).
Graduation Checkout
You must request graduation checkout within the first two weeks of the semester
in which you intend to graduate.
Pursuing MS or PhD Studies
The MCS-DE curriculum is not research-oriented and is not intended to prepare students for PhD studies. If you want to pursue MS or PhD studies, your request will be considered by the Admissions Committee in light of prevailing admissions standards for these programs. You may be asked to provide additional admission materials such as GRE and GRE Subject Exam scores. New letters of recommendation will always be required. MCS-DE graduates are welcome to apply for admission to the PhD program, but have no special standing in the admissions process.
FAQs
Q: If I receive a Masters of Computer Science (Distance Learning) degree from your school, would my degree be equivalent to a non-distance learning degree?
A: The University considers the degrees to be equivalent. In fact there is just one MCS degree program, but it has two methods of delivery: On-campus and by distance means.
Q: Will my degree say Master of Computer Science from NCSU or will there be a special qualifier saying Distance Education on it?
A: The diploma will say Master of Computer Science. It will not have any designation that it was from a distance education program. However, your transcript will have a special symbol by each course taken as a distance education course. This will be similar to marks used to indicate evening
courses, summer session courses, and other special aspects.
Q: Would I be able to register for an on-campus offering for a courses which I wish to take, if those courses are not offered off-campus or even on campus?
A: Yes, students in the MCS-DE program will be allowed to register for any on-campus classes with the normal on-campus tuition and fees.
Q: I do not have all of the prerequisites for the program. Is there any way I could be accepted and take the courses online first then start the regular graduate courses?
A: We require the prerequisites in order to be admitted, but it is possible to take both prerequisite courses and graduate courses prior to admission through the University's Continuing Education program. Up to 12 credit hours of graduate courses with grades of B or better can count toward the degree if you are later admitted. Note that prerequisites do not have to be taken at NCSU. We will accept similar courses from other universities and community colleges. Note also that online courses are considered equivalent to on-campus courses and are "regular" graduate courses.
