Program Guidelines
- Dual credit CS 500-level courses for the M.S. degree in computer science must be taken at ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ.
- Students can apply up to 12 credit hours of graduate coursework to the M.S. degree taken prior to the completion of the B.S. degree.
- Students must score a B or higher in their 500-level computer science elective courses for the course to be applied toward the M.S. degree. However, a passing grade below a B will contribute to the B.S. degree requirements.
- Students are strongly recommended to enroll continuously from B.S. to M.S. programs.
- Until all requirements for the B.S. degree in computer science are completed, students are considered undergraduate.
- Students should be able to initiate research by the sixth semester of their B.S. degree. They are also encouraged to conduct research and take course during the summer sessions.
- B.S./M.S. students may finish their M.S. degree in two semesters upon completion of their B.S. degree for the Option C (course only option), plus a summer session for students pursuing an MS project or thesis (Option A: thesis option, or Option B: Design Paper, respectively).
Admission Requirements
- Students must be a full-time undergraduate student in computer science at ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ in good standing, with a minimum of 50 credit hours completed toward the B.S. degree in computer science and must have completed CSC 300: Data Structures and Math 316: Discrete Math. Then, the students should apply by completing the pre-departmental application of the BSMS degree.
- Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 GPA in CS major coursework.
Required Steps for Acceptance into the BSMS Program
- At the end of second year of the undergraduate program, students will complete the pre-departmental BSMS application requesting acceptance into the BSMS program.
- All requirements for the B.S. degree in computer science are completed (seventh, eighth or ninth semester), the student must apply to the M.S. program and be accepted into the M.S. program by the graduate school.
Please contact the computer science graduate coordinator if you have any questions.
Sung Shin
Professor and Graduate Coordinator
DEH 117,
Phone: 605-688-6235
Email: sung.shin@sdstate.edu
Please fill in this application form.
Submit it along with your transcript to Sung Shin, DEH 117.
What is the Value of a Graduate Degree?
In the case of computer science, it's pretty much a no-brainer, although you'll need brains to earn one. More education equals more money. Here's a comparison of median salaries for computer science degrees:
- Associate's CS degree: $75,400.
- Bachelor's CS degree: $112,000.
- Master's CS degree: $129,500.
- MBA with a CS degree: $149,400.
- PhD CS degree: $145,400.