Sequence of Study

The curriculums of both CS master’s degree programs are carefully designed to span over four terms. We recommend that our graduate students follow the term-by-term roadmap described below.  Students are also encouraged to meet with a Graduate Advisor at least once every  term for advice and guidance.

First and foremost, you want to gain a clear understanding of your respective program’s degree requirements:  M.Sc. in Computer Science, M.Sc. in Data Science & AI. Keep in mind the following requirements to maintain your graduate student status: 

  • Graduate students are required to maintain a 3.0 grade point average (B or above) each and every semester. 
  • For a given course, the minimum allowable grade is B- if you plan to use this course to satisfy one of the degree requirements. 
  • International students are required to enroll in a minimum of 8 units per semester. You will be eligible to take fewer than 8 units after you are enrolled in CSC 897 or CSC 899, a course directly related to your Master’s thesis project.  See here for more details on this requirement. 

Second, you are required to complete a total of 30 units (or 10 3-unit graduate-level courses). You are recommended to distribute these 30 units as follows:

  • Term 1:   9 units (3 courses)
  • Term 2: 12 units (4 courses)   
  • Term 3:   6 units (2 courses: 1 lecture-based course; CSC 897 or CSC 899 supervised by your Master’s thesis/project mentor)
  • Term 4:   3 units (1 course: CSC 895 or CSC 898, supervised by your Master’s thesis/project mentor)

Finally, if you are a current graduate student in Computer Science, log into this internal website for more specifics. 

 

  • Enroll in 9 units (or 3 3-unit courses) in your first semester. 
  • For students admitted with conditional undergraduate courses (which are listed on your official admission letter), you are required to complete these courses with a letter grade of B or above by the due date stated on your admission letter. 
    • For the English Level I requirement, the preferred course is SCI 614. If SCI 614 is not offered, you can enroll in ENG 670 instead. 
    • For those with fewer conditional courses, it is okay to enroll in graduate-level courses together with your conditional course(s) in your first term. 
  • Start attending the CS Graduate Seminars during your first semester. Each Semester, approximately eight seminars will be offered. 
    • You are required to attend the first graduate seminar that overviews the two graduate programs.
    • You are required to complete a total of 10 seminars by the end of the  term prior to enrolling in the Master’s thesis/project course, i.e., CSC 895 or CSC 898.
  • Start thinking about your areas of interest, looking into the CS faculty team’s research areas, and identifying a few Master’s thesis project ideas. You are highly recommended to meet and discuss your project ideas with relevant faculty members.
    • Note that only the faculty members listed under the Faculty category and the department chairpersons are eligible to chair a student’s Master’s thesis project committee. We commonly refer to them as faculty mentors, in contrast with regular graduate advisors.  
    • It is critical to plan to take graduate-level electives with possible culminating experience with faculty mentors during your first year of study
  • If you have not done so, it is time to make a term-by-term course-taking plan for your graduate studies by referring to the degree requirements (M.Sc. in Computer Science, M.Sc. in Data Science & AI). Use the Advanced Class Search interface to get a rough idea on the courses that had been routinely offered in the past Spring or Fall semesters. Many graduate-level courses are typically offered in either the Spring or Fall semester.  
  • Share your course plan with your graduate advisor to proactively seek their feedback. 
  • Have identified at least a couple of Master’s thesis/project ideas and the corresponding faculty mentors.   
  • Enroll in at least three courses.At least one of the courses should be taught by your prospective thesis/project mentor. Communicate your intent with your prospective  mentors in advance and start to foster a professional mentor-mentee relationship. 
  • By the end of this term, you are expected to have selected your culminating experience (a.k.a. Master’s thesis/project) mentor and obtain this mentor’s permission to work under their supervision.
  • Investigate culminating experience topics and work with your mentor on obtaining background knowledge/skills.
  • Possibly do an external internship to get practical experience in CSC 893. This typically happens during the summer break.  Note that you are not required to enroll in CSC 893, but it is nice to include it in your transcript.  Check the “Fall/Spring CPT” section for the CSC 893 enrollment process.
  • Adjust your course planner made during the second term. You are highly recommended to meet with your graduate advisor for advice and guidance
  • Work with your master’s thesis/project mentor to enroll in CSC 897/899 for background work on Thesis/Project.  Enroll in other courses as needed to meet other degree requirements.  
  • If you are an international student and enrolled in less than 8 units this semester, contact your master’s thesis/project mentor to prepare and submit to the SFSU Office of International Programs (OIP) a letter of support on your behalf. 
  • Complete and submit the Advancement To Candidacy (ATC) form prior to university deadlines (November 1 or April 1). All courses included in the ATC form must be at or above B-.  
  • Complete and submit the Proposal for Culminating Experience (PCE) form prior to university deadlines (November 1 or April 1).  Note that if Human or Animal Subjects Protocols are required, these must also be approved by your mentor and submitted by this deadline. 
  • Submit the long project/thesis proposal to the CS department. 

 

For current graduate students, click here to read about the specific criteria and procedures to enroll in CSC 897/899, CSC 895/898. It also includes procedures on preparing and submitting the ATC and PCE forms, and the long proposal.

  • Enroll in your mentor’s CSC 895/898 for your Master’s project/thesis. 
  • Complete your Master’s project/thesis project by closely working with your mentor and your other committee member(s). 
  • Ready to graduate?  Click here to view more details about the following steps. 
    • Apply for graduation.
    • Work on your written thesis/report.   
    • Schedule thesis/project Oral Defense.
    • Defend your Master’s thesis/project. 
    • Finalize all thesis/project materials and submit them to the Computer Science department and/or SFSU.
  • The Spring or Fall semester following the semester of your CSC 895/898 enrollment is often referred to as the “grace” semester. Every graduate student is granted this grace semester to complete their CSC 895/898 project. Students are not required to enroll in any courses during their grace semester. 
     

Beyond the “Grace” Semester

 

Students who do not complete their CSC 895/898 after the grace semester must enroll in a 0-unit Culminating Experience Continuous Enrollment course (i.e.,SCI 499) with the College of Professional & Global Education (CPaGL) and every subsequent semester until CSC 895/898 is completed.

  • Enrollment in SCI 499 provides you access to SFSU libraries, discipline-associated laboratories and facilities, and Culminating Experience advisors. 
  • Students are automatically withdrawn from their degree program if they fail to maintain continuous enrollment status after the grace semester.
  • Students who do not maintain continuous enrollment in their Culminating Experience course and subsequently return to complete their Culminating Experience within the 7-year time limit to complete requirements for graduate degrees must be reinstated in their degree program and may have to file a new Proposal for Culminating Experience.
  • Students who are past the 7-year limit must formally reapply for admission to the program in which they were completing their Culminating Experience. There is no guarantee of readmission.