This graduate degree is offered jointly by the Department of Computer and Information Sciences and the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Indiana University South Bend.  The goal of this program is to addresses the needs of people who already have work experience in technical or quantitative fields, people with undergraduate degrees in science, engineering or business, or people who simply wish to increase their level of skills and expertise in computing and applied mathematics.

Students will work with an advisor to select a schedule of courses tailored to their personal interests and goals. To ensure breadth of study, three graduate-level Computer Science courses and three graduate-level Applied Mathematics courses are required. The remaining courses are chosen either to provide depth in a particular area or to allow for a diverse program of study. Either a thesis or a project is required to complete the degree. The emphasis throughout the curriculum is on the real-world problems and applications likely to be encountered in business and industry. We anticipate that students with the proper background could complete the 36 credit program in two years.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENT

Candidates for admission to the program are required to hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution with a minimum GPA of 3.0 and promising application materials.  An applicant whose past academic record is not sufficiently strong  (low GPA, undergraduate degree completed too long ago and work experience not in the field) could qualify for admission by scoring 600 or higher on at least one GRE.  Although no specific undergraduate field of study is required, students with satisfactory competence in undergraduate study of basic computer and mathematics subjects will be encouraged to apply.  Generally, these will be graduates with undergraduate degrees in mathematics, computer science, chemistry, physics, biological sciences, engineering, secondary mathematics education, business, economics, and other technical fields.  Students who do not have appropriate background in computer science and/or in mathematics are also welcome, and they will be allowed to take the necessary pre-requisite course work. In addition to the above, applicants whose native language is not English should submit proof of such proficiency  ( TOEFL)  by the time they apply for admission.  A minimum TOEFL score of 550 is required.

DEGREE REQUIREMENT

The program will be tailored to individual student needs, and will consist of 36 credit hours, including 30-33 hours of course work and 3-6 hours of a thesis or graduate project. A student will choose to specialize either in computer science or in applied mathematics.

Requirement Group-A (9 Credits)

• B503 - Algorithms Design & Analysis  (3 credits)
• And choose 2 from the list below:  (6 credits)
  • B538 - Networks & Distributed Computing
  • B551 - Artificial Intelligence
  • B561 - Advanced Database Concepts
  • B581 - Advanced Computer Graphics
  • P565 - Software Engineering

Requirement Group-B (9 Credits)

• Choose 3 from the list below:
  • M560 - Applied Stochastic Processes
  • M562 - Stat. Design of Experiments
  • M571 - Analysis of Numerical Methods I
  • M575 - Simulation Modeling
  • M576 - Forecasting
  • M577 - Operations Research

ADDITIONAL COURSES IN THE AREA OF CONCENTRATION (9 to 12 Credits)

• B553 - Biomorphic Computing
• B582 - Image Synthesis
• B583 - Game Programming & Design
• B651 - Natural Language Processing
• B524 - Parallel & Distributed Comp.
• B657 - Computer Vision
• B689 - Graphics and Human Computer Interaction (HCI)
• M546 - Control Theory
• M551 - Markets & Asset Pricing
• M565 - Analysis of Variance
• M415 - Complex Variables & Applic.
• M451 - Math of Finance & Interest
• C431 - Assemblers & Compilers I
• B438 - Computer Networks
• C435 - Operating Systems
• C421 - Computer Organization
• C441 - Info Org & Retrieval
• C442/A510 -Database Mgmt. Systems
• C463 - Artificial Intelligence
• C490 - Topics in Computer Science
• M463 - Intro. to Probability Theory
• M466 - Introduction to Math Stats
• M572 - Numerical Analysis II
• M447 - Math Modeling I
• M448 - Math Modeling II
• Also, additional courses from Group A and Group B may be selected.

No more than three 400-level courses may be selected.

Students will be encouraged to take courses bridging the two disciplines (e.g. M562 - Statistical Design of Experiments and B581 - Advanced Computer Graphics). Both full-time and part-time study will be possible.

Students are expected to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above. Failure to maintain a 3.0 GPA for two consecutive semesters, or accumulating any two grades of D or below, may result in dismissal from the program.

The program must be completed within seven years. Only courses taken within seven years of completion of the first course in the program may count toward this degree.

THESIS / PROJECT

Students are required to complete a three-credit project or a six-credit thesis.  A project will involve a substantial amount of work which reflects what has been learned in some aspect of their coursework.  It should have applications to industry or business, and it should have academic merit.  A thesis is significantly more involved than a project and carries a much higher degree of academic merit.  It must demonstrate mastery over some aspect of Computer Science or Applied Mathematics. 

In preparation for the project or thesis, a student should identify to the program's graduate studies director an advisor and a committee.  The advisor is a faculty member from either the Computer Science or Mathematics department.  The committee is comprised of a faculty member from each department (CS and Math) with one of them being the advisor.  A third member is required and can be a faculty member from within or outside of the CS and Math departments, or who may be an appropriate individual in business or industry.  Additional members may be included in the committee with approval of the graduate studies director.

The student must submit a project or thesis proposal to the committee for approval.  Upon completion of the project or thesis work, a written document is prepared and an oral defense is scheduled.  The document is to be reported in a thesis format.  After a successful defense, the final version will be archived in the department and in the IUSB library.  Note that there is no comprehensive exam.  Rather, a student finishes the program by successfully defending the project or thesis, making corrections to the document and submitting the final version for archiving.

 

SAMPLE CURRICULA FOR MS IN APPLIED MATH AND CS

Although some students will need prerequisite courses, the following two tables represent a typical two year schedule for a student specializing in computer science.

Year 1	Year 2
Fall    M471 - Numerical Methods (3)    P565 - Software Engineering I (3)    B503 - Algorithms Design and Analysis (3) Spring    B561 - Advanced Database Concepts (3)    B538 - Networks & Distributed Computing (3)    M562 - Statistical Design of Experiments (3)	Fall    B581 - Advanced Computer Graphics (3)    B551 - Elements of Artificial Intelligence (3)    M575 - Simulation Modeling (3) Spring    B661 - Database Theory & Sys. Design  (3)    B582 - Image Synthesis (3)    Y790 - Grad. Independent Study - Thesis (3)

GENERAL PROGRAM INFORMATION

In addition to the application procedure, the following information may help as you plan:
 

• Formal admission requires that program prerequisites be satisfied.
• No more that 50% of coursework may be taken under provisional status pending formal admission, and with the approval of the program graduate director.
• Students with undergraduate deficiencies must have explicit permission from the graduate director prior to registering for graduate courses.

TRANSFER CREDITS

Students wishing to transfer course work from another graduate program should keep the following information in mind:

• Transfer credits must be approved by the program graduate director or persons designated by the graduate committee.
• Students are responsible for supplying course documentation, such as bulletin course description, course syllabus, etc. to be used by the graduate director to assess transfer course applicability to this program.
• A student may transfer at most 6 credits of the applied mathematics and computer science program course work from an accredited institution.
• The course must appear on an official transcript sent to IUSB.
• Only courses taken within seven years may be counted toward this degree.
• That means that courses transferred must be seven years old or less at the time of completion of the IUSB program. Exceptions are at the discretion of the graduate director.

• AMCS Advising Sheet (for students admitted before Jan. 2006)
• AMCS Advising Sheet (for students admitted after Jan. 2006)
• AMCS Graduate Flyer
• Computer Science Web site
• Mathematics Web site
• General Graduate School Information ( Graduate Education at IUSB)
• Graduate Bulletin ( 2005-2007)
• Graduate Record Examination ( GRE)
• Test of English as a Foreign Language ( TOEFL) 

• MS in Applied Math/CS: Preparing a Proposal

• Office of the VP for Research

• Prior Thesis Approved by the Program