Graduate Programs

• Potential computer science graduate students are expected to have taken formally-transcripted coursework equivalent to the following University of Oklahoma courses: Math 1823/Calculus I, Math 2423/Calculus II, Math 3333/Linear Algebra, Math 4753/Applied Statistical Methods, CS 2413/Data Structures, CS 2614/Computer Organization, CS 2813/Discrete Structures, CS 3113/Operating Systems, CS 3323/Principles of Programming Languages, and CS 3823/Theory of Computation.  *Work experience, self-taught experience, &/or certificate training is not an acceptable substitute in lieu of formal coursework earned and graded at an institution of higher learning.
• The applicant must hold a bachelor's degree or the equivalent from an accredited college or university. For Doctoral/Ph.D. applicants, an earned Master of Science in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Computational Science is expected.  For Master’s/M.S. applicants, an earned Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Computational Science is expected. 
• The applicant must have earned at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale over the last 60 hours of letter-graded undergraduate work at an accredited college or university or, if at least 12 hours of letter-graded graduate work have been completed, have earned at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale on all graduate work.

*M.S. Note - The Master’s/M.S. degree with the OU School of Computer Science is not a terminal degree, as it can and will prepare the student for entry into the Doctoral/Ph.D. program.  It is strongly encouraged that qualified graduate applicants with a Bachelor’s degree who are interested in the Doctoral/Ph.D. apply to the Master’s/M.S. degree so that success in graduate academic rigor can be demonstrated and rapport with faculty can be established to lead into future academic and assistantship opportunities.  The Graduate Admission Requirements with respect to coursework stated above are applicable to all graduate admission routes.  With respect to graduate assistantships, both Ph.D. and M.S., graduate assistantships are not and can not be assured or guaranteed, regardless of the degree or academic standing.

*Ph.D. Note - Specifically for Doctoral/Ph.D. student applicants, it is professionally expected that you list a minimum of one (1) but no more than a maximum of three (3) of current OU Computer Science faculty that you wish to be your Ph.D. dissertation advisor chairperson…and…it is also professionally expected that you list a minimum of one (1) but no more than a maximum of three (3) research areas in Computer Science that you wish to focus on.  Having the listing of faculty match the listing of research areas should result in an in-depth matching of faculty with research areas.  Current CS faculty can be found at - https://www.ou.edu/coe/cs/people/faculty.  It is highly suggested that you have reached out to and received feedback from those 1 to 3 faculty you list to indicate your intent to work with them, as many faculty may indicate whether or not they are accepting new Doctoral students.

Policies regarding the progression of the graduate degree in Computer Science (updated as of Summer 2024):

• Only one (1) course that is online &/or remote is allowed for international students each semester of the Computer Science graduate (Ph.D. &/or M.S.) program. 
•  If a course is cross-listed (e.g. - CS & DSA 4513, CS & DSA 5703), the CS course section must be taken.
• The mandatory course(s) for the M.S. program must be completed within the first semester of the M.S. degree.  If the course(s) is/are not available in the 1^st semester of M.S. attendance but are/is available in the 2^nd semester, the student must complete the course(s) in the 2^nd semester as to finish the mandatory course(s) within the first year of M.S. attendance.
• The core courses designated for the M.S. program should be taken and completed by the end of the 3^rd semester.  Exceptions to this expectation must be approved by the CS office. 
•   When selecting graduate elective courses for the M.S. program, core courses cannot be utilized.  A graduate elective course qualifies as a course that is not considered a core course. 
•  Only one (1) course outside of CS is permitted for the M.S., and this course can only be taken in the final year pending approval of the CS office during advisement before the final year of the program.  Programs outside of CS that are able to receive official consideration include Data Science & Analytics/DSA; Electrical & Computer Engineering/ECE; Industrial & Systems Engineering/ISE; and, Mathematics/MATH.
•  Independent Studies (CS 5990) for the M.S. are limited to the last semester or year depending upon the M.S. non-thesis paper or project pathway chosen.  For thesis students, only 1 Independent Studies (CS 5990) is allowed and it is reserved as to the instructor’s discretion.  The discussion for securing Independent Studies for the M.S. degree must originate with the CS office before randomly approaching faculty.