APPLIED COMPUTER SCIENCE
The graduate program in Applied Computer Science (APCS) culminates in a Master of Science (M.S.) degree. It is designed to meet the needs of students such as:
A. Those who are already in the workforce and wish to update or improve their knowledge of current computer science(many of these students have completed their undergraduate or graduate work in fields other than computer science); and
B. Those who have recently completed an undergraduate degree in computer science or a related discipline and wish, at the graduate level, to increase their understanding of computer science and its application in their field.
Admission Criteria
Admission to this program adheres to the general criteria for admission to the UMES Graduate School. The general GRE is also required but, in view of the wide variety of fields from which students come, the computer science subject –matter GRE is not employed in admission consideration for Applied Computer Science. Students with undergraduate GPA’s 2.5 or above but below 3.0, and those students with weaker preparation in computer science may be offered Provisional Admission. This status is usually changed to Regular admission as soon as the students complete perquisite requirements. Students whose computing background is weak may be directed to begin with CSDP 600(Foundations of computer Science), a graduate introduction to the field. Students may also be directed to take undergraduate computer science or mathematics courses as a condition for entering the graduate program. Courses required for Regular Admission should be completed as early as possible, generally within the first year.
Course Requirements for Graduation
Students need a minimum of 32 credit hours to graduate from the program, not including any Provisional Admission requirements. All courses that are to count towards graduation must be passed with a minimum grade of “B”, and students must also pass at least five of these courses with a grade “A”.
Note: All courses below numbered 601 through 698 carry three(3) credit hours as shown in the parentheses.
A. All students must complete the following core of four courses:
CSDP 601 Data Structures and Algorithms (3)
CSDP 602 Database Mgmt. Systems (3)
CSDP 603 Assembler/Systems Programming (3)
CSDP 605 Advanced Programming Techniques (3)
Students must also complete one of the following three core courses:
CSDP 604 Computer Methods in Statistics (3)
CSDP 606 Numerical Methods in Computing (3)
CSDP 607 Applications of Linear Programming (3)
B. From among the Computer Science courses numbered from CSDP 618 through CSDP 698
(each of which may be repeated up to three times with different topics), the student will complete at least nine credits.
CSDP 618 Computer Applications in Business (3)
CSDP 628 Computer Applications in Education (3)
CSDP 638 Computer Applications in Science and Mathematics (3)
CSDP 648 Computer Applications in Industry (3)
CSDP 658 Computer Applications in Agriculture (3)
CSDP 668 Topics in Databases (3)
CSDP 678 Topics in Artificial Intelligence (3)
CSDP 688 Computer Applications in Medicine (3)
CSDP 698 Computer Methods in Computer Science (3)
C. All students will completed the two courses below:
CSDP 699 Master’s Project in Computer Science I (4)
CSDP 798 Master’s Project in Computer Science II (1-4)
CSDP 798 is a 4-credit course in the first semester/session the student takes it and then I credit for each semester/session thereafter as required. A student must be enrolled in CSDP 798 for any semester/session in which he/she needs to consult with his/her project advisor.
Other Academic Requirements
Each student must demonstrate competence in computer programming in at least one language in each of three language areas:
a. Standard high level languages(Currently C++,JAVA and VISUAL BASIC);
b. Assembler languages(currently 80X86 and 68000 family languages); and
c. Special languages (currently PROLOG,LISP,PL/SQL and CLIPS).
This competence may be demonstrated by the successful completion of undergraduate courses in these languages, through the University’s credit-by-examination mechanism or by the successful use of these languages in significant programming exercises in various courses during the student’s graduate career.
Students may enroll in other graduate or undergraduate courses relevant to their program, but none of these may be substituted for the courses mentioned above in the section on "Course Requirements for Graduation”.
For the Master’s Project in Computer Science, a departmental committee consisting of at least three faculty members must approve the research project topic. The student is required to defend his/her completed project in a seminar that is open to University faculty and students.
Cooperative Education Program Internship
Students seeking an internship in the industry should have taken CSDP 699, Master’s Project I, and all required lecture courses. Students must register for the appropriate cooperative education credit to undertake the internship. The internship should provide learning experience in computer applications useful to strengthen their master’s project a s they return to complete CSDP 798, Master’s Project II, in order to graduate.
Transfer Credit
i. Students desiring to transfer graduate credit need to apply for this privilege during their first semester at UMES.
ii. Students need to remember the absolute limit of six credits of transfer(two courses);
iii. In general, transfer requires an exact match with a local course, as it has been offered at UMES, so that transfer credit for courses CSDP 618 and higher is rarely approved.
Application Deadlines
The application deadlines for admissions are as follows:
Fall Semester – April 15(March 1 for international applicants)
Spring Semester- October 15(August 1 for international applicants)
Summer Sessions – April 15 (February 1 for international applicants)
Only under extenuating circumstances will applications be accepted after a deadline date has passed.
Resources
The Department has a Sun Lab consisting of Ultra-10 workstations and a Sun Enterprise 450 server, and two computer laboratories consisting of high-end Pentium computers. Users have access to a wide variety of Windows and Unix-type development and applications software across the campus. These computer facilities and several other campus wide computer facilities are available to all graduate students.
The departmental UNIX laboratory consists of a Sun SUNFIRE VI280 Server with 4 900Mhz Spare processors, 8GB RAM, and two 36GB 10,000 RPM disks networked with 21 Sun Blade Workstations. A 3COM 3900 Switch with an SC Gigabit fiber connection joins the server to the workstations all running Solaris 9. Ancillary equipment include a Sun 80GB DLT8000 Tape Drive and APC 5000VA UPS. Workstations are configured with “look down” monitors to facilitate simultaneous lecture and interactive hands-on instruction.
Library facilities are extensive and are supplemented each year. Opportunities exist for student participation in faculty research projects. While computer laboratory facilities are open and available all day and evening, most graduate courses are scheduled in the early evening so that those working during the day can participate.
COURSES
(Note: credit hours are given in parentheses)
CSDP 600 Foundations of Computer Science (3)
This course is an introduction to the techniques of software design and development in the contest of software engineering. Topics include foundations of structured programming, object-oriented design, semantics and verification, abstraction and certification, software metrics, testing etc. The course is primarily for students with an undergraduate degree in a cognate field needing a detailed hands-on plus theoretical background in computer science. This course is prerequisite for all graduate computer science courses. Occasional exceptions may be granted by the Coordinator of the APCS graduate program for students with extensive C++ experience beyond the classroom.
CSDP 601 Data Structures and Algorithms (3)
Topics include standard data structures, their algebraic background, computer application, and the relationship between the construction of correct and efficient algorithms and the data structures with which these algorithms deal. NP-hard and complete problems and approximation are covered. The course requires the creation and successful running of a small number of extensive computer programs creating and manipulating various data structures.
Prerequisite: CSDP 600 or permission of the Department.
CSDP 602 Database Management Systems (3)
This course is an introduction to relational database principles and applications Emphasis is on design (particularly normal forms), the current state of database realization and students work on a extensive project lasting all semester in the creating and realization of major parts of a DBMS. Additional topics include privacy, security and multi-user interactions, as well as theoretical data communications structures and their current realizations.
Prerequisite: CSDP 600 or permission of the Department.
CSDP 603 Assembler/Systems Programming (3)
This course is an introduction to operating systems and their relationship to computer and network architecture, construction and applications, including an intensive introduction to assembler language programming. Architectural principles will be covered from a general and theoretical point of view.
Prerequisites: CSDP 600 or permission of the Department.
CSDP 604 Computer Methods in Statistics (3)
This course is an introduction to the principles and applications of probability and statistics needed in graduate studies in various academic areas and to the computer realization of these methods. The course begins with a brief intensive review of basic statistical principles.
Prerequisites: One Semester of calculus.
CSDP 605 Advanced Programming Techniques (3)
This course covers special programming topics, including the system analysis process and applications.
Students will apply systems methods to the creation of a major term project, consisting of a system of applications’ programs with complete documentation, in an area of the student’s application interest as approved by the instructor.
Prerequisite: CSDP 600 or permission of the instructor.
CSDP 798 Master’s Project in Computer Science II (1-4)
During this semester, the student will complete the project begun in CSDP 699, including all documentation, and given a public demonstration of its effectiveness, originality and appropriateness to the field of application. In addition, the student will prepare a written version of the material in a form consistent with departmental and Graduate School standards. Successful completion of this course requires either: (a) the acceptance for publication of this project description by a national journal in the appropriate field or by a national conference that publishes its proceedings in full [the actual publication may occur after the course ends]; or
(b) the approval of this project and its documentation by a departmental graduate committee set up for this purpose. CSDP 798 is 4 credits in the first semester/Summer session it is taken and then I credit for each semester/session thereafter as required. A student must be enrolled in CSDP 798 for any semester/session in which he/she needs to consult with his/her project advisor.
Prerequisite: CSDP 699.
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For further information on this program,
Please contact:
Graduate Program Coordinator (APCS)
Dept. of Mathematics and Computer Science
Kiah Hall
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Princess Anne, MD 21853
e-mail: gshura@umes.edu