Computer and Information Science
4. Transcripts from all prior institutions 5. Three letters of recommendation 6. TOEFL scores if English is not a first language Factors for consideration include work experience in related areas of CIS and letters of recommendation. A committee appointed by the department chairperson will review applications for admission.
ADMINISTRATION Retention is contingent on maintaining at least a 3.0 grade point average (GPA). The course work is expected to be completed within two years for full-time students and within six years for part-time students. The degree requirements are at least thirty credit hours of study. Each academic semester typically consists of fourteen weeks of instruction including one week for final exams. Some courses follow a 15-week schedule. Lectures meet fifty-five minutes per week for each credit. Although it is anticipated that many of the courses in the program would be offered in evening sessions, no special requirements for either the students or instructors will be made. The courses are scheduled as regular sessions and classes meet in rooms appropriate for the course being taught. Courses requiring the use of lab equipment as part of their instructional model are taught in computer teaching labs, and may include an additional lab fee. The University’s policy is that a master’s degree program must be completed within six years of taking the first course. Only the Program Director and/or the Dean can grant exceptions.
WAIVER OF COURSES Students must complete the waiver process within the first semester of beginning coursework. The foundations-series courses can be waived. The foundations-series courses are listed below. • • • • • • •
GCIS 506 GCIS 507 GCIS 508 GCIS 509 GCIS 510 GCIS 580 GCIS 581
Obj.-Ori. Programming in Java Data Structures Database Management Systems System Analysis and Design Software Engineering Programming in Unix Introduction to Networks
Any of the foundations series courses may be waived in either of the following ways: 1. Waiver by Transcript A waiver request is based upon previously completed undergraduate or graduate courses which are equivalent to the foundation course in question. The student must demonstrate the equivalency of the prior courses by completing a Course Waiver Form available in the CIS office. The form is to be completed and returned to the CIS
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office. To waive a foundation course, the student must have taken the courses within the last seven (7) years and obtained at least a grade of B. Special circumstances may be considered where other factors demonstrate currency and proficiency in the subject. Transcriptbased waiver notification may accompany admissions notification. Transcript waiver applications must be completed by the end of the first semester of enrollment to be applied to course waivers. 2. Waiver by Proficiency Examination Students who are confident of and can substantiate a strong background in an area which is not reflected in their academic transcript (i.e., the courses were taken more than 7 years prior to admission, or the student did not achieve the appropriate grade) may request challenge examination(s) to demonstrate their proficiency. Proficiency exams must be scheduled and taken by the end of the first semester of enrollment to be applied to course waivers. See the CIS Office for details.
PROJECT REQUIREMENT Each graduate student is expected to conduct a directed research/ development project or thesis for completion of the degree; (see Plans A and B below). To propose an independent project or thesis, the student requests a specific CIS faculty member as the project advisor to chair his/her review committee in agreement with the CIS faculty member. These are normally completed as part of the required GCIS 605 Scholarship Seminar course. Decisions about the topic, project advisor and the committee members are shared between the student and the review committee chair. The committee members participate in reviewing quality and content for the directed research project/thesis and its written component. These project proposals and formulation of graduate project/thesis committees must be completed prior to registration for any Thesis or Directed Research credits. Proposal sessions are scheduled during the last weeks of each semester. Various communication channels are utilized to disseminate the procedure and deadline on signing up for proposal sessions. Students, who wish to register for GCIS698/GCIS799 credits for the coming semester, must follow the communicated procedure and deadline to be scheduled in one of the proposal sessions. The directed research project/thesis advisor directs the student’s work and determines when to recommend the manuscript for review by a faculty committee. The review committee is appointed by the usual academic approval sequence and consists of at least two full-time Gannon CIS faculty members familiar with the subject material and one optional member from outside the CIS department. The outside member can be from industry. The committee is responsible for supporting the student in their work and assessing the quality of the project. After final corrections are made in the project and/or supporting documentation, the student will give an oral defense of their work before the committee. The CIS faculty member who chairs the review committee becomes the student’s academic advisor.