Computer and Information Science 27
office. The form is completed and returned to the CIS office. To waive a 56x-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. Transcript-based 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.
research effort and after having received agreement from a faculty member to be the chair of the student’s research effort. While enrolled in GCIS 799 Thesis, the student will be required to satisfy other department-stipulated activities such as attendance at research seminars, participation in research presentations, and writing- or research-improvement seminars. Students who elect to complete a thesis apply three of their thesis credits as a graduate elective within their course of study.
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.
Plan B (Directed Research): The student is required to complete a 3-credit independent project and to pass a final oral examination covering the student’s project area and related subject areas. The content of the independent project can be either (1) in-depth scholarship culminating in a publishablequality manuscript or (2) study and development of a prototype-level application culminating in a publishable-quality technical report. The content should represent a researched and creative expression of the student’s advanced capability as a result of the graduate program. The directed research project should be proposed and approved prior to the commencement of the independent project work. Proposals must be approved prior to registering for project credits.
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 602 Professional Quality Module: Research course. Decisions about the topic and the committee members are shared between the student and the review committee chair. The committee members participate in proposing and 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. 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 fulltime Gannon CIS faculty members familiar with the subject material and one member from outside the CIS department. The outside member can be from industry. The CIS faculty member who chairs the review committee becomes the student’s academic advisor. Plan A (Thesis): The candidate is required to submit a 6-credit thesis as part of the 30-42 credits of graduate course work and to pass a final oral examination on the thesis material and related subjects. Individuals considering further doctoral graduate studies are recommended to pursue the thesis option. The content should represent a researched and creative expression of the student’s advanced capability as a result of the graduate program. The thesis should be proposed and approved prior to the commencement of the thesis work. Proposals must be approved prior to registering for thesis credits. Thesis students register for GCIS 799 Thesis when beginning the
Directed Research students register for GCIS 698 Directed Research when completing the research effort and after having received agreement from a faculty member to be the chair of the student’s research effort. GCIS 699 Directed Research is used for larger, non-thesis research projects. While enrolled in GCIS 698 and GCIS 699 Directed Research, the student is required to satisfy other department-stipulated activities such as attendance at research seminars, participation in research presentations, and writing- or research-improvement seminars.
THE CURRICULUM PLAN
The MS-CIS is a professional degree program. Students may begin studies with a wide variety of academic and work backgrounds. The MS-CIS curriculum may range from 30-42 credits depending upon these experiences. Upon commencement of graduate studies, students choose to complete their course of study in one of the defined degree options: Applied Computer Science (ACS), Information Systems (IS), Software Engineering (SE), or Web Development (WD). Courses are presented in four general categories: • Foundations Series: From 0 to 12 credits of (GCIS 56x-series) classes. The series is designed to bring all students up to the same preliminary level while commencing the common body of course work. Foundation courses can be waived (or challenged) on the basis of academic and professional experience. • Quality Module Series: 3 credits of professional development work. The courses focus on specific topics providing foundations for success in advanced graduate work and in the workplace. Topics include communications, professional development and applied research methods.