Master of Science in Computer Information Systems

Admission to Program

Admission requirements for the Master of Science in Computer Information Systems program:

1. An undergraduate degree from an accredited higher education institution.
2. A minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
3. A minimum TOEFL score of 79 (out of 120) (for applicants whose native language is not English).
4. GRE General Test: optional

Conditional Admission

Students may be awarded provisional graduate degree status admission if they satisfy the following requirements:

1. Have a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.75 on a 4.00 scale.

Students must petition the Dean of Engineering for full status in the graduate program during the term in which the first 12 graduate semester credit hours will be completed. To be considered for full degree status, provisional students must have earned a minimum GPA of 3.0 in all courses recommended by the faculty advisor and the head of the graduate program and submit satisfactory official scores on the GRE examination to the Office of Graduate Studies.

Non-Degree Admission

A student who has a bachelor’s degree (minimum GPA of 2.45) and wishes to take graduate courses without qualifying for a degree may be awarded non-degree status admission if they satisfy the requirements outlined in the catalog section “Types of Admission” under Admissions Information and Requirements.

Special Student Admission

Applicants who wish to take graduate courses but do not meet the minimum GPA for admission as degree, provisional, or non-degree status may apply for special student status admission to the University to enroll in the required computer information systems background courses. These students must have been highly recommended based on evidence of scholarly potential.

A student with a bachelor’s degree in a discipline other than Computer Information Systems must possess a computer information systems background equivalent to the following PVAMU courses before being admitted to the MS in Computer Information Systems program:

• COMP 1337 – Computer Science II
• One of the following:
  • ACCT 5300 – Concepts of Accounting
  • MGMT 5300 – Concepts of Management
  • FINA 5300 – Concepts of Finance
  • MRKT 5300 – Concepts of Marketing
  • ACCT 3321 Intermediate Accounting
  • MGMT 3310 – Principles of Management
  • FINA 3310 – Principle of Finance
  • MRKT 3310 – Principles of Marketing
• ECON 5300 Concepts of Economic Analysis or ECON 2311 – Microeconomics
• MATH 2413 – Calculus I
• MGMT 5311 – Business Statistics or MATH 3302 – Statistics

Advancement to Candidacy

The Application for Candidacy form must be approved by the head of the Computer Science department and submitted to the Dean of the Graduate School for approval. The student’s advisory committee must approve the research project or thesis before the student applies for candidacy.

Degree Requirements

The curriculum for the Master of Science in Computer Information Systems has both a thesis and a non-thesis option. A minimum of 36 semester hours of graduate course work is required for either option (including six semester hours of master’s thesis courses or three semester hours of master’s project courses). The 36 credit hours must be earned in courses numbered 5000 and above offered by the Computer Science Department. The core course grade should be B and above.

Two-Year Degree Plan

Semester-by-Semester Curriculum (Thesis Option)

Semester-by-Semester Curriculum (Non-Thesis Option)