COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE ACADEMICS

General Graduate Degree Requirements

Please review all college-wide degree requirements summarized in the "College of Arts and Sciences" section of the FSU Graduate Bulletin.

• A student who proposes to do graduate work in the department is required to take the aptitude test of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) and make a minimum combined score of 1100 with a minimum of 650 on the quantitative aptitude part. Doctoral students are required to have taken the GRE Computer Science area exam prior to defending their portfolio.
  
  
• Unless specifically admitted into the part-time graduate program, all students are required to maintain full-time enrollment (at least nine (9) semester hours per term for TAs and RAs, and twelve (12) hours otherwise, excluding Summer) in courses related to their program of studies throughout the entire program of study (except term of graduation). The student must receive a grade of "B-" or better on all graduate courses taken to satisfy the minimum requirements of either graduate degree. Once these minimum requirements are met, however, it is permissible to take any subsequent courses on an S/U basis.
  
  
• Upon joining the department, each graduate student is assigned an advisor by the director of graduate studies. At least once each semester the student is required to meet with the advisor and, if a course-based MS student, complete the departmental advising forms. Completion of these forms becomes part of the graduation check. For those students completing a thesis, project or dissertation, a major professor will be selected by the student once a topic for such is chosen. At this point the major professor takes over the advising responsibilities. For those master's students in the course-based option, the advisor initially assigned continues in the advisement role. Advising forms stay with the advisor (major professor) until the graduation check.
  
  
• All candidates for doctoral degrees in the department are required to participate in teaching activities at some time during their graduate careers unless waived by the department chair. Aditionally, each doctoral student must complete at least one oral research presentation which is critiqued by at least one faculty member. This can be at the departmental research conference, or any discipline-related conference. All students participate in an exit interview with the chair or associate chair or director of graduate studies during the term of graduation.