Department of Computer Science
Montana State University
357 EPS Building
Bozeman , MT 59717
Tel: (406) 994-4780

www.cs.montana.edu
csinfo@cs.montana.edu

Department Head
John Paxton

Graduate Coordinators
Rafal Angryk (Ph.D.), Rocky Ross (Master's)

Professors

• John Paxton; artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer science education.
• Rocky Ross; web-based active learning resources, theoretical computer science.
• Denbigh Starkey; computer graphics, scientific visualization.
• Binhai Zhu; applied computational geometry, intelligent web searching, combinatorial optimization.

Associate Professors

• Brendan Mumey; applied algorithms, optimal and wireless networking, computational biology.
• Year-Back Yoo; supercomputing, parallel algorithms, heterogeneous computing.

Assistant Professors

• Rafal Angryk; data mining, database systems, mobile agents, artificial intelligence.
• Hunter Lloyd (adjunct); multimedia and Internet, Internet technologies, computer literacy.
• Jian (Neil) Tang; networks, wireless networking.

Degree Offered

M.S. in Computer Science
Ph.D. in Computer Science

M.S. Degree Program

A Bachelor's degree in Computer Science is recommended. Students with non-computer science degrees at the Bachelor's level or above are also encouraged to apply; such students will generally be required to take appropriate courses while enrolled at MSU to make up computer science and related subject matter deficiencies prior to full acceptance into the computer science Master's program. Factors that the department uses in its admissions process include GRE scores, TOEFL scores (for non-native English speakers), reference letters, GPA and previous coursework. For more information, please refer to http://www.cs.montana.edu/masters.php.

Details about applying can be found at www.montana.edu/gradstudies/apply.shtml. The Computer Science Department encourages applicants to use the online application procedure.

 Ph.D. Degree Program

It is recommended that applicants for the Ph.D. program have a Master's degree in computer science. Exceptional applicants with a Bachelor's degree in computer science may apply directly to the Ph.D. program.

Admission to the doctoral program follows the requirements of the College of Engineering and the Division of Graduate Education. Factors that the department uses in its admissions process include GRE scores, TOEFL scores (for non-native English speakers), reference letters, GPA and previous coursework. For more information, please refer to http://www.cs.montana.edu/phd.php.

Details about applying can be found at www.montana.edu/gradstudies/apply.shtml. The Computer Science Department encourages applicants to use the online application procedure.

Program Requirements

M.S. Degree

Students may pursue the Master's degree under either Plan A or Plan B. Plan A requires the completion of 20 credits of acceptable coursework and 10 credits of thesis. Under Plan B, a 4 credit project and 26 credits of acceptable coursework must be completed. For more information, please refer to http://www.cs.montana.edu/masters.php.

Master's candidates must take an oral comprehensive exam near the completion of their graduate program. Required courses include:

Ph.D. Degree

A Ph.D. student must complete a minimum of 60 credits of coursework beyond the Bachelor's degree or a minimum of 36 credits of coursework beyond the Master's degree. The degree requirements for the Ph.D. degree are found at http://www.cs.montana.edu/phd.php. Required courses include:

2 Courses from the following theory courses.

2 Courses from the following systems courses.

2 Courses from the following application courses.

Research Experience

Plan A (thesis option) Master's degree students gain research experience through their thesis and are expected to submit the results of their thesis work to at least one journal or conference. Plan B (project option) Master's degree students gain some research experience in the context of their project. Ph.D. students will gain research experience through their doctoral work, journal or conference submissions, and attending conferences

Research Facilities

Graduate research and coursework can be performed on systems owned and operated by the Computer Science Department. On-campus work is typically performed in laboratories or graduate student offices. A typical machine is a dual boot (Linux / Windows) PC. Intel-based Macs running OSX are also available. Outside the department, the MSU Information Technology Center provides additional computing infrastructure.

Computer Science is completely housed in MSU's high technology Engineering and Physical Sciences building.

Financial Assistance

A number of research and teaching assistantships are available for qualified graduate students. These appointments are normally for half-time assignments (20 hours per week) during the academic year. Some appointments may also be available during the summer. Assistantships will only be offered to formally admitted graduate students. See the appropriate CS M.S. degree or Ph.D. degree website for more information.

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