Department Policies:

1.             CS 390-394 – Independent Study and Research

Course Description: Independent study projects for juniors and seniors.  Permission of department head required.

Policy: A student who is interested in doing an independent study project should first choose an area to work in.  The student then consults with her/his advisor and other faculty to determine a faculty member who would be most appropriate and willing to supervise the project.  Then the student and faculty supervisor decide on a suitable topic.  Once the topic has been selected, the student writes up a detailed description of the project, including references, deadlines, and deliverables.  When this description has been agreed to by the faculty supervisor, the description is forwarded from the faculty supervisor to the department head.  The department head, after discussing the project with the other faculty in the department, decides whether or not to approve the project.

Because it may take several weeks for the above steps to be completed, the student should start by the middle of the semester preceding the semester in which the project will be completed.

2.             CS 495-496 – Senior Thesis

Course Description: A two-semester, independent research project on a topic selected by the student and approved by the department.  A student must undertake such a program for two semesters to graduate with honors.

Policy: A student who is interested in doing a senior thesis should first choose an area to work in.  The student then consults with her/his advisor and other faculty to determine a faculty member who would be most appropriate and willing to supervise the project.  Then the student and faculty supervisor decide on a suitable topic and other faculty members to serve on the thesis committee.  Once the topic and committee members have been selected, the student writes up a detailed description of the project, including references, deadlines, and deliverables.  When this description has been agreed to by the thesis committee, the description is forwarded from the faculty committee to the department.  The department decides whether or not to approve the project.

Because it may take several weeks for the above steps to be completed, the student should start by the middle of the junior year.

Before the end of the fall semester of the student's senior year, the student will present to the faculty a status report on the progress the student has made on the project.

3.             All students enrolled in Senior Project (CS 470) or Senior Thesis (CS 496) must take the Major Field Test in Computer Science.  For each student in CS 470, the grade on the Major Field Test must count for part of the student's grade – possibly as extra credit. During the spring semester of their senior year, students will be notified when the test will be given. 

4.             CS 390 and CS 495 can be used only as free electives.  Also, a student who is enrolled in CS 496 is allowed to take CS 470 only as a free elective.

5.             In CS 406, students must work in teams to analyze, design and implement a computerized solution to a substantial problem.