Graduate Student Policies

Course Registration

Graduate students are required to consult with the Graduate Coordinator regarding all course registration. Before completing the first 15 hours of credit toward his/her degree program, a graduate student should submit a tentative degree program (TDP) to the Graduate Coordinator. If a graduate student fails to submit a TDP or does not adhere to the TDP, he/she may not be in compliance with the requirements for the MS degree. This may extend the time required to complete the degree. Any subsequent changes to the TDP must be approved by the Graduate Coordinator.

Some graduate students are required to take undergraduate computer science courses as prerequisite to their graduate program. The Graduate Coordinator meets with each student at the beginning of their program to determine their prerequisites.

Course Selection for Students who were BGSU Undergraduates

BGSU undergraduates often complete several 4000-level courses as part of their degree program. Courses completed at the 4000-level cannot be retaken at the 5000-level for credit. For example, a student who takes CS 4290 as an undergraduate cannot receive credit for CS 5290 as a graduate student.

Satisfactory Progress Policy

Students are required to make satisfactory progress towards their degree each semester. The Graduate College requires the student to maintain a 3.0 GPA and to complete at least two-thirds of the classes attempted each semester.

The Department of Computer Science has the following additional requirements regarding academic progress:

• Students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA. If the GPA falls below 3.0 in a semester, that student is given one additional semester to raise the GPA to at least 3.0. A student whose GPA remains below 3.0 for two consecutive semesters will generally be dismissed from the program.
• A student who receives three grades of C in graduate courses will generally be dismissed from the program.
• A student who receives a grade lower than C in a graduate course will generally be dismissed from the program.
• Students who have been awarded Graduate Assistantships must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA. If the GPA falls below 3.0 in a semester, their contract may be terminated.

Students who wish to appeal a decision to be dropped from the program should contact the Graduate Coordinator to arrange a hearing at the department level. The student also has the right to appeal to the Graduate College.

Internship Credit Policy

Academic credit is available for internships that a student completes while enrolled in the MS program in computer science. The internship must be related in some way to the studies at BGSU. Students can receive 1 to 3 hours of credit in CS 5890 for each internship, but the total hours received for all internships can be no more than 3 credit hours.

These are the specific requirements for obtaining internship credit:

• You must have completed at least one semester in the MS program before starting the internship.
• In most cases, academic credit for an internship is awarded in a semester subsequent to the semester(s) of employment.
• Approximately 600 hours of work experience are needed to qualify for 3 hours of credit, with proportionately less required for 1 or 2 hours of credit.
• Participation in a panel discussion with other CS internship students is sometimes required.
• To apply for internship credit, fill out the internship form and deliver it to the Graduate Coordinator by 5 p.m. on the first Thursday of the semester in which you wish to receive credit. The form is available here:
  online internship form
• You must provide the name, email, and phone number of your immediate supervisor on the internship form. In most cases, the Graduate Coordinator will contact your supervisor to verify that your position was suitable for academic credit and that your performance was good.
• You will be notified if your application for internship credit is approved. The department will register you for CS 5890.
• If you prefer, you can request that CS 5890 credit be obtained through the "credit by examination" process. This requires you to pay an exam fee, but does not involve any instructional or general fees. This might be desirable if you are a part-time student or if the internship credit would put you over the 18 credit hour limit. Request this option when you fill out the internship registration form.

Transferring Courses from other Academic Institutions

The process of transferring one or more courses is initiated by the graduate student and is handled by the Graduate Coordinator. A graduate student may transfer up to 9 graduate credit hours from other institutions with the approval of the Graduate Coordinator. The following are required for transferring a course:

• the student must have received a grade of "B" or better in that graduate course
• the course must have been completed within the past six years
• the course credit must not have been used, in whole or in part, toward any other degree or certificate
• the student must submit to the Graduate Coordinator a copy of the official transcript along with the course syllabus and a copy of the course description from the graduate catalog of the institution at which the course was taken
• the transfer must be approved by the Graduate Coordinator

The grades for transferred courses are not officially recognized or recorded on the student's transcript. Therefore transferred courses do not affect the student's cumulative GPA at BGSU.

Professional Development Grants

The Graduate College and the Department of Computer Science have provided funding for travel grants for computer science graduate students. The purpose is to help fund travel that promote the student's professional development. Grants are available to help fund the following kinds of activities:

1. participation in workshops, conferences, meetings, or other similar educational experiences; or,
2. participation in a formal course of study as might be sponsored by a professional organization or educational institution.

Grants can pay up to $300 for registration fees, transportation costs (mileage, airfare, etc.), and lodging. A student can receive no more than one grant per academic year.

The department's Graduate Committee will consider grant applications each year on February 1 and October 1. Applications are made to the Graduate Coordinator before these dates. You should provide a brochure or other information describing the event you wish to attend, and should also submit a word processing document containing the following information:

• your name
• the name and dates of the event you wish to attend
• a narrative describing how this event will contribute to your development as a computer science professional
• a proposed budget, showing the amount that you are requesting, the amount that will be paid from your funds, and the amount to be paid from other sources

If appropriate, you may optionally provide a letter of support from a faculty member.