Hofstra University

Department of Computer Science

Graduate Programs

Effective: October 1999

The following recommendations are scheduled to appear in the 2000-2001 Hofstra Bulletin. Students are urged to pursue this course of study immediately upon entering the program.

Requirements

  1. Completion of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution, and
  2. An undergraduate minimum grade-point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, and
  3. Achievement in General (verbal, quantitative, and analytic) GRE scores.

Prerequisite Requirements

The following prerequisite courses or their equivalents must be completed with a 3.0 grade-point average before commencing graduate-level courses. These courses do not count toward the graduate degree.

CSC 14, 15, 16, 110, 112, 120, 161; MATH 19, 20. (See course offerings page)

Master of Arts

Computer Science

Degree Requirements

Candidates for graduation must fulfill the following requirements.

  1. The successful completion of at least 33 semester hours and a grade of C or better in all courses with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 in work completed at Hofstra toward the graduate degree.  
  2. The completion in residence at Hofstra of 27 semester hours in computer science  
  3. Required courses
    CSC 204 Algorithms I: Sorting and Searching
    CSC 256 Advanced Operating Systems Design
  4. Electives  
    Eight additional graduate courses (24 semester hours) taken under advisement. Up to 6 s.h. of graduate courses in areas outside of computer science may be taken with the prior approval of the graduate coordinator 

  5. Capstone Experience* 
    CSC 300 Independent Projects

Master of Science

Computer Science

Degree Requirements

Candidates for graduation must fulfill the following requirements.

  1. The successful completion of at least 33 semester hours and a grade of C or better in all courses with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 in work completed at Hofstra toward the graduate degree.
  2. The completion in residence at Hofstra of 27 semester hours in computer science
  3. Required courses
    CSC 204 Algorithms I: Sorting and Searching
    CSC 256 Advanced Operating Systems Design     
  4. Breadth Requirement One course in each of the three following areas: theory, software and hardware

    TH: CSC 201B, 202, 205, 206, 207, 208
    SW: CSC 252, 253, 254, 258
    HW: CSC 280, 282, 284, 286, 287
  5. Capstone Experience*
    CSC 301-302 Thesis

 

Partial Listing of Computer Science Graduate Courses and Prerequisites

Prerequisite courses (or their equivalents)

CSC 014                         Discrete Structures
CSC 015                         Fundamentals of Computer Science I
CSC 016                         Fundamentals of Computer Science II
CSC 110                         Introduction to Computer Architecture
CSC 112                         Computer Operating Systems
CSC 120                         Algorithms and Data Structures
CSC 161                         Introduction to Automata Theory
MAT019                         Calculus I
MAT020                         Calculus II

Credit by examination

Graduate students who have a strong background in Computer Science but do not have certain prerequisite courses may attempt to have their prerequisites waived by taking special examinations.  For further details consult the Graduate Credit by Examination section of the Hofstra Bulletin.

Certificate of Computer Science program (School of Continuing Education)

Students who graduate from the Certificate in Computer Science program at the Hofstra School of Continuing Education will have most of their Computer Science prerequisites waived.

M.A. Required Courses

CSC 204                         Algorithms I: Sorting and Searching
CSC 256                         Advanced Operating Systems Design
CSC 300                         Independent Projects

M.S. Required Courses

CSC 204                         Algorithms I: Sorting and Searching
CSC 256                         Advanced Operating Systems Design
CSC 301-302                         Thesis

M.S. Breadth Courses

Theory

CSC 201B                         Logic Applications to Software
CSC 202                         Computability
CSC 205                         Algorithms II: Combinatorial Algorithms
CSC 206                         Analysis of Algorithms and Complexity Theory
CSC 207                         Advanced Data Structures
CSC 208                         Formal Languages, Grammar, and Automata

Software

CSC 252                         Survey of Programming Languages
CSC 253                         Design of Programming Languages
CSC 254                         Database Design
CSC 258                         Compiler Construction

Hardware

CSC 280                         Logic Design and Switching Theory
CSC 282                         Real-Time Systems
CSC 284                         Computer Communication Networks and Distributed Processing
CSC 286                         Computer Organization I
CSC 287                         Computer Organization II

*A 3 semester hour elective is recommended in the research area