Graduate

Accelerated BSCS in Computer Science and MSIT in Information Technology

DESCRIPTION

Students pursuing a BSCS in Computer Science will earn an MSIT in Information Technology in an accelerated manner by sharing two (2) graduate courses (six (6) credit hours) taken as upper-level departmental (Technical) electives as part of the undergraduate Computer Engineering major. The BSCS requires a total of 120 hours and the MSIT requires 30 hours. By sharing six (6) credit hours, the total credit hours earned will be 144 hours. This accelerated major shares six (6) credit hours between already existing degrees:

  • BSCS in Computer Science
  • MSIT in Information Technology

TARGET STUDENTS AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES

Academically high achieving undergraduate students in the BSCS major with high overall and major GPA will be targeted for the accelerated major. Expected outcomes are the increase in MSIT degrees granted, increase in graduate SCH, decrease time to graduation, decrease tuition dollars for the student, increase in the number of US students receiving MSIT degrees, including minorities and students from under-represented groups in Computer Science and Engineering, close the national gap of IT graduates needed to satisfy the market demand and enhance of the quality of the graduate major by addition of academically accomplished students.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

For admission to the program, a student must:

  1. Have completed 15 hours in the undergraduate major.
  2. Have a minimum 3.33 GPA overall.
  3. Have a minimum undergraduate 3.50 GPA in the major.

TIMELINE AND BENCHMARKS

  1. To be considered for acceptance into the Accelerated BSCS Computer Science/MSIT Information Technology major, students must have completed a minimum of 15 credit hours in the Computer Science undergraduate major.
  2. Students must have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.33 overall and a minimum GPA of 3.50 in the major.
  3. Following completion of a minimum of 15 hours in the undergraduate major, students may be considered for acceptance into the accelerated major through faculty nomination or student self-nomination, via submission of an Accelerated major Application Form. Both BSCS and MSIT majors will review the applications and approve the nominations. All applications require the approval of USF's Office of Graduate Studies, the College of Engineering's Graduate Major, and the Department of Computer Science and Engineering Majors.
  4. To be promoted to graduate status, students must meet all admission requirements of the MSIT major.
  5. Students must earn a minimum of a "B" (3.00 GPA) in all shared graduate courses. Failure to earn at least a "B" in a shared graduate course will result in academic review by the graduate major. Failure to maintain good standing as a graduate student will result in academic probation, according to the procedures of the USF Office of Graduate Studies.
  6. A comprehensive plan of study to complete the Accelerated BSCS Computer Science/MSIT Information Technology major will be developed with the guidance of undergraduate and graduate advisors.

SHARED COURSES (SIX (6) CREDIT HOURS)

Two (2) of the following three (3) core graduate courses replace six (6) credit hours of upper-level departmental (Technical) electives, including Independent Study and Industry Internship. Undergraduate Degree Requirements for the BSCS in Computer Science (107 credit hours). 

  • CEN 6084 Advances in Object Oriented Programming for Information Technology
  • CIS 6930 Selected Topics: Ethical Hacking for IT
  • ISM 6218 Advanced Database Administration

Note: Please see Undergraduate Catalog for major-specific requirements

See USF Course Inventory