This interdisciplinary program offers the advanced education necessary for a career in computer systems applications in a wide variety of areas. The curriculum provides for graduate study in such core topics as theory of computing, computer science principles, data management and software systems development, visualization and graphics, and high performance computing. In addition, the student may choose any systems-related area for specialization and application of the techniques from these core areas. Graduates from the program are prepared to attack problems of current social and technological interest such as resource allocation, process control, library automation, information systems management, database administration, and high performance computing. The student is expected to design his or her own curriculum, choosing an area for specialization, subject to the requirements outlined below.

The Master of Science in Systems Science degree program is currently being revised.As soon as all revisions to the curriculum have been made this website will be updated accordingly. The comprehensive written examination requirement has been dropped .

Curriculum Options & Requirements

Core Groups

Specialization Area

Thesis

System Design Project

Faculty

Departmental Policy

Other Related Programs

The student may select one of two combinations of course work and research, for a total of 36 hours. These are:

OPTION I: 24 hours of course work plus thesis

OPTION II: 30 hours of course work plus system design project.

   The curriculum includes the following research courses:

   In no case will more than twelve hours of computer science course work be counted towards the Master's Degree in Systems Science.

   The final list of courses submitted to fulfill the degree requirements must conform to the requirements of the Graduate School. In addition, the student must maintain at least a B average in all courses taken to satisfy the specialization requirements, as well as a B average overall.

   The Chairman of the Department of Computer Science and the student's committee are responsible for ensuring that the student's curriculum is of high academic quality. However, the student is responsible for his/her own progress through the program. Each student has a committee of at least three Systems Science Faculty members. The student, immediately upon entrance into the program, must contact the Graduate Advisor of the Department of Computer Science. A plan of study must be completed and signed by the end of the student's first semester in the program. By the end of the second semester of enrollment in the program, the student must choose a specialization area and request a major professor, who must also be from the Systems Science faculty. The other committee members, who must also be from the Systems Science faculty, and the major professor are nominated by the Chairman of the Department of Computer Science. The student should consult his/her advisor on a regular basis (at least once a semester) since only this faculty member can approve curricular requests.

    The major professor is chairman of the committee and ordinarily serves as the research advisor, who supervises the thesis or system design project. The thesis or design project topic must be specified in writing by the student and approved by both the student's major professor and the Chairman of the Department of Computer Science. Alternatively, the student may request that a fourth member be added to the committee as research advisor. In such cases, the research advisor need not be a member of the Systems Science faculty, but must be a member of the Graduate Faculty and must be from a systems-related area. The Chairman of the Department of Computer Science must approve the research advisor.

   The committee advises the Chairman of the Department of Computer Science on matters concerning the student's curriculum and progress therein, and supervises the oral examination. By the end of his/her second semester in the program, the student must obtain approval of the choice of the specialization field and the courses to be taken in order to satisfy the degree requirements.

The basis of the Systems Science curriculum is a set of five Core Groups, from which the student must select a portion of the course work offered for credit toward the degree for credit toward the degree. The following is a list of the Core Groups and a partial list of the courses in each group.

GROUP I: Theory of Computing

The study of the mathematical theory of computation and general systems, including systems theory, mathematics, and formal languages.

CSC 4890  Introduction to the Theory of Computation
CSC 7200  Theory of Computation I
CSC 7201  Theory of Computation II
CSC 7300  Algorithm Design and Analysis

MATH 4171  Theory of Graphs
MATH 4172  Combinatorics

GROUP II: Computer Sciences Principles

The study of compiler design, programming languages, artificial intelligence, architecture, and operating systems.

CSC  4101  Programming Languages
CSC  4103  Operating Systems
CSC  4351  Compiler Construction
CSC  4444  Artificial Intelligence
CSC  7080  Computer Architecture
CSC  7101  Programming Language Structures
CSC  7103  Advanced Operating Systems
CSC  7333  Machine Learning
CSC  7444  Advanced Artificial Intelligence
CSC  7540  Distributed Systems

EE  4710  Communications in Computing
EE  4730  Structure and Design of Digital Computers

GROUP III: Data Management and Software Systems Development

The study of logically and physically organizing, storing, and retrieving data, and developing large software systems, including software engineering.

CSC  4330  Software Systems Development
CSC  4402  Introduction to Database Management Systems
CSC  7135  Software Engineering
CSC  7235  Advanced Software Engineering
CSC  7402  Database Management Systems
CSC  7481  (or LIS 7610)  Information Retrieval Systems

LIS  7013  Evaluation of Information Systems
LIS  7501  Management of Information Systems
LIS  7502  Networks for Information Centers
LIS  7605  (also CSC 7406)  Information Science
LIS  7606  (also CSC 7407)  Abstracting and Indexing
LIS  7607 (also CSC 7410)  Electronic Information Resources

GROUP IV: Visualization and Graphics

The study of the mathematical fundamentals and algorithms for computer based geometric models of physical systems.

ME  4573  (or CSC 4356)  Interactive Computer Graphics
ME  4583  (or CSC 4357)  Applied Interactive Graphics and
                                              Computer-Aided Design
ME  7253  Advanced Computer-Aided Design
ME  7263  Computer-Aided Geometric Modeling

CSC  7380  Introduction to Computational Geometry

GROUP V: High Performance Computing

The study of numerical algorithms and simulation tools for parallel computing in order to solve large (e.g., grand challenge) problems.

CSC  7373  Algorithms for Parallel and Distributed Computing
CSC  7560  Programming and Performance Evaluation of                          Parallel Computing
CSC  7560  Computational Methods
CSC  7600  High Performance Computing I
CSC  7610  High Performance Computing II
CSC  7620  High Performance Computing III

PHYS  7411  Computational Physics
PHYS  7412  Computational Physics

Normally, this would be an area in which the student applies the knowledge obtained from the core coursework; although the student may choose a Core Group for specialization. Some examples are a physical science (e.g., physics), a life science (e.g., entomology), a social science (e.g., psychology), a field of engineering (e.g., industrial engineering), mathematics, a field in business (e.g., information systems and decision sciences), and library and information science (a student who wishes to specialize in this area may want to consider a joint degree). Whether the student elects the thesis or system design project, the research must be in the specialization area and the research advisor must be knowledgeable in that discipline.

The student who chooses SYSC 8000 must prepare and defend a Master's thesis. The topic of the thesis must be consistent with the subject area of specialization field and the thesis work must include significant application of the techniques of systems science to a problem of interest in that field. The student must obtain his or her advisory committee's written approval of the thesis topic prior to beginning the thesis work. A public oral defense of the thesis before this committee is required.

The student who chooses SYSC 7090 must submit a system design project as part of the requirements for the degree. This project normally consists of a thoroughly documented computer system in the student's specialization field. The student must obtain his/her advisory committee's approval prior to beginning the project work. A public oral defense of the system design project before the student's committee is required.

Faculty members from multiple departments of Louisiana State University, Southern University, and the University of Southwestern Louisiana may participate in the Systems Science program. The following are the current Graduate Faculty of Systems Science:
(for faculty contact information, click here please)

POLICY 1: M.S. Examinations

MS project report/thesis must be submitted to committee members at least one week prior to the final presentation examination date. Failure to follow this policy is sufficient cause for postponement of that date if any committee members so desire.

POLICY 2: Announcement of Project/Thesis Exams to the Departmental Faculty and Students

The room, time, and date of your presentation examination date must be announced in advance by both e-mail to cscworld and by posting on the Bulletin Board B1 (at least 3 working days before the exam). Failure to do so is sufficient cause for postponement of that date if any systems science faculty member raises a complaint.

POLICY 3: Graduate Teaching Assistantships

Graduate Teaching Assistantships are awarded to graduate students for a maximum period of two years, except in special circumstances that must be justified by the student's advisor and the department chair. The assistantship will be automatically terminated at the end of the second year.

POLICY 4: Status

The admission committee will notify the originating or current enrolled department of LSU of the status of a student who transfers into systems science or who is accepted as a dual degree student.

POLICY 5: Residency Rule of the Department

The Systems Science program is not a computer science degree program and should not be construed as one in any way. Students who wish to pursue a Master's degree in computer science should apply to the Department of Computer Science at Southern University of Baton Rouge or to the Department of Computer Science at the University of Southwestern Louisiana in Lafayette.

This program is a general, interdisciplinary program leading to a Master's Degree in Systems Science. In addition, there is the Library and Information Science - Systems Science Joint Degree Program. In order to meet the growing demand for information professionals trained in library science and computer science, this program has been implemented. It prepares information professionals knowledgeable in systems and computer applications, and provides the requisite background for careers in library systems development, online bibliographic retrieval research, and the administration of information centers. Students in this program earn both the Master's Degree in Library Science and the Master's Degree in Systems Science for a total of fifty-eight semester hours. For more information on this dual degree program, contact:

Dean
School of Library and Information Science, Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803
Phone: (225) 578-3158