Accelerated Program (B.S./M.S. Dual Degree)

1. At the time of application, an applicant must
   • Be enrolled at Mississippi State University in the B.S. in Computer Science or B.S. in Software Engineering programs
   • Have at least 60 hours earned toward the B.S. degree
   • Have a cumulative Grade Point Average of at least 3.5
2. An application package consists of the following items, which must be submitted to the department office staff.
   • Application form
   • Statement of Purpose
   • Contact information for three references (included on the application form). Ideal references are those who are knowledgeable about the academic abilities of the applicant. The department will solicit letters of reference.
3. The Graduate Studies Committee of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering will review an application to assess whether the applicant possesses those qualifications and interests that indicate that the applicant will be successful in the MSU M.S. in Computer Science program.

B.S./M.S. students that are still undergraduates wishing to register for 6000 courses need to follow a multistep process:

1. At advising, determine which courses you wish to take at the 6000 level. These are limited to a total of 9 credit hours during the senior year, without going over 16 total undergraduate/graduate hours per semester.
2. At advising, complete the Undergraduate Enrollment in Accelerated Program form. On the form, indicate you are an accelerated B.S./M.S. student
3. After advising, register for the 4000 version course during your designated registration appointment on your RAC sheet.
4. After registering, turn in the override Request form to the Graduate School.
5. Once the override has been granted by the graduate school to enroll in the 6000 version of the course the student will need to drop the 4000-level course and add the 6000-level. Please note that this process must be completed by 5:00 p.m. on the last day to drop a course.

1. After an applicant is accepted, the program begins when the student has senior standing. “Senior year” is a synonym for senior standing, irrespective of duration.
2. The CSE Graduate Coordinator is the student’s initial temporary advisor for graduate courses taken in the senior year. By mutual agreement, a student may have a tentative major professor during the senior year.
3. During the senior year a student takes graduate courses under the following conditions:
   • A maximum of 9 hours of graduate credit during the senior year. The Dean can approve exceptions, such as lab courses (4 credits), which may cause the total to exceed this limit.
   • In a term with graduate course enrollment, total undergraduate and graduate enrollment is limited to 16 credits in a Fall or Spring semester and 6 credits in all Summer terms combined.
   • Courses at the 6000-level count toward the B.S. degree similar to the corresponding 4000-level courses. Courses at the 7000-level and above count as technical electives toward the B.S. degree.
4. The department follows the Registrar’s procedures for dual counting.
5. The student graduates with a B.S. in the normal manner.

Upon satisfactory progress in the senior year, the student is admitted to the M.S. in Computer Science program on a routine basis. The M.S. Degree Guidelines explains academic performance criteria. The following outlines the procedure.

1. Early in the student’s last term in the B.S. program, the student submits an admission application package to the MSU Graduate Admissions Office consisting of the following.
   • On-line application
   • On-line Statement of Purpose, which may be a copy of the one used for admission to the 5-year program.
   • General GRE scores
   • Designation of the CSE Graduate Coordinator as a reference. The Graduate Admissions Office will solicit the reference letter.
   • Application fee
2. The CSE Graduate Coordinator will perform the departmental review of the application. Satisfactory progress during the senior year will warrant recommending admission to the M.S. program.
3. The student is admitted to the M.S. program.
4. The student enrolls as a graduate student after completing the B.S. degree.