Yes, it is possible to graduate! Here's a picture of Keith Milner, 1999 graduate of the Computer Science Master of Science Distance Learning program.

Ann Carter presents her Masters Project on campus, 1999

Mark Van Donsel presents his Masters Project on campus, 1999

Components of MCS 890 – Masters Project

General Overview

The masters project is a capstone experience meant to serve both as a showcase of your computer science abilities and as an assessment tool of your computer science knowledge.

Your advisor has been working with you regarding potential ideas for a project from the beginning of the program.

Prepare an idea paper which outlines your proposed project. Submit it to your advisor for approval.

With consultation from your advisor, select 3 – 5 research areas to investigate. These research areas will be on topics pertinent to your project and will supplement your project. A paper will be created for each research area. Research areas should both relate to your project and to other MCS courses. Follow the research paper guidelines from MCS 801 for these papers.

The project itself will follow the software engineering model presented in MCS 850.

You must schedule an on-campus appointment to present your project to the computer science faculty.

Specific Example

Mr. Mark Van Donsel’s MCS 890 project may serve as an example

The software project was the creation of InvesRisk, a software product which analyzed a user’s potential retirement risk vis-à-vis income based upon current investments. Standard software engineering techniques were employed in creating the software.

To supplement the project, Mark created research papers on the following topics:
1. Random Number Generators. Central to the software was the use of a “good” random number generator. Based upon foundational concepts from MCS 820 and MCS 825, additional research was performed in this area.
2. Ethics. Concerns over the ethical issue raised by creating a project of this genre, Mark expanded concepts from MCS 855 and did further research into the ethics of creating software which may have a large financial impact on the user.
3. Creating Demonstration Software. Hoping to ultimately market the software, Mark investigated methods used to create demonstration software based upon concepts from MCS 810 and MCS 850.