Master of Computer Science - Thesis

at University of Houston, USA

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About Houston
Houston is the nation's fourth largest city and an international destination, bursting with energy.

Known as the energy capital of the world, the city is home to 19 Fortune 500 companies and the
world's largest medical center—providing limitless opportunities for UH students to develop
their skills in internships and fieldwork experiences in the real world.

Houston's quality of life and proximity to research partners in business and government also
make the city an attractive home for talented professors and their families.

Houston is a fun place to live, too. Interested in the arts? Take in a performance of the Houston
Ballet, Houston Grand Opera, or Houston Symphony, or wander through Houston's Museum
District. Rather be outdoors? Choose from more than 160 golf courses, commune with wild
animals at the Houston Zoo, or go hiking at the Armand Bayou Nature Center.

"A mouth-watering destination for foodies," according to USA Today , Houston offers dining
options from BBQ to seafood, and from Tex-Mex to Vietnamese. Jazz and blues clubs add to the
lively nightlife. As Dan Halpern wrote in The New York Times, "Maybe that's what makes
Houston such an unusual and wonderful place--there are so many different Houstons to see."

UH at a Glance
Founded in 1927, the University of Houston is the leading public research university in the
vibrant international city of Houston. Each year, we educate more than 36,000 students in nearly
300 undergraduate and graduate academic programs, on campus and online. UH awards more
than 6,500 degrees annually, with nearly 200,000 alumni.

• Location
• Programs of Study
• Research
• Faculty
• Students

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 • Student Life
• Accreditation
• UH Points of Pride

Location
UH is located in Houston, Texas, the nation’s fourth-largest city and the energy capital of the
world. Our students regularly test their skills through internships with national and international
companies based here, and our faculty routinely partner with businesses and government
agencies through research.

Programs of Study
Our undergraduates choose from 109 majors and minors. At the graduate level, we offer 128
master’s, 50 doctoral, and three professional degree programs. You may study online through our
Distance Education program, or take non-credit courses through Continuing Education. Many of
our academic programs rank among the nation’s best.

Research
Our faculty and students conduct research through 40 research centers and in every academic
department. UH research regularly breaks new ground and opens doors to new ways of
understanding the world.

Faculty
University of Houston faculty are renowned scholars with real-world experience who work
closely with each student. From the Tony Award to the Nobel Peace Prize and back to the
classroom, UH faculty makes things happen on campus and across the world.

Students
The University of Houston is the second most ethnically diverse major research university in the
United States. Students come to UH from more than 137 nations and from across the nation. Our
student body comprises more than 36,000 undergraduate and graduate students. [More about our
student population]

Student Life

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With more than 300 student organizations and 16 intercollegiate sports teams, life at UH is active
and lively. About 4,000 students live on campus in residence halls, apartments, and townhouses.

Accreditation
The University of Houston is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, master's, professional, and doctoral
degrees.

In addition, the University is a member of the Council of Graduate Schools in the United States,
the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools, the National Commission on Accrediting, the
Association of Texas Colleges and Universities, the American Council on Education, the
Association of American State Colleges and Universities, the Association of American Colleges,
the Association of Urban Universities, and the National Association of State Universities and
Land Grant Colleges. UH colleges, programs, and professional associations also hold
memberships and accreditations by additional agencies

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Qualification: Masters Degree (USA)

Awarding body: University Of Houston

Cost: $513.80 per semester credit hour

Duration description: Variable

Study mode: Full time

Website: http://www.uh.edu/admissions/international/

Entry requirements:

Applicant must complete either with a grade of B or better, or obtain advanced placement in
every one of the following eight categories: Math 1431 (Calculus I), 1432 (Calculus II), and
Math 2431 (Linear Algebra); COSC 1320 (Intro to CS II); COSC 2320 (Data Structures); COSC
2410 (Computer Organization and Programming); COSC 3330 (Computer Architecture); COSC
3340 (Intro to Automata and Computability); COSC 4330 (Fundamentals of Operating Systems);
COSC 4351 (Software Engineering). They should have GRE scores of high 600's (GRE score =
Quantitative and Verbal) and official TOEFL scores of 100 on the internet-based test, 250 on the
computer-based test, or 603 on the paper-based test.

Application deadline: May/01 for Fall, Oct/01 for Spring, Apr/01 for Summer

Application details:

Applicant can submit the application form through online with a payment of $150 application fee
(by check payable to the University of Houston). They should submit two official transcripts
from all higher education institutions attended; official GMAT or GRE scores less than 5 years
old; two letters of recommendation from academics, employers or professionals; resume and
goal statement. All the documents must send to University of Houston; 334 Melcher Hall, Suite
330, Houston, TX 77204-6021. They should also submit official TOEFL score (Required scores
are as follows: 100 on the internet-based test, 250 on the computer-based test, or 603 on the
paper-based test.) Scores over 2 years old will not be accepted; Degree Clarification Form;
Statement of Understanding; Transfer Form; Overseas Address Form; Letter of Financial
Banking; Permission Release Form and two Passport photos. These documents must send to
University of Houston; Office of International Admissions; 122 E. Cullen; Houston, TX 77204-
2023.

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Courses: Computer Science (COSC)

6110: Graduate Colloquium

Cr. 1. (0-2). Prerequisite: approval of chair. May be repeated for a maximum of three semester
hours of credit.

6111: Graduate Seminar

Cr. 3. (3-0). Graduate Colloquium; cannot be substituted for COSC 6110.

6198:6298:6398:6498:6598: Special Problems

Cr. 1-5 per semester. Prerequisites: consent of instructor and approval of chair.

6301: Introduction to Computer Science

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: graduate standing, knowledge of one programming language, and one
of the following: MATH 1431, PHIL 2321 or consent of instructor. Credit may not be applied
toward a degree in computer science. Digital computers, algorithms, and programming;
procedure and assembly language; definition and transformation of information structures and
their representations in digital computers.

6302: Introduction to Logic and Computing Machines

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: graduate standing, knowledge of one programming language, and one
of the following: MATH 1431, PHIL 2321 or equivalent, or consent of instructor. Credit may not
be applied toward a degree in computer science. Sets, relations, Boolean algebra, propositional
calculus, first-order predicate calculus, combinational circuit and sequential circuit, storage
elements, arithmetic units, Turing machines, and basic computer organization.

6303: Introduction to Numerical Analysis

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: MATH 2431 and MATH 3431. Credit may not be applied toward a
degree in computer science. Numerical solutions of non-linear and linear equations, error
analysis, ill-conditioned systems; interpolation, numerical differentiation and integration;
numerical solutions to differential equations; quadrature, error analysis and stability.

6304: Introduction to Structured Programming and Analysis

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: graduate standing, knowledge of one programming language, and any
one of the following: MATH 1431 and PHIL 2321, or equivalent. Credit may not be applied
toward a degree in computer science. Structured programming, string processing, and searching
and sorting; analysis of formal structures, including linear list, string, orthogonal list, tree, and
multilist.

6305: Introduction to Computer Science II

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: consent of the Director of Graduate Studies. Credit may not be applied
toward a graduate degree. Object-oriented programming, elementary data structures and the C++
programming language. Students must make an oral presentation on aspects of the course
content.

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6306: Data Structures
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: consent of the Director of Graduate Studies. Credit may not be applied
toward a graduate degree. Introduction to various data structures; sorting and searching; design,
analysis and comparison of algorithms. Students must make an oral presentation on aspects of
the course content.

6309: Introduction to Automata and Computability

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: consent of the Director of Graduate Studies. Credit may not be applied
toward a graduate degree in Computer Science. Introduction to automata theory (finite state
automata, pushdown automata, Turning machines; formal systems; computability, Church-Turing
thesis. Students must make an oral presentation on aspects of the course content.

6310: Fundamentals of Operating Systems

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: consent of the Director of Graduate Studies. Credit may not be applied
toward a graduate degree in Computer Science. Purpose of an operating systems; sequential
processes, concurrent processes, deadlock, mutual exclusion, semaphores; memory management,
processor management, peripheral device management. Students must make an oral presentation
on aspects of the course content.

6311: Fundamentals of Software Engineering

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: consent of the Director of Graduate Studies. Credit may not be applied
toward a graduate degree in Computer Science. Introduction to the concepts of software
engineering. Identification of problems related to the development of large software systems.
Software project planning, requirements analysis, design, implementation, quality assurance and
maintenance. Students must make an oral presentation on aspects of the course content.

6318: Object-Oriented Analysis and Design

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 4351 or consent of instructor. Software life cycle, object-
oriented paradigm, classes, object relationship, software architecture, use-case analysis, object
modeling technique, design metrics, object-oriented design principles, design patterns.

6320: Data Structures and Algorithms

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 2320 or COSC 6304. Mathematical techniques for algorithm
analysis; advanced data structures including sets, graphs, tree structures and hashing; algorithm
design techniques including dynamic programming, greedy methods, divide-and-conquer;
selected classes of algorithms; lower bounds.

6322: Biochemistry of Organelles

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: Graduate standing; BCHS 3305 or consent of the instructor.
Biochemistry of mitochondria and chloroplasts including electron transport, oxidative
phosphorylation, chemiosmotic theory. Includes mitochondrial theory of aging and apoptosis. A
written assignment on primary literature related to course subject.

6325: Analysis of Algorithms - Mathematical Techniques

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: MATH 3336 or equivalent. Recurrences, number theory, enumeration

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methods, generating functions, probability and asymptotics, treated from the point of view of
analysis of algorithms, with examples.

6340: Data Management

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 3480. MATH 3336 strongly recommended. Topics related to
data management in a database environment, including data normalization, functional
dependencies, database design, data integrity and security, and distributed data processing.

6341: Information Retrieval

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 2320 and graduate standing or consent of instructor.
Representation, storage, organization and access to items of information (e.g., documents,
images, audio and video clips). Topics include: information retrieval of text, human-computer
interactions, multimedia and applications such as the Web, digital libraries, genomic information
retrieval, and bibliographic systems.

6342: Machine Learning

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: MATH 3338 and graduate standing or consent of instructor. Concept
learning, hypothesis spaces, decision trees, neural networks, Bayesian learning, computational
learning theory, instance-based learning, genetic algorithms, rule-based learning, analytical
learning, and reinforcement learning.

6343: Advanced Topics in Pattern Analysis

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 6342. Bayesian decision theory, maximum likelihood and
Bayesian parameter estimation, nonparametric techniques, neural networks, evolutionary
techniques, decision trees, clustering and unsupervised learning, foundations of machine
learning.

6351: Software Engineering

Cr. 3. (3-0). (Formerly COSC 6350) Prerequisite: COSC 4351 or consent of the instructor. In-
depth treatment of software engineering topics, including project planning, software processes,
metrics, quality assurance techniques, formal methods, and other subjects of current interest.

6352: Declarative Programming Languages

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 4315 or consent of the instructor. Study and comparison of non-
imperative languages with emphasis on functional and equational languages and their
programming concepts and implementation issues.

6360: Operating Systems

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 4330. Review of the current literature on operating systems
concentrating on the current areas of operating systems interest.

6361: Languages and Compilers

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 4310. Basic considerations involved in the design and
implementation of imperative programming languages and their compilers.

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6362: Fault-Tolerant Computing Systems
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 4330. Backward and forward recovery techniques; fault-tolerant
data structures, robust algorithms; design diversity, fault-tolerant aspects of distributed software
systems; Byzantine failures; performance reliability tradeoffs.

6364: Numerical Analysis

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 3362 or COSC 6303 or consent of instructor. Numerical solution
of partial differential equations by finite difference and finite element algorithms. Direct and
iterative methods for solving large, sparse linear systems and related eigenvalue/vector problems.
Emphasis is placed on robust mathematical software and its interaction with computer hardware
and languages.

6365: Introduction to High-Performance Computing

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: COSC 4310, COSC 4330, and COSC 6303 or equivalent. Hardware
organization of vector array and parallel processors for high performance computations. Vector
languages and language extensions for vectors and parallel processing. Automatic vectorization
and parallelization of scalar programs. Implementation of vector and parallel algorithms for
scientific applications.

6366: Knowledge Based Systems

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 4350 or equivalent. Computerization of human expertise. Topics
include: rule based programming; control strategies, inference techniques, knowledge
representation techniques, knowledge acquisition strategies of knowledge based systems; models
for approximate reasoning; knowledge base design.

6367: Evolutionary Programming

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: COSC 2320 and MATH 3336 or consent of the instructor. Theory and
application of evolutionary programming and other related areas in evolutionary and natural
computation, centering on genetic algorithms and genetic programming, evolution strategies,
artificial life, and other models that rely on evolutionary principles.

6368: Artificial Intelligence

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 4350 or consent of instructor. A survey of broad areas in
artificial intelligence, emphasizing areas of current interest.

6369: Theory of Computation

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 3340 or consent of the instructor. Models of computation,
Church-Turing thesis, undecidability, feasible computability, time and space complexity,
complexity classes, lower bounds.

6370: Medical Imaging

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor. Introduction to basic
imaging modalities used to identify the anatomy and function of human organs. X-rays, CT,
MRI, PET, SPECT, and CSI.

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6371: Bioinformatics
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor. Computational methods for
understanding biological systems at the molecular level; genetic mapping and sequencing,
sequence analysis, phylogenic inference, and regulatory analysis; data structures and algorithms
for problems in genetics and molecular biology.

6372: Computer Graphics

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 4370 or consent of instructor. In-depth study of selected areas in
computer graphics such as 3D modeling, hidden surfaces, surface reconstruction, shading and
texturing, computer animation, and other recent developments in computer graphics.

6373: Computer Vision

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 6320 or consent of the instructor. Introduction to computer
vision and machine perception. Topics to be covered include: image formation, representation,
image segmentation, feature extraction and analysis, shape representation, binocular stereo and
motion analysis.

6374: Parallel Computations

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: COSC 3330 and COSC 4380, or consent of instructor. Parallel
computation models, design and analysis of parallel algorithms.

6375: Computer Systems Performance Evaluation

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 4330 or consent of instructor. A systematic approach to
performance studies used in designing, procuring, tuning, upgrading and capacity-planning
centralized, parallel and distributed systems. Performance metrics and techniques for their
evaluation using measurements, simulation and analytical models.

6376: Grid Computing

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor. Introduction to technologies
used to enable sharing of computational resources across multiple internet domains.

6377: Computer Networks

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 4377 or consent of the instructor. Designing and specification of
network protocols; advanced network protocols: broadcast, multicast, security, compression,
congestion control, quality of service guarantees.

6384: Real-Time Systems

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 4330 or consent of instructor. Introduction to problems that may
arise in real-time applications of digital computers; architecture of real-time systems; methods
for real-time software design and implementation. (Term project required.)

6385: Computer Architecture

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 4330. Elements of computer architecture: instruction set design,
computer arithmetic, memory hierarchies, instruction level parallelism, SIMD, MIMD, system
design and performance values.

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6386: Program Analysis and Testing
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Introduction to concepts and problems related to
program-correctness; formal basis and techniques for program analysis, program testing, test-
case generation, and their applications.

6390: Internet Computing

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 4330 or consent of instructor. Introduction to Internet, including
http, cgi, server-side programming including object-oriented programming, applets, abstract
windowing toolkit, multithreading, event handling, security, network programming and object
serialization.

6391: Biomedical Image Analysis

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Principles and computational methods for the
analysis of biomedical images. Topics include segmentation, classification, registration and
validation.

6394: Infared Imaging

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Fundamentals of infared imaging. Computational
aspects of infared video analysis and applications in biomedicine and biometrics.

6395: Computational Physiology

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Computational modeling of macroscopic and
microscopic physiological systems. Measurement of physiological variables through traditional
and novel sensing methodologies.

6397: Topics in Computer Science

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: consent of instructor. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

6399:6699:7399:7699:7999: Master's Thesis

Cr. 3, 6, or 9 per semester.

6407: Computer Organization and Programming

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: consent of the Director of Graduate Studies. Credit may not be applied
toward a graduate degree. Basic computer organization; machine cycle, digital representation of
data and instructions, assembly language programming, assembler, loader, macros, subroutines
and program linkage. Students must make an oral presentation on aspects of the course content.

6408: Computer Architecture

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: consent of the Director of Graduate Studies. Credit may not be applied
toward a graduate degree in Computer Science. Principles and operation of digital computers,
analyzing their component parts; arithmetic, memory, contraol and input/output units. Students
must make an oral presentation on aspects of the course content.

6998: Special Problems

Cr. 9. (9-0). Prerequisite:Consent of instructor and approval of department chair.

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7340: Advanced Database Management
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 6340 or consent of instructor. An in-depth study of selected
topics in database management including semantics, integrity, logic, distribution, relational
theory,and design.

7350: Advanced Software Engineering

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 6351. Topics in specification languages, software design
methodologies, program analysis, software validation and verification, programming
environments, program visualization, visual programming, software metrics, etc.

7352: Advanced Symbolic Computing and Formal Verification

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 6352 or consent of instructor. Study of current research in
symbolic computing, rewriting, automated deduction, and formal verification.

7360: Advanced Operating Systems

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 6360 or consent of the instructor. In-depth treatment of some
areas (distributed systems, I/0 subsystems, analytical models, protection and security, etc.) in
operating systems.May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

7363: Advanced Artificial Intelligence

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 6368 or consent of instructor. Study of current research areas in
artificial intelligence.

7364: Advanced Parallel Computations

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: COSC 6385 and COSC 6374 or consent of instructor. An in-depth
study of selected topics in parallel computations.

7369: Advanced Theory of Computation and Formal Languages

Cr. 3. (3-0). (Formerly COSC 7380) Prerequisite: COSC 6369 or consent of the instructor.
Selected advanced topics in theory of computation, formal languages, automata theory and
computational complexity. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

7371: Data Security

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: COSC 6340 and COSC 6360, or consent of instructor. Introduction to
problems related to data security; security of statistical databases; authorization mechanisms for
systems with shared resources; cryptography and applications.

7372: Advanced Computer Graphics

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 6372 or consent of the instructor. In-depth treatment of topics in
computer graphics, including computer animation, photo-realistic image synthesis, volume-
rendering, and other subjects of current interest. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

7373: Advanced Computer Vision

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 6373 or consent of the instructor. In-depth treatment of
computer vision, including physics-based modeling, shape from shading, motion tracking, object
recognition and other subjects of current interest. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

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7374: Bioinformatics
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 6371 or consent of instructor. Advanced topics and
computational approaches in the areas of gene expression data analysis and DNA sequence
analysis.

7377: Advanced Networking

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Selected topics in communication with and
between computer system nodes including routing and flow control, local and wide area
networking protocols, collective communication paradigms, quality of service, security, and
mobile computing.

7384: Advanced Real-Time Systems

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 6384 or consent of instructor. Advanced study of the current
research in the theory and techniques for the design and development of intelligent, highly fault-
tolerant, and distributed real-time systems.

7385: Advanced Computer Architecture

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 6385 or consent of the instructor. In-depth treatment in selected
areas of recent developments in computer architecture.

7388: Advanced Distributed Computing

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: COSC 6377 or consent of instructor. Advanced topics from current
research in parallel and distributed computing.

7397: Advanced Topics in Computer Science

Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: consent of instructor. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

8198:8398:8598:8698:8998: Doctoral Research

Cr. 1, 3, 5, 6, or 9 per semester. Prerequisites: Consent of instructor and approval of department
chair.

8399;8699;8999: Doctoral Dissertation

Cr. 3, 6, or 9 per semester. Prerequisite: admission to candidacy as a doctoral student in computer
science.

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Master of Science Degree

Degree Requirements:

The Master of Science (M.S.) degree will be awarded after students have successfully completed
requirements specified in one of the two following plans:

Plan I: Thesis Option

Students may satisfy degree requirements by completing a minimum of 30 approved semester

hours, no more than nine of which, with specific departmental approval, may be at the advanced
undergraduate level, and no more than six of which may be undergraduate hours in the major
department. At least six semester hours of thesis courses and a thesis acceptable to the
department must be completed. At the option of the department, a qualifying and/or final
comprehensive examination may be required.

Students who complete a thesis as part of their degree requirements must specify a thesis
committee and have the names on file in the Office of the Dean at least one semester prior to
their graduation. The committee must consist of a minimum of two faculty members from within
the major department and one approved member external to the major department from industry
and/or academia who is acceptable to the department and the college. After these minimum
requirements for committee members are satisfied, additional committee members may be
approved from industry and academia.

Plan II: Non-thesis Option

In some departments, students may satisfy degree requirements by completing a minimum of 36

approved semester hours, no more than nine of which, with specific departmental approval, may
be at the advanced undergraduate level and no more than six of which may be special problems
courses. At the option of the department, a qualifying examination and/or final comprehensive
examination may be required.

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