ACADEMIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM: 4.D.4 DATE: February 25, 2010 ****************************************************************************** SUBJECT: Intent to Plan Joint Proposal, DSU & SDSU MS in Computer Science and South have submitted a joint intent to plan for M.S. in Computer Science programs. The universities would develop a joint proposal with a common curriculum and intend to share delivery of courses with each other and with the University of South Dakota. Each university would have authority to confer the degree. The universities intend to request authorization to deliver the degree in Sioux Falls and by Internet. The degree would support the Board s Economic Development & Quality of Life strategic goal by expanding graduate education and contributing to workforce development. The degree would support the Governor s 2010 Education Initiative (Achieve the national average of people with graduate degrees; persons 25 years and older engaged in postsecondary education). DSU and SDSU do not intend to ask to Board to request new State resources to support the program. The universities do not intend to request a new or increased student fee. The curriculum example is from USD. ****************************************************************************** RECOMMENDED ACTION Provide any comments and concerns to Dr. Gough. 02-10AAC_4.D.4_I2P_DSU&SDSU_MS_CompSci Page 1 of 10 Printed: 2010-01-25, 1:54 PM
South South Dakota Board of Regents Intent to Plan for a Master of Science in Computer Science UNIVERSITY: South DEGREE(S) AND TITLE OF PROGRAM: Master of Science in Computer Science INTENDED DATE OF IMPLEMENTATION: Fall 2010 University Approval To the Board and the Executive Director: I certify that I have read this intent to plan, that I believe it to be accurate, and that it has been evaluated and approved as provided by university policy. November 17, 2009 President of Date November 17, 2009 President of South Date 1. What is the general nature of the proposed program? What is the expected demand for graduates in South Dakota? What is the need for the proposed program? and South request authorization to develop a proposal for a Master of Science in Computer Science. The universities would develop a joint proposal with a common curriculum and intend to share delivery of courses with each other and with the University of South Dakota. Each university would have authority to confer the degree. A master s degree in computer science prepares a graduate for a career as a Software Architect, Network Analyst, Software Project Supervisor, Senior Applications Developer, Database Administrator, Senior Programmer, Systems Integration Specialist, and Systems Analyst in technical, industrial, business and financial companies of all sizes. Graduate-level computer science graduates are hired by many companies in South Dakota, as well as companies in the surrounding region and nationally. South Dakota companies that currently hire computer science graduates at both the B.S. and M.S. levels include Daktronics, EROS Data Center, Martin Group, Citibank, 3M, Larson Manufacturing, Midwest Seed, Sencore, Raven Industries, Wells Fargo, Western Area Power Administration, and Valero. Other employers regionally and nationally that have hired SDSU / DSU undergraduate computer science majors include IBM, Federated Insurance, Cannon Technologies, Electronic Data Systems, West Publishing, Schwan s Enterprises, Black and Veatch, State Farm Insurance, and Los Alamos Laboratory. All of these companies are interested in hiring master s-level graduates as well as undergraduates. Employment opportunities also exist in State government with the Bureau of Information and Telecommunications, the Department of Transportation, Regents Information Systems and other agencies. The use of computers 02-10AAC_4.D.4_I2P_DSU&SDSU_MS_CompSci Page 2 of 10
South continues to grow in business and industry and, along with that growth, comes a need for individuals with advanced training. An M.S. in Computer Science supports the Board s Economic Development and Quality of Life strategic goal (expand graduate education; workforce development) and the Governor s 2010 Education Initiative (achieve national average of people with graduate degrees; persons over 25 engaged in higher education). The universities do not intend to request any new State resources or additional student fees to implement this program. The program would be supported with internal redirections and external resources. The universities intend to request authorization to deliver the degree programs online and at the University Center in Sioux Falls. Additional faculty positions, if needed, would be supported with self-support tuition revenue. The table below provides a summary of computer science employment needs in South Dakota, from the South Dakota Department of Labor. Three of the occupations (denoted **) are highlighted by the South Dakota Department of Labor as being among the fastest-growing occupations in South Dakota, with strong job prospects over the next five years. South Dakota Dept. of Labor Occupational Estimates and Projections 2006 & 2016 Selected Occupations Related to Computer Science 2006 Base Number of Jobs 2016 Projected Number of Jobs SOC* Code Percent Change Standard Occupational Classification Title 151021 Computer Programmers 575 590 2.6% 151031 Computer Software Engineers, Applications** 605 1,015 67.8% 151032 Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software** 390 565 44.9% 151041 Computer Support Specialists 1,530 1,805 18.0% 151051 Computer Systems Analysts 635 820 29.1% 151061 Database Administrators 85 115 35.3% 151071 Network and Computer Systems Administrators 1,210 1,565 29.3% 151081 Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts** 745 1,155 55.0% Source: South Dakota estimates and projections from South Dakota Department of Labor, available at: http://dol.sd.gov/lmic/menu_projections.aspx#occupations * Standard Occupational Classification, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics **On the SD Department of Labor list of fastest growing occupations at: ((http://dol.sd.gov/lmic/occupation_projections_fastest_growth.aspx) 02-10AAC_4.D.4_I2P_DSU&SDSU_MS_CompSci Page 3 of 10
South The table below provides a summary of employment needs nation-wide, from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. All the occupations below (with the exception of computer programmers) are expected to have double-digit growth in job opportunities over the next 5 years. Occupation Computer software engineers, applications Computer systems analysts Computer programmers Computer software engineers, systems software Computer support specialists U.S. Computer Professionals Needs Projection 2006 employment Projected 2016 employment Change, 2006-2016 Number Percent distribution Number Percent distribution Number Percent 158,601 12.41 256,965 14.54 98,364 62.0 99,858 7.81 148,307 8.39 48,449 48.5 132,767 10.39 143,405 8.11 10,639 8.0 93,449 7.31 138,789 7.85 45,340 48.5 85,860 6.72 104,333 5.90 18,473 21.5 Computer specialists, 21,094 1.65 28,481 1.61 7,387 35.0 all other United States Bureau of Labor Statistics: http://data.bls.gov/oep/servlet/oep.nioem.servlet.actionservlet 2. What is the relationship of the proposed program to the University s mission as provided in South Dakota statute and Board of Regents Policy? The statutory mission statement for is provided in SDCL 13-59-2.2: The primary purpose of Dakota state university in Madison in Lake county is to provide instruction in computer management, computer information systems, electronic data processing and other related undergraduate and graduate programs. The secondary purpose is to offer two-year, one-year and short courses for application and operator training in the areas authorized by this section. This authorization includes the preparation of elementary and secondary teachers with emphasis in computer and information processing. Except for degree programs in existence during the 1983-1984 academic year, the unique baccalaureate programs authorized for shall not be duplicated by the board of regents. The statutory mission statement for South is provided in SDCL 13-58-1: 02-10AAC_4.D.4_I2P_DSU&SDSU_MS_CompSci Page 4 of 10
South Designated as South Dakota s land-grant university, South formerly the state college of agriculture and mechanical arts, located at Brookings, in Brookings county, shall be under the control of the Board of Regents and shall provide undergraduate and graduate programs of instruction in the liberal arts and sciences and professional education in agriculture, education, engineering, home economics, nursing and pharmacy, and other courses or programs as the board of regents may determine. Board Policy Mission Statements Policy 1:10:2 South Mission Statement Policy 1:10:5 Mission Statement An M.S. in Computer Science is within the statutory and Board policy missions of both universities. The proposed degree programs support the current strategic plans at both universities. 3. Are there any related programs in the regental system? If there are related programs, why should the proposed program be added? If there are no related programs within the system, enter None. University of South Dakota: M.S. in Computer Science South Dakota School of Mines & Technology: M.S. in Computer Science: SDSM&T has requested that this program be placed on inactive status. M.S. in Robotics and Intelligent Autonomous Systems: This program was approved by the BOR in April 2009. M.S. in Health Informatics M.S. in Information Assurance M.S. in Information Systems Because of the ubiquitous nature of computing, it is important that advanced degrees provide students with training in traditional computer science topics and in topics related to business, science, and engineering, since those fields require ever-increasing levels of computational support. Internally, many of the research laboratories (at SDSU: the SDSU Image Processing Lab, the Geographic Information Science Center, Ethel Austin Martin Laboratory, and Plant Science Precision Farming Research; at DSU: the 2010 National Center for the Protection of Financial Infrastructure and the Center for the Advancement of Health Information Technology) routinely request computing support from Computer Science students and faculty. At DSU, the proposed computer science program will complement the institution s existing information technology-focused graduate programs by providing a strong computational/software development emphasis in niche areas such as information assurance and security informatics, health informatics and decision informatics. 02-10AAC_4.D.4_I2P_DSU&SDSU_MS_CompSci Page 5 of 10
South 4. Are there related programs at public colleges and universities in Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming? If there are related programs in these states list below under each state and explain why the proposed program is needed in South Dakota. If there are no related programs in a state, enter None for that state. Minnesota Yes North Dakota Yes Montana Yes Wyoming Yes As indicated in Questions 1 and 3 above, the proposed graduate degree program is needed in South Dakota to support business and industry. It is also needed to support research being done at the research centers at the two universities and elsewhere in the state. DSU and SDSU intend to offer the degree in Sioux Falls and by distance technology to provide opportunities to people who are not able to relocate to the campuses in Brookings and Madison. 5. Are students expected to be new to the university or redirected from other programs? How many majors are expected in the first years of the program? How many graduates are expected? It is anticipated that students in this program would be new to the university. DSU does not expect that students from its other master s programs would be redirected to this program. Program enrollments of 10 new students a year are anticipated. It is expected that graduates will need 2-3 years to graduate, depending on their background and time commitment to the program. South SDSU currently offers a Master of Science in Engineering and students in that program can select courses to complete an emphasis in Computer Science. There are approximately 40 students in the M.S. in Engineering program who are currently selecting courses for this emphasis. These students may elect to complete the M.S. in Engineering or may choose to move into the new degree program. 6. Does the university intend to seek authorization to deliver this entire program at any off-campus locations? If yes, enter location(s) and intended start date(s). Does the university intend to seek authorization to deliver this entire program by distance technology? If yes, identify delivery method(s) and intended start date(s). For both and South : Off-campus locations Sioux Falls, beginning Fall 2010 Distance technology Internet, beginning Fall 2010 02-10AAC_4.D.4_I2P_DSU&SDSU_MS_CompSci Page 6 of 10
South 7. What are the University s plans for obtaining the resources needed to implement the program? Indicate yes or no in the columns below. : Development/Start-up Long-term Operation Reallocate existing resources YES YES Apply for external resources YES YES Ask Board to seek new State resources NO NO Ask Board to approve new or increased student fee NO NO Additional resources needed to support the program would come from self-support tuition revenue. South : Development/Start-up Long-term Operation Reallocate existing resources YES YES Apply for external resources YES YES Ask Board to seek new State resources NO NO Ask Board to approve new or increased student fee NO NO Additional resources needed to support the program would come from self-support tuition revenue. 8. Curriculum Example: Provide (as Appendix A) the curriculum of a similar program at another college or university. The Appendix should provide the required and elective courses in the program. Catalog pages or web materials may be used. Identify the college or university and explain why the program may be used as one model when the proposed program is developed. The curriculum for the Master of Science degree program in Computer Science offered at USD is provided in Appendix A. This program will be used as one curriculum model when the proposed program is developed because it represents an existing and successful program within the state. DSU and SDSU will examine opportunities to share courses with USD, as is done with other degree programs in the state (Physics, French). Other degree programs that might be used as models include the M.S. in Computer Science at North and the M.S. in Computer Science at University of Nebraska- Lincoln. 02-10AAC_4.D.4_I2P_DSU&SDSU_MS_CompSci Page 7 of 10
South Program Description APPENDIX A University of South Dakota Masters of Science in Computer Science (http://www.usd.edu/graduate-school/computer-science.cfm) The Computer Science Department at the University of South Dakota offers graduate programs leading to the Master of Science degree in Computer Science with a thesis option, a thesis option with a Human-Computer Interaction Emphasis, and a non-thesis option. The program is recommended for students with professional goals in Computer Science such as continuing graduate education, working for national laboratories and other federal or state agencies, securing employment in private industry, or post-secondary education. Degree Requirements Master of Science, Plan A (thesis) Computer Science core 12 credit hours Computer Science electives 9 credit hours Thesis 4 credit hours Additional coursework in Computer Science or outside courses 6 credit hours Total 31 credit hours Computer Science Plan A core course work 12 credit hours from the following: CSC 721 Distributed Systems 3 credit hours CSC 725 Operating Systems and Architecture I 3 credit hours CSC 731 Compiler Construction 3 credit hours CSC 735 Advanced Human Factors in Computer Systems 3 credit hours CSC 739 Seminar in Artificial Intelligence 3 credit hours CSC 741 Real-time Systems 3 credit hours CSC 751 Programming Science 3 credit hours CSC 765 Software Design and Development 3 credit hours CSC 775 Operating System and Architecture II 3 credit hours CSC 785 Information Storage and Retrieval 3 credit hours CSC 790 Graduate Seminar 1-3 credit hours Required thesis 4 credit hours CSC 798 Thesis Research in Computer Science 4 credit hours Computer Science electives 9 credit hours CSC 511 Simulation 3 credit hours CSC 524 Digital Electronics 3 credit hours CSC 533 Computer Graphics 3 credit hours CSC 535 Human Factors in Computer Systems 3 credit hours CSC 545 Intro to Theory of Computation 3 credit hours CSC 547 Artificial Intelligence 3 credit hours 02-10AAC_4.D.4_I2P_DSU&SDSU_MS_CompSci Page 8 of 10
South CSC 556 Operating Systems 3 credit hours CSC 561 Programming Languages 3 credit hours CSC 563 Data Communications 3 credit hours CSC 570 Software Engineering 3 credit hours CSC 571 Numerical Analysis I 3 credit hours CSC 572 Numerical Analysis II 3 credit hours CSC 575 Operations Research 3 credit hours CSC 577 Advanced Operations Research 3 credit hours CSC 581 Systems Analysis 3 credit hours CSC 584 Database Management 3 credit hours No credit will be granted on the program of study for a course with a grade of "C" or lower. Master of Science, Plan B (non thesis) Computer Science core -- 18 credit hours Computer Science Electives -- 9 credit hours Supporting courses outside of area -- 6 credit hours Total 33 credit hours Computer Science Plan B core course work 18 credit hours from the following: CSC 721 Distributed Systems 3 credit hours CSC 725 Operating Systems and Architecture I 3 credit hours CSC 731 Compiler Construction 3 credit hours CSC 735 Advanced Human Factors in Computer Systems 3 credit hours CSC 739 Seminar in Artificial Intelligence 3 credit hours CSC 741 Real-time Systems 3 credit hours CSC 751 Programming Science 3 credit hours CSC 765 Software Design and Development 3 credit hours CSC 775 Operating System and Architecture II 3 credit hours CSC 785 Information Storage and Retrieval 3 credit hours CSC 790 Graduate Seminar 1-3 credit hours Computer Science Elective course work 9 credit hours from the following: CSC 511 Simulation 3 credit hours CSC 524 Digital Electronics 3 credit hours CSC 533 Computer Graphics 3 credit hours CSC 535 Human Factors in Computer Systems 3 credit hours CSC 545 Intro to Theory of Computation 3 credit hours CSC 547 Artificial Intelligence 3 credit hours CSC 556 Operating Systems 3 credit hours CSC 561 Programming Languages 3 credit hours CSC 563 Data Communications 3 credit hours CSC 570 Software Engineering 3 credit hours CSC 571 Numerical Analysis I 3 credit hours CSC 572 Numerical Analysis II 3 credit hours 02-10AAC_4.D.4_I2P_DSU&SDSU_MS_CompSci Page 9 of 10
South CSC 575 Operations Research 3 credit hours CSC 577 Advanced Operations Research 3 credit hours CSC 581 Systems Analysis 3 credit hours CSC 584 Database Management 3 credit hours Human-Computer Interaction Emphasis: Master of Science, Plan A only (thesis) Human-Computer Interaction core 9 credit hours Computer Science electives 6 credit hours Supporting courses outside of area 12 credit hours Thesis 4 credit hours Total 31 credit hours Human-Computer Interaction core course work 9 credit hours: CSC 535 Human Factors in Computer Science 3 credit hours CSC 735 Advanced Human Factors 3 credit hours CSC 740 Usability Testing 3 credit hours Computer Science Electives for the MS with Human-Computer Interaction Emphasis 6 credit hours from the following: CSC 721 Distributed Systems 3 credit hours CSC 725 Operating Systems and Architecture I 3 credit hours CSC 731 Compiler Construction 3 credit hours CSC 739 Seminar in Artificial Intelligence 3 credit hours CSC 741 Real-time Systems 3 credit hours CSC 751 Programming Science 3 credit hours CSC 765 Software Design and Development 3 credit hours CSC 775 Operating System and Architecture II 3 credit hours CSC 785 Information Storage and Retrieval 3 credit hours CSC 790 Graduate Seminar 1-3 credit hours Required outside the department course work-12 credit hours: PSYC 506 Cognitive Psychology 3 credit hours EDER 861 Advanced Statistics: Experimental Analysis 3 credit hours ART 592 Design: Special Problems 6 credit hours Required thesis 4 credit hours CSC 798 Thesis Research in Computer Science 4 credit hours 02-10AAC_4.D.4_I2P_DSU&SDSU_MS_CompSci Page 10 of 10