Guidelines for Pursuing a Second Graduate Degree in CSE

OSU graduate students who are not in the CSE department may apply to pursue a Master's degree in CSE in addition to their graduate degree in their home department.

The two degrees may be part of a dual Masters degree program or they may be unrelated.

In the first case, the student should complete the program plan for dual Master's degree students required by the Graduate School and must comply with all the Graduate School rules for dual degrees. In the second case, the two degrees are pursued independently. Graduate students who are pursuing a Master's degree in CSE in addition to a graduate degree in their home department are part of the CSE Master's Research Track and must complete a CSE Master's Thesis for their degree. They must meet all the CSE requirements for students in the CSE Master's Research Track.

Applicants to the CSE Master's program who are already OSU graduate students must follow all the rules and requirements of regular applicants to the CSE graduate program. In particular, applicants must fulfill all the course prerequisites of regular applicants to CSE graduate studies. In addition, applicants who intend to pursue a CSE degree in addition to their graduate degree in their home department must include the following: 1) A letter from a faculty member in their home department supporting their application to the CSE Master's program; 2) A letter of support from a CSE faculty member including evidence of involvement in research activity with the faculty member, i.e., research related courses and/or projects. The letter should also clearly state that the faculty member intends to be the student's thesis advisor.

Students must apply to the CSE Master's program at the beginning of their CSE graduate studies, even if they do not officially transfer to the CSE department until the quarter they graduate. Only the CSE Graduate Admissions Committee can admit students to the CSE Master's program.