Thesis Option

The MS thesis option is available to highly qualified students but requires the student to find an adviser willing to supervise their research. In practice, availability of advisers is extremely limited and this option is exercised rarely.

With the approval of a supervising professor, qualified students may be allowed to pursue a thesis option. Students pursuing the thesis option must satisfy all of the policies and course requirements for the master's degree and, in addition, must enroll in a minimum of two semesters of CSCI 594a, CSCI 594b, CSCI 594z for a maximum of 4 units.

For students starting their degree Fall 2024 or later, the total units required for the degree with thesis is 36. The thesis must comply with all requirements set by the Graduate School. Students who began their degree in Summer 2023 or earlier will be held to the prior unit requirement of 32 units (28 units + 4 units of thesis).

• Total units required for the M.S. in Computer Science general degree with thesis is 36 (Fall 2024 or later).
• Total units required for the M.S. in Computer Science general degree with thesis is 32 (Summer 2024 or earlier).

The thesis must comply with all requirements set by the Graduate School (http://www.usc.edu/schools/GraduateSchool/).

Students enrolled in a CS specialization are not eligible to add a thesis to their program.