Interdisciplinary Programs
Web: ite.gmu.edu/bsit FacultyAssistant Dean for IT Undergraduate Education: Marchant Instructors: Bruno, Islam, Lyons, Schorling, Sanghera Adjunct professors: Adiseshan, Clausen, Curts, Dahl, DeVries, Falcone, Fayyaz, Kahrl, Ko, Lord, McKelvey, Montana, Moslehi, Muscu, Sherif, Snow, Vito Information Technology, BSThe BS in Information Technology degree program emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of IT through the design of a set of IT concentration-related courses that address the broader issues of IT in addition to presenting the capability of the technology itself. Because of its heavy reliance on courses offered by departments across the School of Information Technology and Engineering, the BS in Information Technology program is managed by the IT&E Dean's Office. Additionally, the interdisciplinary nature of the program requires that faculty from across IT&E, as well as across the university, serve as academic advisors and mentors for students. The objectives of the BS in Information Technology program are to provide students with the following:
The BS in Information Technology degree program aims to meet these existing and emerging needs of the information technology industry by educating new IT workers in current principles and practices in information technology and their applications. The BS in Information Technology graduate is one who is versed in the technical aspects of IT, but whose role in the modern enterprise will focus on the use and management of IT resources rather than on the development of leading-edge intellectual property. Graduates fill jobs that focus on the application of IT in an increasing number of emerging subdisciplines, including web development, computer graphics, information systems, telecommunications, network administration, and information security. Admission RequirementsA student who meets the university's general eligibility requirements may apply to the BS in Information Technology program. Admission is based on the appropriateness of the student's academic objectives and the likelihood of the student benefiting from the program. There are no additional admission criteria to the IT program above those required by other programs at George Mason University, but preference is given to students who have four years of high school mathematics that include pre-calculus. The IT program can be successfully completed in eight full-time semesters with an average of 15 credit hours each semester as shown in the sample schedule below. Since many of these students are likely to be employed full-time, it is expected that most of the students will pursue the degree on a part-time basis. The 120-credit hour degree requirement consists of George Mason University general education requirements, IT core and major related courses, and courses required for the chosen IT concentration area. At least 30 semester hours toward the BS in Information Technology degree must be earned at George Mason University, and at least 45-credit hours of the degree requirements must be level 300 or above. The BS in Information Technology degree program will be administered from George Mason University's Prince William Campus. Degree RequirementsStudents pursuing the BS in Information Technology major must complete requirements for at least one of the following two IT concentration areas: computer graphics and web development; and information security and network administration. The computer graphics and web development concentration requirements are selected from prescribed lists of database, web development, and computer graphics courses. The information security and network administration concentration requirements are selected from prescribed lists of information security, network administration, and telecommunications courses. Prescribed lists for both concentrations are available in the IT Program Office. Students following the computer graphics and web development concentration have the following collection of marketable knowledge and skills:
Students completing the computer graphics and web development concentration find employment in industry and government as database programmers, network administrators, web programmers, web site administrators, and e-business application programmers. Students following the information security and network administration concentration have the following collection of marketable knowledge and skills:
Companies and organizations in private and public sectors of our economy have networked systems, often with visibility on the Internet. Students completing the information security and network administration concentration find positions in the IT departments of large and small organizations, vendors of security products and services, and consulting companies. The graduate will be able to bridge the gap between engineering project teams, management, and clients. This leads to positions in areas such as marketing of telecommunications products and services, project planning and product design, participation in engineering project teams, and customer support. Because of the acute shortage of skilled professionals in this area, there is likelihood of scholarship opportunities for undergraduate students and strong demand on graduation. Advanced degrees in telecommunications, business, and other disciplines are also available to the graduate. IT Foundation, Core, and Concentration RequirementsIn addition to university general education [GE] requirements, including humanities and social sciences as well as mathematics and basic sciences requirements, the BS in Information Technology program requires IT foundation, core, and concentration courses as described below. Each concentration includes a seven-hour capstone design project. It is expected that the student will complete the capstone design project over a period of two consecutive semesters. 1. All BS in Information Technology majors must complete the following foundation courses:
2. All BS in Information Technology majors must complete the following core courses:
3. All BS in Information Technology majors must complete a two-semester sequence of approved capstone design courses:
4. All BS in Information Technology majors must complete a total of at least 15 semester hours of IT concentration courses from the three categories of courses listed under the student's selected IT concentration area. The student must select at least one of these five courses from each of the three categories of courses listed under the selected concentration in the advising materials available from the IT&E Programs Office. 5. Other requirements: Communications: COMM 100 Oral Communication or COMM 104 Presenting With Technology Natural Science: 11 credits of natural science including a sequence of two, 4-credit courses with labs. Students should choose these from the list of courses approved for General Education. (7 of these credits apply toward General Education requirements.) Mathematics: MATH 108 Introductory Calculus with Business Applications, MATH 111 Linear Mathematical Modeling, MATH 125 Discrete Mathematics I, and IT/STAT 250 Introductory Statistics I. (3 of these credits apply toward General Education requirements.) Sample Schedule
Writing Intensive RequirementThe university writing intensive requirement is satisfied by IT 492. GradesStudents must have a C or better in any course that satisfies a prerequisite for an IT course. IT majors may not use more than one course with a grade of C-/D toward departmental requirements. BS in Information Technology/Accelerated MS in Telecommunications (TCOM) programSee the Telecommunications MS section of the catalog for information. E-commerce, MSWeb: ite.gmu.edu/msecomm/ The MS in E-commerce degree is managed by the School of Information Technology and Engineering and is a joint degree with the School of Management, School of Public Policy, School of Law, College of Arts and Sciences; and the College of Nursing and Health Science. The program is designed to prepare graduates with the depth and breadth they need to take advantage of electronic commerce opportunities in commercial and enterprise management opportunities in the new economy. They will be able to understand management, public policy, and information technology aspects, and effectively integrate these in developing electronic commerce solutions in a wide variety of specialized applications from electronic government, to electronic banking, to telehealth. More importantly, they will respond to the demand for professionals to work in a wide variety of capacities in digital age organizations in Northern Virginia and elsewhere. This program is composed of a few new courses, with the designation EC in the "Course Descriptions" chapter of this catalog, as well as existing courses as indicated in the "Degree Requirements" section that follows. FormatThe degree program requires 36 credits be completed. All students complete an e-commerce core, the breadth requirement, comprising six courses from four interdisciplinary foundation disciplines totaling 18 credits. Following completion of these core courses, students take specialized application courses, for a total of 15 credits, in one of four chosen fields of concentration: information technology, business and economics, public policy and law, and health care and services industry. Students from all concentrations will deepen their theoretical and practical knowledge through courses in the concentration, the depth requirement, building upon a common core of knowledge. One of the unique features of the degree program is an electronic commerce capstone project course (3 credits), taken by all students at the completion of all their coursework. The capstone project is an interdisciplinary course that reinforces and integrates material covered in core and concentration courses. It allows students to pursue a mixed team-based, practical project related to e-commerce in an identified area of opportunity. This capstone project serves to give students an integrative experience in response to digital age challenges and opportunities. It also allows them to work with other students from a diverse set of backgrounds. Admission RequirementsApplications to the program must be submitted to the Graduate Admissions Office of the School of Information Technology and Engineering. Applicants must 1) fulfill all admission requirements for graduate study at George Mason University, 2) hold a baccalaureate degree with a satisfactory GPA from an accredited college or university, 3) demonstrate programming experience in at least one block-structured programming language (e.g., Java, C, C++, Visual Basic, Pascal) or in a scripting language (e.g., Javascript) used in web design. This experience can be obtained either through courses and/or work experience. Course descriptions and syllabi, as well as copies of transcripts and grades obtained, must be provided. If only work experience is available, a statement describing the work experience in programming must be submitted. This statement should include: name of organization, type of programs the applicant was responsible for developing, years of experience in each job, and programming languages used. Applicants must submit transcripts of all postsecondary education; a self-assessment form (normally included in the application package or available online); a brief (one- to two-page) statement of educational and work experience; three letters of recommendation; and official reports of either the GRE, the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), or the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). TOEFL scores are required from non-native English speakers who did not use English as the official language in their college education. Degree RequirementsIn addition to meeting the general requirements that apply to all master's degrees at the university, completion of this program requires the following: 1. Eighteen credits comprising the following 3-credit core courses:
2. Fifteen credits in one of the four concentrations: information technology, business and economics, public policy and law, and health care and services industry. The courses that can be used to fulfill these requirements are described below. 3. Three credits in EC 600 Group Project in Electronic Commerce. Information Technology Concentration Students who select this concentration must take 15 credits, which must include the following three 3-credit courses: 1) CS 650 Database Engineering or INFS 614 Database Management, 2) CS 656 Computer Communications and Networking or ECE 542 Computer Network Architectures and Protocols, and 3) INFS 762 Information Systems Security. In addition to these three courses, students must take at least one course from List A following and at most one course from Lists B, C, or D, to complete the five courses required for this concentration. Business and Economics Concentration Students must take MBA 623 Marketing Management and select four additional courses from the following:
Public Policy and Law Concentration Students must take 15 credits by choosing, in consultation with their advisor, a coherent set of courses from List C below. Health Care and Services Industry Concentration Students must take 15 credits (12 required and 3 elective credits). The elective course is selected, in consultation with the advisor, from List D below. The required courses are: 1) HSCI 707 Health Care Management Policy, Law, and Ethics; 2) HSCI 709 Health/Medical Informatics for Health System Managers; 3) HSCI 720 Health Databases and Data Integration; and 4) HSCI 722 Electronic Commerce and Online Marketing of Health Services. HSCI 678Introduction to the U.S. Health System (3 credits) is required, in addition to the 15-credit application courses, if students do not have recent relevant working experience in the U.S. health system. Determination is made at the time of program admission. List of Courses Used in the Concentrations A description of these courses can be found in the "Course Descriptions" chapter of this catalog. Students must satisfy the prerequisites for these courses or obtain permission from the instructor.
Enterprise Engineering and Policy, MSE-mail: spp@gmu.edu The Enterprise Engineering and Policy (EEP) MS degree program provides a technology degree for those interested in designing, integrating, and managing technology-enabled private and public organizations using modern enterprise solutions. The program is focused on teaching students how to design, integrate, manage, and optimize the extended enterprise, which includes customers, suppliers, and other organizational claimants. It emphasizes the impact that enterprise integration is having on the way organizations manage their business processes. This includes the implementation and tuning of enterprise resource planning systems, business-to-business extensions (including customer- and supplier-facing solutions), and other standard software solutions. The EEP program is designed to provide students with significant experience in working with enterprise solutions in a problem-solving environment. This program is focused not on software development or engineering, but rather on integrating and implementing commercial software solutions in public and private organizations. It is focused on the engineering implementation consulting aspects of standard replicable software from major enterprise vendors, that is, enterprise consulting at the applications level. Understanding the distinction between enterprise engineering and proprietary system development is critical. Enterprise engineering focuses on the configuration and integration of commercial software for replicable business processes. Proprietary design and development focuses on building new nonreplicable systems to meet particular needs. The Schools of Information Technology and Engineering (IT&E) and Public Policy (SPP) jointly administer the EEP Program. Admission RequirementsCourses are open to students who hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, and who hold a BS or BA degree in any engineering, math, science, computer science, business (with a quantitative background), economics, or other analytic-related discipline. The following is required: a background in managerial accounting; proficiency in a procedural or object-oriented programming language; database familiarity (at least Access); and college-level mathematics through linear algebra, multivariate calculus, and statistics. Depending on their prior background, some applicants may be required to complete 3 to 6 credit hours of preliminary course work before enrolling in any of the core courses or specialty courses in the program. A minimum 3.000 undergraduate GPA is required. Complete applications for both fall and spring semesters are reviewed on a rolling basis, with late applications considered on a space-available basis. To enter the program as a degree candidate, a student must meet the following minimum requirements:
Students with academic deficiencies may be accepted conditionally pending removal of the deficiencies. Courses taken to remove admission deficiencies extend the minimum requirements for the degree. Students whose undergraduate training was in the quantitative social sciences or quantitatively oriented business administration may be allowed to complete a portion of the mathematics prerequisite by taking SYST 500. All decisions related to the student's course of study must be approved by his or her advisor, with consent of the director of the EEP program. Degree RequirementsThe program consists of 33 graduate credits.
Engineer Degree in Information TechnologyThe Engineer Degree in Information Technology allows a student to combine the advanced course work of the PhD degree in Information Technology with an applied project. It is suitable for students seeking specialized training who do not wish to complete an extended research project. Admission RequirementsAdmission requirements for the Engineer degree are the same as for the PhD in Information Technology. Plan of StudyThe Engineer program is made up of specialized course work followed by completion of an applied project summarized in a project report. Under the guidance of the supervisory committee, the student prepares a tentative plan of study. The plan lists the intended courses and their expected timing. The plan should also contain a tentative subject for the applied project. Specialized Course WorkStudents must include in the plan of study a well-defined advanced concentration area. Successful completion of this requirement should enable the student to do applied research in a significant contemporary area in information technology. The supervisory committee and the associate dean for graduate studies and research of the School of Information Technology and Engineering must approve a plan of study. These approvals must occur before a student completes the courses in the area of concentration. There is no guarantee that a course taken before this approval will be accepted. Students must take 30 credit hours of graduate-level course work. A GPA of 3.500 is required in these credit hours. Students may waive up to 6 credit hours of course work by passing two of the qualifying examinations from any of the PhD programs offered by the School of Information Technology and Engineering (i.e., 3 credit hours per qualifying examination). The plan of study may include at most 3 credit hours of directed reading course work. At least 12 of the credit hours must be in courses numbered 700 or higher, and these 12 credit hours cannot include directed-reading, project, or thesis courses. Courses that cannot be included in any plan of study are any INFS 500-level courses; IT 500 and 599; OR 540; STAT 510, 512, and 530; and SYST 500. The associate dean must approve exceptions to any of these rules in advance. Supervisory CommitteeUpon admission to the program, a student is assigned a temporary advisor. The student is responsible for working with the temporary advisor until the student selects a project director and a supervisory committee. It is recommended that a student form a supervisory committee as soon as feasible. The supervisory committee includes the project director plus at least two additional members. The committee must contain at least two graduate faculty members from IT&E. It is strongly recommended that the committee include at least one person from outside the university who is knowledgeable in the subject area of the project. The supervisory committee supervises the project proposal presentation and the project defense. Project Proposal PresentationNear the end of the course work each student in the Engineer program prepares a written project proposal, which is presented to the supervisory committee. The student may enroll in IT 996 Engineer Project Proposal to complete this effort. During the term the student expects to present the project proposal to the committee, the student should enroll in IT 991 Engineer Project Presentations. After successfully completing this requirement, the student is formally admitted as a candidate for the Engineer degree. The application for candidacy is submitted to the Office of the Dean on a standard form. Project and Final DefenseWith concurrence of the supervisory committee, the student proceeds with the project research, during which time the student must continuously enroll in IT 997 Engineer Project. The student must complete a minimum of 12 credits from among IT 991, 996, and 997, with a minimum of 6 credits of IT 997. When the central portions of the project work have been completed to the point that the student is able to describe the contributions of the project effort, a candidate submits the written project report to the supervisory committee. Once the committee believes the student is ready, a final public oral defense may be scheduled; the application for the defense must be submitted to the associate dean at least one month in advance of the defense in order to have an announcement posted for at least two weeks. Following a satisfactory evaluation of the oral defense of the project by the supervisory committee, the student must submit, with supervision from the project director, a final project that represents a definitive contribution to applied knowledge in information technology. This document must meet format guidelines specified by the Guide for Preparing Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Projects. If the candidate successfully defends the project, the supervisory committee recommends that the final form of the project be completed, and that the faculty of IT&E and the graduate faculty of George Mason University accept the candidate for the Engineer degree. Transfer to the PhD ProgramStudents who are awarded an engineer degree will be able, at a later date, to work toward a PhD in Information Technology. Some restrictions and limitations will apply. Such students will be able to apply for a reduction of up to 12 credits in their course requirements. The request must satisfy the rules for transfer credit at the university, and the courses must be relevant to the student's planned dissertation research. In addition, the qualifying examinations for the doctoral program will be waived for such students. All other requirements for the doctoral program must be satisfied by such students. Information Technology, PhDThe general doctoral requirements of George Mason University apply to this program. When the term information technology (IT) and engineering is used at George Mason University to describe the school and its activities, it is intended to mean information technology and the branches of engineering most closely associated with information use and management. These aspects of technology are emphasized in this geographic region, and the relevance of the IT doctoral program has grown with the increasing dependence of the nation's commerce on the effective use of information. Our focus on the science and technology of information processing complements and enhances the more traditional approaches to engineering that are more strongly based on the physical and material sciences. Course workThe information technology doctoral program offers courses designated IT in the "Course Descriptions" section of this catalog. Admission RequirementsDoctoral students in information technology are selected on the basis of scholarship and potential from among applicants with appropriate degrees from institutions of high standing. Generally, a master's degree in an information technology-related area, such as engineering, computer science, operations research, statistics, mathematics, physical sciences, economics, and psychology, is required for admission to the program. In addition, well-qualified students without an appropriate master's degree may apply directly to the PhD program. Such students will have to complete the equivalent of an appropriate George Mason University master's degree as part of their program of study. In some cases it may be possible to obtain transfer credit for graduate course work taken elsewhere, subject to meeting the requirements for transfer credit imposed by the university. (The description here assumes that a student has already received an appropriate master's degree.) An undergraduate GPA of B (3.000 on a 4.000 scale) and a graduate GPA of 3.500 on a 4.000 scale are basic requirements for applicants to the program. The admission process involves submitting the application for admission, undergraduate and graduate transcripts from previous colleges and universities attended, GRE test results when available, three letters of reference, a resume and a short statement of career goals and aspirations, and a self-assessment of past background. Translations of international credentials must be provided if they are not in English; in some cases, applicants will be required to have documents evaluated by an external agency. All of an applicant's background is examined before an admission decision is made. To ensure a common ground of fundamentals, students should have a background in topics such as calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, discrete structures, probability, and statistics. In addition, students entering the doctoral program in information technology must have a sound working knowledge in computing as demonstrated by examples of programs or applications developed and tested in at least one high-level programming language environment. Because much of the course work within this program requires computational proficiency, experience with a variety of languages and computer hardware is useful, as is an understanding of computer architecture. Highly qualified students who do not present evidence of appropriate course work for the program may be admitted and then required to take appropriate articulation courses. Plan of StudyThe PhD in Information Technology program is made up of a breadth requirement (assessed via the qualifying examinations) and specialized course work (assessed via the comprehensive examination), followed by preparation of a dissertation. Generally, a student will have obtained a master's degree in a field appropriate to information technology, and this master's program typically prepares a student for the qualifying examinations. Under the guidance of the doctoral supervisory committee, the student prepares a tentative plan of study. The plan lists the intended courses and their expected timing. The plan should also contain the intended dates of the qualifying and comprehensive examinations, and a tentative subject of the dissertation research. Qualifying ExaminationsTo satisfy the breadth requirement of the PhD degree, each student must pass a set of qualifying examinations designed to test a student's fundamental knowledge. These examinations correspond to the individual master's programs in the School of Information Technology and Engineering. For each such program, at least two written exams will be offered, with each exam being based on a reading list that corresponds roughly to one 3-credit course (a student need not take the corresponding course). These exams are offered twice a year in specified locations on campus, typically near the beginning of the fall and spring semesters. Each exam is allocated 2 hours and 45 minutes. The examinations are graded on a pass/fail basis. Each student must take a set of four exams from three different degree programs within two years of enrolling in the program, unless fewer than 24 credit hours of course work have been completed in that time. Otherwise, the exams must be taken no later than the first opportunity following the completion of 24 credit hours. (If a student enters the program without a master's degree, these time limits are measured from the date when the student completes the equivalent of an appropriate George Mason University master's degree.) A student has two chances to pass the qualifying exams:
After two unsuccessful attempts, a student is dismissed from the PhD program. Advanced Emphasis RequirementStudents must include in the plan of study a well-defined advanced concentration area. Successful completion of this requirement should enable the student to do basic or applied research in a significant contemporary area in information technology. The doctoral supervisory committee and the associate dean for graduate studies and research of IT&E must approve a plan of study. These approvals must occur before a student completes the courses in the area of concentration. There is no guarantee that courses taken before this approval will be accepted. Students must take a set of 24 credit hours of graduate-level course work that are independent of the qualifying exams taken by the student. (That is, if a student takes a qualifying exam related to OR 541, then OR 541 cannot be counted as 3 credit hours of specialty course work.) A GPA of 3.500 is required in these 24 credit hours. The plan of study may include at most 3 credit hours of directed reading course work. At least 12 of the 24 credit hours must be in courses numbered 700 or higher, and these 12 credit hours cannot include directed-reading, project, or thesis courses. The courses listed below cannot be included in the plan of study. Courses that cannot be included in any plan of study are any INFS 500-level courses; IT 500 and 599; OR 540; STAT 510, 512, and 530; and SYST 500. Exceptions to any of these rules must be approved in advance by the associate dean. Each PhD student is allowed to designate an emphasis from among the titles of the MS degree programs offered by the School of Information Technology and Engineering. For further information, see departmental sections. ConcentrationsWithin the Information Technology PhD program, six concentrations are offered:
These concentrations may be of interest to students with specialized interests in these topic areas. If a student completes the requirements for the concentration, then the degree conferred upon graduation would be "PhD in Information Technology with a Concentration in" Choosing a concentration narrows the flexibility of the program. It is not necessary to choose a concentration. In particular, for students doing interdisciplinary research a concentration may be inappropriate. For further information on the concentrations, please see the corresponding departmental sections of the catalog. Doctoral Supervisory CommitteeUpon admission to the program, a student is assigned a temporary advisor. The student is responsible for working with the temporary advisor until the student selects a dissertation director and an advisory committee. The student should select a director and advisory committee as soon after the student's admission as is feasible. This is especially important for students who have completed a considerable amount of graduate work elsewhere. The doctoral supervisory committee includes the dissertation director plus a faculty member from the student's intended major who is selected by the student to become chair of the doctoral supervisory committee. The chair of the committee need not be the dissertation director, but should be selected from a list of approved chairs established by the associate dean. The dissertation director must be a member of the George Mason graduate faculty. Other committee members are selected to form a committee of at least four people from the George Mason graduate faculty. At least three of these faculty members must be from IT&E and at least two of the departments of IT&E must be represented on this committee. In addition, industrial representatives and faculty members from departments outside of the school are highly desirable but are not required on the committee. The doctoral supervisory committee administers the comprehensive examination, the dissertation proposal presentation, and the dissertation predefense and defense. Permission for the comprehensive examination and the dissertation defense are requested from the IT&E associate dean on the basis of a written request and plan that has been approved by the supervisory committee. Comprehensive ExaminationThe comprehensive examination is taken after the student has satisfactorily completed all the course work requirements in the approved plan of study filed by the student. To initiate the exam process, the student meets with the supervisory committee to prepare a memorandum to be forwarded to the associate dean requesting the comprehensive examination and the appointment of an examination committee. The examination committee consists of the doctoral supervisory committee plus any outside examiners considered appropriate. The requesting memorandum lists all courses taken by the student that form the plan of study for the PhD. The memorandum should also propose a date or dates for the comprehensive examination. This examination is based on all the course work taken by the student, and consists of an oral examination and a written examination of up to 8 hours in length, to be taken at a designated place on campus. The examining committee determines the specific details of the exam. The objective of the comprehensive examination is to allow the examining committee to assess the student's readiness to complete doctoral research in an area of concentration. The result of the comprehensive examination is a grade of pass or fail with recommendations for removing any deficiencies. If a student fails the comprehensive exam, the student may request a re-examination within 60 days of receiving notice of the exam result. The request should be made in writing to the associate dean. The student may request a new exam in a different format, but the request must comply with the rules specified above. The examining committee will decide on the format of the new exam, but the decision may be appealed in writing to the associate dean. If the student fails the re-examination, or does not request a re-examination within 60 days, the student will be dismissed from the PhD program. Dissertation Proposal PresentationNear the end of the course work, each doctoral student prepares a written dissertation proposal, which is presented to the doctoral supervisory committee. The student may enroll in IT 998 Doctoral Dissertation Proposal to complete this effort. During the term the student expects to present the dissertation proposal to the committee, the student should enroll in IT 990 Dissertation Topic Presentations. After successfully completing this requirement, the student is formally admitted as a candidate for the PhD degree. The application for candidacy is submitted to the associate dean on a standard form. Dissertation and Final DefenseWith concurrence of the advisory committee, the student proceeds with the doctoral research, during which time the student must be continuously enrolled in IT 999 Doctoral Dissertation. The student must complete a minimum of 24 credits from among IT 990, 998, and 999, with a minimum of 12 credits of IT 999. When the central portions of the research have been completed to the point that the student is able to describe the original contributions of the dissertation effort, a candidate submits the written dissertation to the supervisory committee and schedules an oral predefense to the committee. The predefense is to be held no sooner than one month after the members of the committee have copies of the dissertation. Once the committee believes the student is ready, a final public oral defense may be scheduled no sooner than one month after the conclusion of the predefense in order to have an announcement posted for at least two weeks. The entire dissertation committee must be present at the defense, unless an exception is approved by the associate dean in advance of the defense. Following a satisfactory evaluation of the oral defense of the dissertation by the supervisory committee, the student must prepare, with supervision from the dissertation director, a final publishable dissertation that represents a definitive contribution to knowledge in information technology. This document must meet format guidelines specified by the Guide for Preparing Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Projects. If the candidate successfully defends the dissertation, the dissertation defense committee recommends that the final form of the dissertation be completed, and that the faculty of IT&E and the graduate faculty of George Mason University accept the candidate for the PhD degree. If the student fails to successfully defend the dissertation, the student may request a second defense, following the same procedures as for the initial defense. There is no time limit for this request, other than the general time limits for the doctoral degree. An additional predefense is not required, but the student is strongly advised to consult with the committee before scheduling a second defense. If the student fails on the second attempt to defend the dissertation, the student will be dismissed from the PhD program. Telecommunications, MSThe MS in Telecommunications degree is an innovative, interdisciplinary program that provides a blend of cutting-edge, engineering-oriented courses in such areas as wireless and fiber communications systems, networks, computers, and Internet protocols, combined with courses on telecommunications policy, law, business, international aspects, and other fields. The interdisciplinary program is designed for students who wish to enter the field of telecommunications or who are working in the field and want to advance their knowledge of telecommunications. It concentrates on the practical applications of telecommunications rather than on the theoretical approach and provides a focus on the engineering and information technology aspects of telecommunications in combination with the interdisciplinary knowledge offered by some of the courses in the MA in Telecommunications program. More than 25 new engineering and information technology courses have been designed specially for the MS in Telecommunications program. A novelty of the program is its modular structure, involving five specialty modules corresponding to areas of concentration. The program offers a mix of 3-credit, full-semester courses together with 1.5-credit, half-semester courses. This structure allows students to identify more clearly various specialties within telecommunications technology. Students enjoy considerable flexibility because they are able to design their master's programs to fit their technical preferences. A major share of the course material comes from the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department and the Systems Engineering and Operations Research (SEOR) Department. Courses offered by the ECE Department are focused on network technologies, such as fiber optics, ATM, and Internet protocols; on network applications, such as networked multicomputer systems, client-server architectures, and network management; and on wireless communications, such as digital communications, satellite communications, mobile communications, PCS, and GPS. In addition to the many new telecommunications courses developed for this program, the ECE Department already offers a number of other graduate courses in communications as part of the graduate electrical and computer engineering program. Those courses may also be taken for credit under the MS in Telecommunications program, provided the student has the prerequisite background. Courses related to systems engineering, project management, capacity modeling, and business of telecommunications (e.g., the design and optimization of large, complex communication networks) will be offered by the SEOR Department. Both SEOR fields, systems engineering and operations research, play significant roles in all aspects of the design, operation, and business of telecommunications, and this knowledge is important for students of telecommunications. The blend of in-depth knowledge of specific elements of telecommunications technology combined with a knowledge of broader issues in telecommunications is increasingly necessary for people who intend to work in a management or decision-making position within the telecommunications industry, telecommunications-related businesses, or government institutions dealing with telecommunications. The MS in Telecommunications provides just such a blend. Course WorkThe MS in Telecommunications program offers courses designated TCOM in the "Course Descriptions" chapter of this catalog and some of the other disciplines' courses listed below. FormatThe program consists of 9 credit hours of mandatory engineering and technology core courses (TCOM 500, 501, 502, and 521); 6 credit hours of electives drawn from an interdisciplinary group of core courses common with the MA in Telecommunications (PUBP 726, LAW 181, and TELE 750 or TCOM 750) and a basic switching lecture/laboratory course (TCOM 514); and five specialty modules (areas of concentration). To earn a master of science degree in telecommunications, students must complete 30 credit hours of course work through a combination of core courses and specialty modules. The core in the MS in Telecommunications consists of 15 credits, with the remaining 15 credits being earned in the specialty modules. The specialty modules are sub-areas of telecommunications that provide the necessary depth in the selected areas of concentration. Students are normally expected to take courses from at least two specialty modules. Up to 6 credits from the core program may be carried forward into the specialty modules, thus permitting up to 6 credits of electives to be taken either inside or outside of the prime specialty module(s) chosen by the student. TCOM 501/502 may be carried forward into specialty module 1, 2, or 3 while TCOM 521 may be carried forward into specialty module 4 or 5. Double counting is not permitted, but the courses carried forward into a given module may permit that module's credit hour requirement to be satisfied, thus allowing elective courses to be taken outside of that module. Normally a minimum of 6 credit hours is needed to satisfy one specialty module. Credit for each specialty module can be obtained by taking an appropriate combination of full-semester courses (3 credits) and half-semester courses (1.5 credits). In many instances, a pair of coordinated, half-semester courses (e.g., TCOM 503/513 on fiber optic communications/fiber optic networks exist that permit a student to take either a half-semester course to get an introduction to the field, or a full-semester course for a more complete knowledge of that topic. Admission RequirementsCourses are open to students who hold BS and BA degrees from accredited colleges and universities in engineering, math, science, computer science, business (with a quantitative background), economics, and other analytical disciplines, and to students who have equivalent work experience indicating analytical aptitude. Depending on their backgrounds, some applicants may be required to complete 3 to 6 credits of preliminary course work before they are allowed to enroll in any of the core courses or specialty courses in the program. A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.000 is normally required. Students may be admitted to the MS program, or they may be admitted for nondegree study within the MS in Telecommunications program, which allows them to take individual courses. Students in the nondegree program have the option of transferring into the regular program, provided their GPA within the MS in Telecommunications program is 3.000 or above. Up to 12 credits earned in nondegree study may be transferred into the regular program. Degree RequirementsEach student must complete a minimum of 30 graduate credits, with a GPA of 3.000 or better. Students must earn a B (3.000) or above in core courses TCOM 500, 501, 502 and 521. Up to 6 credit hours of a combination of C, C+, or B- grades may be carried within the program from the remaining core courses or from the specialty module courses, provided the overall GPA is 3.000 or better. The plan of study includes the following: 1. Fifteen credits from the following 21 credit hours of core courses: Mandatory courses:
Elective courses
2. A minimum of 15 credits of courses listed below under specialty modules. Students will normally take 15 credits from at least two of the five specialty modules, or, alternatively, they may elect to take all 15 credits from the systems engineering of telecommunications module (module 5). If a student elects to carry forward a core course (TCOM 501/502 and/or TCOM 521) into an appropriate specialty module, he or she will have the option of taking an elective course either within that module or in another module to bring the total number of credits in the specialty modules to 15. A specialty module (group of courses in an area of concentration) can be completed by a combination of full-semester courses and half-semester courses listed under the module, or considered applicable to that module, for a total of at least 6 credits in that module. Some specialty module courses may be in more than one module (e.g., TCOM 509 Internet Protocols, which is both in module 1, network technologies, and module 2, network applications). Half-semester, 1.5-credit hour courses may only be counted in one module, even if they apply to more than one module. Full-semester, 3-credit hour courses may be counted in one module, or split between two modules (e.g., TCOM 551 Digital Communication Systems, which is both in module 1 and 3, may be counted as 3 credit hours in module 1 or module 3, or it may be counted as 1.5 credit hours in both modules 1 and 3). Basic courses in each module have been specially designed for the telecommunications program. These courses do not require completion of prerequisites from other MS programs in IT&E. Other courses, which are marked with asterisks, are from other MS programs in IT&E and can represent viable options for students who have appropriate prerequisites in some technical areas. Although these courses assume certain prerequisites from their specific MS programs, advanced students who already know the prerequisite material can ask for the instructors' permission to enroll in those courses. Some alternatives to completion of each specialty module by using appropriate combinations of courses not listed under a given module may be admissible subject to prior approval by the program director. In addition, independent study courses and independent reading and research courses may be taken within all five modules. These courses will permit students to make use of their work experiences to undertake nonclassroom courses for credit within the program. George Mason University has negotiated an articulation agreement with the University of Virginia (UVA) that will allow up to 12 credit hours of the Informational Systems Management certificate program from UVA to be transferred into modules 4 and 5 of the TCOM program. In addition, graduate students from the National Defense University (NDU) may transfer up to 9 credit hours from the Information Security certificate program of NDU. A capstone project course, TCOM 699, is required under the systems engineering of telecommunications module (module 5) should the student elect to take all 15 credits in this specialty module. If a student is taking only 7.5 credits in modules 4 or 5, he or she has the option of taking TCOM 699, but the course is not required unless the student takes all 15 credits in module 5. Specialty Modules (Courses marked with asterisks are courses from other graduate programs in IT&E that can be taken for credit in this program if the student has the appropriate prerequisites. Other courses from other programs may be taken for credit, with prior approval.) Module 1 Network Technologies TCOM 503, 504, 505, 509, 510, 513, 519, 548, 551, 556, 562; ECE 513*, 542*, 565*, 642*, 643*; CS 571*, 656*, 756* Module 2 Network Applications TCOM 505, 509, 510, 513, 519, 540, 541, 548, 555, 556, 603; ECE 646*; CS 656*, 756*; INFS 612*, 640*, 762* Module 3 Wireless Communications TCOM 506, 516, 517, 518, 551, 552, 607, 707; ECE 739*, 763*, 732*, 741* Module 4 Modeling of Telecommunications Systems TCOM 540, 541, 542, 545, 546, 547, 548, 699; OR 641*, 642*, 644* Module 5 Systems Engineering of Telecommunications (This module can be taken as one of two specialty modules, or as one 15-credit module. No more than two SYST courses can be taken within this module.) TCOM 520, 546, 548, 699; SYST 510*, 513*, 520*, 542*; INFS 612*, 614*, 640*; ITRN 772* BS/Accelerated MS in Telecommunications ProgramsThe MS in Telecommunications degree may currently be taken as part of an accelerated BS in Systems Engineering/MS in Telecommunications and as part of an accelerated BS in Computer Science/MS in Telecommunications. Other accelerated programs with other undergraduate degrees are currently being developed. The two accelerated BS/MS programs are described below. BS in Systems Engineering/Accelerated MS in TelecommunicationsStudents who are in the BS in Systems Engineering program may elect to enter an accelerated MS in Telecommunications program while they are undergraduate students. The BS in Systems Engineering/Accelerated MS in Telecommunications program is designed for qualified undergraduate students in the systems engineering program who would like to proceed directly into the MS in Telecommunications program, completing the two degrees with 144 credit hours. Students in the accelerated program must satisfy both the requirements for the BS in Systems Engineering undergraduate degree (a total of 120 credit hours) and the MS in Telecommunications graduate degree (a total of 30 credit hours), with 6 credit hours of overlap permitted between the two degrees. The MS in Telecommunications degree would therefore be on an accelerated track, 6 credits being taken while an undergraduate and 24 credits as a graduate student. The 6 credit hours of telecommunications courses taken while a systems engineering undergraduate must be selected from those given in the table at the end of this description. Applicants for the accelerated program must be George Mason University undergraduate students who have preferably chosen to take the systems engineering of telecommunications elective sequence. Other students will be considered on their individual merit. Students may apply for the BS in Systems Engineering/Accelerated MS in Telecommunications program during a semester after which they will have completed 90 or more credit hours applicable toward the BS in Systems Engineering as an undergraduate. Students must have an overall GPA of at least 3.250 to apply for the program. Students who have not yet finished 90 credit hours may be accepted provisionally subject to satisfactory completion of 90 credit hours. Criteria for admission into the BS in Systems Engineering/Accelerated MS in Telecommunications program are identical to criteria for admission into the MS in Telecommunications program, with the exception that students do not need to have completed an undergraduate degree prior to admission into the accelerated program. Students who have been accepted into the BS in Systems Engineering/Accelerated MS in Telecommunications program must maintain a minimum 3.250 GPA in the undergraduate segment of the accelerated program and a 3.000 GPA in the graduate segment of the accelerated program. That is, after a student has been accepted into the BS in Systems Engineering/Accelerated MS in Telecommunications program, the student must maintain a 3.250 average until they have satisfied all of the requirements for the BS in Systems Engineering undergraduate degree. They must then maintain a minimum 3.000 average in the graduate segment of the accelerated program. Should their GPA fall below 3.000 while a graduate student, they will be dropped from the accelerated program to the regular program and those graduate telecommunications courses taken and applied to their BS program will no longer be admissible for their MS in Telecommunications degree. If a student is dropped from the accelerated program and has taken and applied telecommunications core courses towards their BS degree, then the student does not need to repeat those courses for the regular MS in Telecommunications program if they obtained a grade B or above in those courses. However, they will need to take elective courses in their place to satisfy the 30-credit requirement for the regular MS in Telecommunications degree. In a similar manner, if a student is dropped from the accelerated program and has taken and applied noncore telecommunications courses towards their BS degree, then the student does not need to repeat those courses for the regular MS in Telecommunications program if they obtained a C grade or above for those courses. Elective courses will be required to replace telecommunications courses already taken and dropped from the program. NOTE: up to 6 credit hours of a combination of C, C+, or B- grades may be carried in portions of the regular telecommunications program. A minimum GPA of 3.000 is required to graduate with an MS in Telecommunications degree. Students must complete all requirements for the BS in Systems Engineering degree. Students in the BS in Systems Engineering/Accelerated MS in Telecommunications program may apply to have the BS in Systems Engineering degree conferred during the semester in which they expect to complete their BS in Systems Engineering requirements. The MS in Telecommunications degree is granted upon completion of all requirements for the accelerated MS in Telecommunications degree. The telecommunications courses that may be taken as a systems engineering undergraduate student as part of the BS in Systems Engineering/Accelerated MS in Telecommunications program are: TCOM 500, 501, 502, 503, 504, 505, 509, 510, 513, 521, and 607. BS in Computer Science/Accelerated MS in Telecommunications ProgramStudents who are in the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science program may elect to enter an accelerated Master of Science in Telecommunications program while they are undergraduate students. The accelerated BS in Computer Science/MS in Telecommunications program is designed for qualified undergraduate students in the computer science program who would like to proceed directly into the MS in Telecommunications program, completing the two degrees with 144 credit hours. Accelerated BS in Computer Science/MS in Telecommunications students must satisfy both the requirements for the BS in Computer Science undergraduate degree (a total of 120 credit hours) and the MS in Telecommunications graduate degree (a total of 30 credit hours), with 6 credit hours of overlap permitted between the two degrees. The MS in Telecommunications degree would therefore be on an accelerated track, 6 credits being taken while an undergraduate and 24 credits as a graduate student. The 6 credit hours of telecommunications courses taken while a computer science undergraduate must be selected from those given in the table at the end of this description. Applicants for the accelerated BS in Computer Science/MS in Telecommunications program must be George Mason University undergraduate students in the computer science program. Students may apply for the accelerated BS in Computer Science/MS in Telecommunications program during a semester after which they will have completed 90 or more credits applicable toward the BS in Computer Science as an undergraduate. Students must have an overall GPA of at least 3.250 to apply for the program. Students who have not yet finished 90 credit hours may be accepted provisionally subject to satisfactory completion of 90 credit hours. Criteria for admission into the accelerated BS in Computer Science/MS in Telecommunications program are identical to criteria for admission into the MS in Telecommunications program, with the exception that students do not need to have completed an undergraduate degree prior to admission into the accelerated program. Students who have been accepted into the accelerated BS in Computer Science/MS in Telecommunications program must maintain a minimum 3.250 GPA in the undergraduate segment of the accelerated program and a 3.000 GPA in the graduate segment of the accelerated program. That is, after a student has been accepted into the accelerated BS in Computer Science/MS in Telecommunications program, the student must maintain a 3.250 average until they have satisfied all of the requirements for the BS in Computer Science undergraduate degree. They must then maintain a minimum 3.000 average in the graduate segment of the accelerated program. Should their GPA fall below 3.000 while a graduate student, they will be dropped from the accelerated program to the regular program and those graduate telecommunications courses taken and applied to their BS in Computer Science program will no longer be admissible for their MS in Telecommunications degree. If a student is dropped from the accelerated program and has taken and applied telecommunications core courses towards their BS in Computer Science degree, then the student does not need to repeat those courses for the regular MS in Telecommunications program if they obtained a grade of B, or above, in those courses. However, they will need to take elective courses in their place to satisfy the 30-credit requirement for the regular MS in Telecommunications degree. In a similar manner, if a student is dropped from the accelerated program and has taken and applied noncore telecommunications courses towards their BS in Computer Science degree, then the student does not need to repeat those courses for the regular MS in Telecommunications program if they obtained a C grade, or above, for those courses. Elective courses will be required to replace telecommunications courses already taken and dropped from the program. NOTE: up to two C grades may be carried in the regular telecommunications program in noncore courses. A minimum GPA of 3.000 is required to graduate with an MS in Telecommunications degree. Students must complete all requirements for the BS in Computer Science degree. Students in the accelerated BS in Computer Science/MS in Telecommunications program may apply to have the BS in Computer Science degree conferred during the semester in which they expect to complete their BS in Computer Science requirements. The MS in Telecommunications degree is granted upon completion of all requirements for the accelerated MS in Telecommunications degree. The telecommunications courses that may be taken as a computer science undergraduate student as part of the accelerated BS in Computer Science/MS in Telecommunications program are given in the table below. Note: All of the prerequisite courses indicated below must be passed with a grade of B, or higher. Telecommunications courses TCOM 500 Modern Telecommunications
TCOM 502 Wide Area Networks and Internet
TCOM 503 Fiber Optic Communications
TCOM 504 Asynchronous Transfer Mode Network
TCOM 505 Networked Multicomputer Systems
TCOM 510 Client Server Architectures and Applications
TCOM 513 Optical Communications Networks
TCOM 519 Voice Over IP
TCOM 551 Digital Communication Systems
TCOM 607 Satellite Communications
NOTE: Accelerated BS in Computer Science/MS in Telecommunications students who have passed CS 455 with a grade of B will not be required to take TCOM 501 in the MS in Telecommunications core and may take an elective 1.5 credit-hour course instead. BSIT/Accelerated MS in TCOM ProgramStudents who are in the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT) program may elect to enter an accelerated Master of Science in Telecommunications (MS in TCOM) program while they are undergraduate students. The accelerated BSIT/MS in TCOM program is designed for qualified undergraduate students in the Information Technology program who would like to proceed directly into the MS in TCOM program, completing the two degrees with 144 credit hours. Accelerated BSIT/MS in TCOM students must satisfy both the requirements for the BSIT undergraduate degree (a total of 120 credit hours) and the MS in Telecommunications graduate degree (a total of 30 credit hours), with 6 credit hours of overlap permitted between the two degrees. The MS in TCOM degree would therefore be on an accelerated track, 6 credits being taken while an undergraduate and 24 credits as a graduate student. The 6 credit hours of TCOM courses taken while a BSIT undergraduate must be selected from those given in the table at the end of this description and will be substituted for BSIT concentration electives, subject to prior approval by a BSIT advisor. Note that accelerated BSIT/MS in TCOM students must take ECE 301 as one of their BSIT concentration electives. Applicants for the accelerated BSIT/MS in TCOM program must be George Mason University undergraduate students in the BSIT program. Students may apply for the accelerated BSIT/MS in TCOM program during a semester after which they will have completed 90 or more credit hours applicable toward the BSIT as an undergraduate. Students must have an overall GPA of at least 3.250 to apply for the program. Students who have not yet finished 90 credit hours may be accepted provisionally subject to satisfactory completion of 90 credit hours. Criteria for admission into the accelerated BSIT/MS in TCOM program are identical to criteria for admission into the MS in TCOM program, with the exception that students do not need to have completed an undergraduate degree prior to admission into the accelerated program. Students who have been accepted into the accelerated BSIT/MS in TCOM program must maintain a minimum 3.250 GPA in the undergraduate segment of the accelerated program and a 3.000 GPA in the graduate segment of the accelerated program. That is, after students have been accepted into the accelerated BSIT/MS in TCOM program, they must maintain a 3.250 average until they have satisfied all of the requirements for the BSIT undergraduate degree. They must then maintain a minimum 3.000 average in the graduate segment of the accelerated program. Should their GPA fall below 3.000 while a graduate student, they will be dropped from the accelerated program to the regular program and those graduate TCOM courses taken and applied to their BSIT program will no longer be admissible for their MS in TCOM degree. If students are dropped from the accelerated program and have taken and applied TCOM core courses towards the BSIT degree, then students need not repeat those courses for the regular MS in TCOM program if they obtained a grade B or above in those courses. However, they will need to take elective courses in their place to satisfy the 30-credit hour requirement for the regular MS in TCOM degree. In a similar manner, if students are dropped from the accelerated program and have taken and applied noncore TCOM courses towards the BSIT degree, then they do not need to repeat those courses for the regular MS in TCOM program if they obtained a C grade or above for those courses. Elective courses will be required to replace TCOM courses already taken and dropped from the program. NOTE: up to two C grades may be carried in the regular TCOM program in nonmandatory core courses. A minimum GPA of 3.000 is required to graduate with an MS in TCOM degree. Students must complete all requirements for the BSIT degree. Students in the accelerated BSIT/MS in TCOM program may apply to have the BSIT degree conferred during the semester in which they expect to complete their BSIT requirements. The MS in TCOM degree is granted upon completion of all requirements for the accelerated MS in TCOM degree. The TCOM courses that may be taken as a BSIT undergraduate student as part of the accelerated BSIT/MS in TCOM program are given in the table below. Note: All of the prerequisite courses indicated below must be passed with a grade B, or higher. Telecommunications courses TCOM 500 Modern Telecommunications
TCOM 501 Data Communications and LANs
TCOM 502 Wide Area Networks and Internet
TCOM 503 Fiber Optic Communications
TCOM 504 Asynchronous Transfer Mode Network
TCOM 505 Networked Multicomputer Systems
TCOM 509 Internet Protocols
TCOM 510 Client Server Architectures and Applications
TCOM 513 Optical Communications Networks
TCOM 519 Voice Over IP
TCOM 551 Digital Communication Systems
TCOM 607 Satellite Communications
NOTE: Accelerated BSIT/MS TCOM students who have passed IT 341 with a grade of B or better will not be required to take TCOM 501 in the MS in TCOM core and may take an elective 1.5 credit-hour course instead. Telecommunications CertificatesThree 15-credit hour certificates may be taken within the MS in Telecommunications program. Students are allowed to take these certificates as stand-alone items or as part of their degree program. For the former, they will be required to enroll in a certificate program; for the latter, since they are already enrolled in a degree program, they need only apply for the appropriate certificate after they have satisfied its requirements. The courses within the certificates are drawn directly from the MS in Telecommunications program. If a student initially signs up for only a certificate program, it will be possible to transfer into the degree program later, with up to 12 credits transferring into the degree program. Students must therefore ensure they have transferred into the degree program prior to starting course work beyond 12 credit hours in the certificate program to ensure that all credits from the certificate program may transfer into the degree program. A student who transfers from a certificate program into the degree program may earn both certificate and degree on satisfactory completion of the respective requirements. Applicable courses may count for both the certificate and the degree program. NOTE: Students must earn a B grade or above in each course applied to their certificate to allow that course to count for credit towards the certificate. Certificate in Network Technologies and ApplicationsThe objective of the certificate is to provide a broad understanding of the technologies used in telecommunications networks and the various applications of telecommunications networks. To obtain the certificate, the student must complete the following, for a total of 15 credits: 1. Core Courses Mandatory core courses (9 credits from the following 10.5 credits)
2. Elective Courses Elective courses (6 credits) Student may elect to take any additional six credit hours of courses from specialty modules 1, 2, and 3 (including those in the mandatory course list that are not part of their 9 credit hours of core courses for the certificate). Certificate in Wireless CommunicationsThe objective of the certificate is to provide a broad understanding of the technologies, applications, and systems used in all forms of wireless communications. To obtain the certificate, the student must complete the following, for a total of 15 credits: 1. Core Courses Mandatory core courses (9 credits from the following 12 credits)
2. Elective Courses Elective courses (6 credits) Students may elect to take any additional 6 credit hours of courses from specialty modules 1, 2, and 3 (including those in the mandatory course list that are not part of their 9 credit hours of core courses for the certificate). Certificate in Telecommunications Systems ModelingThe objective of the certificate is to provide a broad understanding of the end-to-end systems engineering approach to telecommunications projects. To obtain the certificate, the student must complete the following, for a total of 15 credits: 1. Core Courses (9 credits from 12 credits shown below)
2. Elective Courses Elective Courses (6 credits) Students may elect to take any additional 6 credits of courses from specialty modules 4 and 5, (including those in the mandatory course list that are not part of the 9 credits of core courses for the certificate). |
