Mastering complexity
Florida Polytechnic University offers a broadly based and customizable Master of Science in Computer Science program that provides students with an advanced computer science education —with a focus in general computer science or analytics — leading to careers across a fast-growing sensor, data analytics, and computation-based economy.
Program Highlights
The M.S. in Computer Science program at Florida Poly attracts both recent college graduates and working professionals with clear aptitude in mathematics and logical reasoning. Students in the computer science major write a thesis. Students in the analytics track master commercial data analytic tools for visualization and analysis techniques. The M.S. in Computer Science curriculum prepares students with the necessary skills for advancing their careers across a range of industry applications: business analytics, web application development, mobile application development, computer graphics and animation, game development, robotics, AI and machine learning, computational biology and medicine, modeling, and cybersecurity.
Concentrations
Computer Science
Completing the Computer Science track will prepare you to design and analyze algorithms to solve problems and study the performance of computer hardware and software. In addition, it will give you a strong foundation as you encounter a range of problems, such as determining what problems can be solved with computers and the complexity of the algorithms that solve them to designing applications that perform well on handheld devices, that are easy to use, and that uphold security measures.
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Data Science
Completing the Data Science track will help you to identify and formulate key business challenges, collect and manage data from a variety of sources, select effective analytical techniques to identify solutions, and communicate results in a clear and creative way, harnessing the power of data in decision making. Data scientists are in high demand in a wide range of industries, including information technology, finance, healthcare, insurance, energy, transportation, manufacturing, telecommunications and more.
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Capstone: Where it Comes Together
Each Florida Poly senior joins a Capstone Design team of (three to five students) of a single discipline (mechanical engineering) or mixed disciplines (engineering, computer science, data science, etc.) to complete a year-long, industry sponsored project. Capstone culminates with a year-end gathering of sponsors and project teams, and the presentation of final ‘beta’ level prototypes. Past Capstone Design projects have led to job offers from sponsoring companies.
Research Facilities
The M.S. in Computer Science program shares faculty and resources with electrical and computer engineering programs, exposing you to an interdisciplinary learning and research environment that mirrors industry. Facilities include:
Suntrax
Slated to be complete by spring 2021, Florida’s Suntrax facility is a large-scale, cutting-edge facility dedicated to the research, development and testing of emerging transportation technologies in safe and controlled environments. The 400-acre site will include a 2.25-mile long oval track, which will provide an opportunity for high-speed testing, along with a 200-acre infield that will allow for the testing of a multitude of different technologies. Many of the opportunities are related to tolling, ITS, and automated and connected vehicles. Additionally, the entire site will be a connected environment for the testing of Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) and Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communications.
Applied Research Center
Florida Polytechnic University will build an 85,000 square foot Applied Research Center (ARC) that will serve as a research hub for the Central Florida region and become a magnet for high-tech development around the school. The Applied Research Center will house research and teaching laboratories, student design spaces, conference rooms, and faculty offices. The building will also provide study areas for graduate students, and a small amount of administrative space.
Job Outlook
Central Florida and surrounding southeast continue to attract technology start-ups and research investment, meaning excellent career choices in engineering and computer science.
The demand for computer professionals nationally shows no sign of slowing, and opportunities exist in almost every industry. As computer applications continue to expand, occupations in computer science are projected to be among the fastest growing in the United States through 2020 and beyond.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projections call for very high growth across a variety of computing careers, including an estimated 22,000 new software development jobs, 12,500 new systems analysts jobs, and 11,000 new computing support jobs.
Computer science graduates have a variety of ways to shape their post-graduation career path: entrepreneur, web application development, computer graphics, video games, enterprise computing, embedded systems, network administration, mobile applications, computer security, computer vision, computational biology, high performance (super) computing, scientific modeling, database systems, computer animations, wireless networks, artificial intelligence.
Big Data: 4 Mind-Boggling Facts
Faculty
Meet Shahram Taj
Professor
Dr. Taj has a core expertise in all aspects of logistics and supply chain management, with an emphasis on productivity improvements, implementing lean manufacturing, and optimizing process design. Taj brings extensive industry contacts and experience. He’s conducted more than 100 projects at Ford, Visteon, New Venture Gear (formerly joint venture of GM and DaimlerChrysler), GM-Holden, Baker Hughes, and Schlumberger in the United States, Germany, Australia, and Japan. Taj helped New Venture Gear Company to design a lean automotive manufacturing plant in Leipzig, Germany, to supply powertrain to Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg that resulted in savings of $21 million (This plant has been designated by Porsche as the supplier of the year.). He has collaborated with the Production System Design Laboratory at MIT conducting research in the design and the implementation of “lean production systems” in the automotive industry in the U.S. and Europe.
Meet Mohammad Samarah
Assistant Professor
Dr. Samarah has extensive knowledge and experience in big data, intelligent applications, real-time smart autonomous systems, software engineering and innovation research. Samarah served in senior engineering management roles in Florida’s Space Coast and Puget Sound, including senior director of engineering at Emulex Corporation. He worked on high-speed switches for high-end storage appliances. He also served as vice president of research and development for Harris Baseview, a division of Harris Corporation. He led research and development on workflow automation, content management systems and knowledge discovery systems. Samarah is an advisor and co-founder of EnMedical Systems, a high-tech startup providing consulting and bespoke solutions in informatics, healthcare, and large-scale enterprise systems.
Full Faculty Listing+
Degree Requirements
Your Master of Science in Computer requires 30 credits — including 18 credits of core degree requirements, including these six (3 credit) courses: Scientific Computation and Programming, Advanced Database Systems Design Credits, Computer Networks Credits, Computation Theory Credits, Advanced Operating Systems Concepts and Advanced Algorithm Design and Analysis.
Program Description
Click here for your complete program description for the Master of Science in Computer Science.
Admissions Requirements
Admission to our graduate program is a selective process, and the committee will conduct a comprehensive review to assess each applicant’s promise for academic success at Florida Poly. Once the above materials have been submitted, your application will be reviewed by the Florida Poly Graduate Admission Committee.
- Send us your official college transcripts from all of the institutions you’ve attended. If your cumulative college GPA is below a 3.25, please also submit official GRE scores. If your cumulative college GPA is a 3.25 or higher, the Graduate Admission Committee may waive the GRE requirement.
- Submit two letters of recommendation.
- Submit a Statement of Purpose. This should be a brief summary of your research interests and goals for the program.
Please send all documents to:
Florida Polytechnic University
Office of Admissions
4700 Research Way
Lakeland, FL 33805
Professional Education Objectives
Upon completion of the Master of Science in Computer Science Degree, Florida Polytechnic University students will be able to:
- Apply knowledge of design IT principles in a defined industry problem.
- Conduct research and apply knowledge based on these research skills.
- Apply knowledge of managerial skills to coordinate and execute an industry project.
- Demonstrate understanding of applied analysis of user requirements, research skills, managerial skills and IT based knowledge.
- Analyze and properly use current computing techniques, methods and theories in an industry scenario.