The following list represents basic program requirements. As some students may have additional requirements or been granted advanced standing, each student should refer to his/her own "Statement of Standing on Admission" (pink form) for individual program requirements.

1. a minimum of five one-half credit courses
2. completion and defence of a thesis (COMP 5905)
3. attendance at 10 seminars and presentation of one seminar within the OCICS Graduate Seminar Series (COMP 5904)

• The completion times listed in the outside margin are estimates based on full-time study. Students should aim to adhere to these guidelines and will be warned if they do not.
• Students in the M.C.S. degree are expected to complete all degree requirements, including the thesis defence, within two years of full-time study or six years of part-time study. (See the Section VII General Regulations for information on time limits.)
• Course requirements should be completed as early in the program as possible.
• Each student is responsible for ensuring that he/she has satisfied all requirements.

• Full-time students in the thesis option should select a thesis supervisor before the end of the second term of study and part-time students before the end of the fourth term of study. The thesis supervisor must be a faculty member from Carleton University who is a member of OCICS. An advisor may have been declared on the pink Statement of Standing on Admission but he is not the student’s supervisor until an official form has been signed. Typically, a professor who provides a Research Assistantship will become the student’s supervisor. He would also advise the student on course selection.
• An "M.C.S. Thesis Supervisor Information" form must be submitted for approval before the student will be permitted to register in the thesis.
• Once registered in the thesis, a student must maintain continuous registration in the thesis until completion. Usually, this includes the term in which the defence is held and the final, defended copies submitted (depending on deadline parameters). A thesis cannot be submitted until all other program requirements are satisfied. Please also refer to Section IV. Thesis Regulations.

• The student and his or her faculty supervisor should select graduate courses related to research interests but taking into consideration the "area" requirements of the M.C.S. program [see requirements below] and the requirements on the "Statement of Standing on Admission".
• A "Permission for Credit" form must be completed and approved by the Graduate Director to obtain degree credit for any course not on the OCICS schedule or Statement of Standing on Admission. Support from the thesis supervisor is required for such requests.
• At most, two Fourth Year undergraduate courses may be taken with the permission of the thesis supervisor and graduate director. Such permission is not common and must be strongly supported.
• At least half of the course credits of an M.C.S. student must be taken from the schedule of the OCICS courses. Students can register directly through Carleton Central for all OCICS courses from SCS and SITE. An exchange form (see Graduate Administrator) must be filled out in the exceptional case when a student is allowed to take a course from University of Ottawa but outside of SITE.
• A course cannot be taken to satisfy simultaneously two areas: 1 course counts for only 1 area.
• OCICS courses are grouped into four areas – Theory of Computing (T), Software Engineering (E), Computer Applications (A), and Computer Systems (S).

• one course in area T
• one course in area E
• one course in either area A or area S

Before completion of the program, a M.C.S. student is expected to attend 10 seminars and make one presentation in the OCICS Graduate Seminar Series. Each seminar consists of several presentations.

The following list represents basic program requirements. As some students may have additional requirements or been granted advanced standing, each student should refer to his/her own "Statement of Standing on Admission" (pink form) for individual program requirements.

1. eight one-half credit courses
2. completion of an Intensive Graduate Project in Computer Science (COMP 5903)
3. attendance at 10 seminars and presentation of one seminar within the OCICS Graduate Seminar Series (COMP 5904)

• The completion times listed in the outside margin are estimates based on full-time study. Students should aim to adhere to these guidelines and will be warned if they do not.
• 6^th termStudents in the M.C.S. program are expected to complete all degree requirements, including the submission of the intensive graduate project, within two years of full-time study or six years of part-time study. (See the Section VII General Regulations for information on time limits.)
• Each student is responsible for ensuring that he/she has satisfied all requirements

• The student and his or her faculty supervisor should select graduate courses related to research interests but taking into consideration the "area" requirements of the M.C.S. program [see requirements below] and the requirements on the "Statement of Standing on Admission".
• A "Permission for Credit" form must be completed and approved by the Graduate Director to obtain degree credit for any course not on the OCICS schedule or Statement of Standing on Admission. Support from the thesis supervisor is required for such requests.
• At most, two Fourth Year undergraduate courses may be taken with the permission of the thesis supervisor and graduate director. Such permission is not common and must be strongly supported.
• At least half of the course credits of an M.C.S. student must be taken from the schedule of the OCICS courses. Students can register directly through Carleton Central for all OCICS courses from SCS and SITE. An exchange form (see Graduate Administrator) must be filled out in the exceptional case when a student is allowed to take a course from University of Ottawa but outside of SITE.
• OCICS courses are grouped into four areas – Theory of Computing (T), Software Engineering (E), Computer Applications (A), and Computer Systems (S).
  
  To fulfill the course requirements, an M.C.S. student must take at least:
  • one course in area T
  • one course in area E
  • one course in either area A or area S

• 4^th termStudents in the non-thesis option will normally complete their project in the last two terms of the program. Full-time students should select a project supervisor no later than the end of the fourth term of study. The project supervisor must be a faculty member from Carleton University who is a member of OCICS.
• An "M.C.S. Project Supervisor Information" form must be submitted to the project supervisor and the School’s graduate director for approval before the student will be permitted to register. A detailed outline of the planned project, similar to a thesis proposal, must be attached.
• The project must represent a significant contribution to the state-of-the-art BUT does not involve the writing up of a dissertation. However, a project report detailing the work is to be submitted to the project supervisor for grading.
• Once registered in the M.C.S. project, a student must maintain continuous registration in the project course until completion. Usually this includes the term in which the project is submitted (within deadline parameters).

• Before completion of the program, an M.C.S. student is expected to attend 10 seminars and make one presentation in the OCICS Graduate Seminar Series. Each seminar consists of several presentations. Please refer to Section VI Graduate Seminar Requirements.