MSSI Program Requirements

• All courses toward the degree requirement must be 600-level or above. Other courses may be used with the approval of the program director.
• Courses not found on the area-specific lists may be used to meet area requirements with prior approval from the student’s advisor and the program director.
• At most 2 independent study courses may be counted toward the course requirements.
• No courses with grades of P may be counted, with the exception of independent study courses.
• At most 2 courses may be transferred from other institutions. The student’s faculty advisor and the director of the program must approve such transfer courses.
• The overall grade point average of the courses counted toward the course requirements must be 3.00 or higher.
• At most 2 courses with grades less than B– may be counted towards the course requirements. No courses with grades less than C– may be counted.
• A grade of D or F results in probation. A second D or F is cause for being dropped from the program.

• 5 Technology courses: Must include at least 4 Core Technology Courses, of which at least 1 must be a Core Cryptography course.
• 3 Core Policy/Management/Health Courses: Must include at least 1 Core Policy Course and 1 Core Management Course.
• 2 additional courses from the Core or Elective Technology categories, or from other courses ONLY when deemed appropriate relative to a student’s background, interests, and goals AND with the prior approval of their faculty advisor and the program director.

• 3 Technology courses: Must include at least 2 Core Technology courses, of which at least 1 must be a Core Cryptography course.
• 5 Core Policy/Health/Management and Foundational Management courses: Must include at least 1 course from each of the Core Policy, Health, and Management categories and at least 1 Foundational Management Course.
• 2 additional courses from the Core or Elective Technology, Core Policy/Health/Management, or Foundational Management categories, or from other courses ONLY when deemed appropriate relative to a student’s background, interests, and goals AND with the prior approval of their faculty advisor and the program director.

In general, the MSSI Capstone Project will include both technology and non-technology components and will be conducted in a team-structured environment comprised of students and faculty mentors (plus external mentors, if appropriate). These projects may be sponsored by government or industry partners and affiliates and may also be related to faculty research programs supported by grants and contracts. They should relate to real-world problems and exhibit both theoretical and practical significance. Projects must be documented by a report and presentation, as well as other applicable deliverables, including but not limited to: system prototypes, utility libraries, experimental demonstrations, conference or journal submissions, etc. Projects should follow best practices of system design and development.

Students should actively initiate their projects while communicating with a potential faculty mentor. Students are expected to develop a project plan before starting their project. A presentation will be scheduled at the project’s conclusion. Students’ faculty mentors should approve each milestone of the project. When the project and all its deliverables are completed, the faculty mentor will determine whether the project satisfies the MSSI degree requirement.

Please see MSSI Capstone Project Requirements for more detailed requirements.