1. Applicants
  2. Degree Plan
  3. Multiple Degree Programs
  4. Graduation
  5. Semester Course Offerings
  6. Concentrations

Applicants

Please see https://onlinemscs.utk.edu for program and recruiting information.

Applicants: Please see our topics list before you apply. Please see our website to speak with an enrollment advisor.

This page is to assist students who have been accepted into the program and are looking for a quick reference of which courses they should take. Courses will be offered to allow students to take both a depth of courses and a breadth across concentrations. Students should take their core and focused courses as soon as they are offered.

Degree Plan

A degree plan is not required, but it may help you plan your courses from the start of your degree to the end. Click here for the degree planner template. This is specifically for you, but your advisor may ask you to fill this out to ensure you can graduate on time and meet your goals.

Spin-up Courses (CS Undergraduate Background Courses)

If you do not have a computer science background, your advisor will require you to take spin-up courses. These courses are fully online and are offered in the fall and spring semesters. Students who need spin-up courses cannot be admitted for the summer semester.

NOTE: Students who think they could benefit from taking these undergraduate courses, even with a CS undergraduate degree, may do so without advisor approval.

There are three spin-up courses offered:

CourseOfferedDescription
COSC 103: "Introduction to Computer Science"Fall, first session (ASA)
Fall, second session (ASB)
Spring, first session (ASA)
Spring, second session (ASB)		Covers the basics of computer programming, including logical organization, data types, conditional statements, Boolean logic, and more.
COSC 203: "Data Structures"Fall, first session (ASA)
Fall, second session (ASB)
Spring, first session (ASA)
Spring, second session (ASB)		Covers basic computer data structures including maps, sets, linked lists, vectors, and more.
COSC 230: "Computer Organization"Fall, first session (ASA)
Fall, second session (ASB)
Spring, first session (ASA)
Spring, second session (ASB)		Covers how the organization of computer components, hardware specifications, memory, IO, and more.
First and second sessions are 7 weeks each (half of a semester).

Your advisor will work with you to determine which spin-up courses you will need to take BEFORE you take any graduate-level COSC courses.

Spin-up students must earn at least a "B" in all of spin-up courses. Students who do not may be dropped from the online MSCS program.

Registration Dates

  • Spin-up is offered through a UT and Arizona State Online agreement.
  • Students may NOT register for spin-up courses within two weeks of the course starting.
    • This is an Arizona State Online policy.
    • There is no way for UT personnel to override this restriction.

Spin-up Tuition

  • Spin-up courses are charged the same tuition as normal, graduate-level courses.
  • You will be charged tuition in your UT student account.
  • UT pays Arizona State Online on your behalf for the course.

Multiple Degree Programs

If you are taking additional classes for a separate concentration or certificate, those courses do not count towards this degree. Only the courses listed below in your selected concentration will count towards the degree.

Multiple Concentrations

Students must have exactly one (1) concentration. Students cannot select more than one concentration or no concentration.

Switching Concentrations

Students may switch concentrations by submitting a change of program request through the graduate school.

Graduation

There are three (3) steps you need to complete before you can graduate:

  1. Complete your admission to candidacy form after you receive your final grades for your penultimate semester.
  2. Apply for graduation via MyUTK.
  3. Complete your course work (10 courses / 30 credit hours) with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0.
    • If you are concerned about your GPA during your graduation year, you may extend and take additional courses to improve your GPA. You will need to refile both your admission to candidacy and apply for graduation at the start of your new graduation semester.

Interested in attending the graduation ceremony? See commencement ceremony below.

Admission To Candidacy Form Due Dates

Graduation Semester*Date Due To Advisor
Summer 202622-May-2026
Fall 202617-Aug-2026
Spring 202722-Jan-2027
Summer 202718-May-2027
Fall 202716-Aug-2027
*Graduation semester is the last semester you plan to take courses.

Admission To Candidacy Form

NOTE: If you have already been admitted to candidacy, but need add or drop a course, file a revised admission to candidacy form. Rename the form such that it is: first_last_revised_admission_to_candidacy_MS.pdf

After you get your final grades for the semester prior to when you plan to graduate:

  • Fill out your admission to candidacy form. Make sure you're using the course-only/no comp exam form.
    • Rename the form with your first and last name such that it is first_last_admission_to_candidacy_MS.pdf
    • Write your name and split out Last, then First, then Middle (leave blank if you don't have a middle name).
    • Double check your UT student ID and write in the format XXXYYZZZZ.
      • Do not use any dashes or spaces.
    • Use your UT email address: netid@vols.utk.edu.
    • The major is "Computer Science"
    • The degree program is "Master of Science"
    • Click the Distance Education (online only) radio button.
    • The form must be e-signed and NOT an e-facsimile of your signature. See example below.
    • The form must list all of your courses you plan to apply to your degree in chronological order (oldest first, most recent at the bottom). Therefore, you must have at least ten (10) courses listed, including transferred courses.
      • WARNING: ALL courses used towards graduation must have been taken within six (6) years of your graduation date.
        • Students with an approved leave of absence may petition to have older courses granted towards graduation.
    • Use two letters for the semester FA (fall), SP (spring), SU (summer)
    • Use four digits for the year (e.g., 2024)
    • Separate by a front slash.
      • Example: FA/2026, SP/2027, SU/2028
    • Use COSC or ECE for the Course Name Prefix
    • The Course # is the three digit code, such as 522 (for Machine Learning).
    • The Course Title is the name of the course, such as Machine Learning, Algorithms, etc.
      • This must be the exact name given under "Title" on your MyUTK page.
    • The Hours will always be 3.
    • The Grade is the final letter grade recorded on your transcript.
      • Leave the grade box for any course in progress or in the future blank.
      • Do NOT include courses in which you earned a D or F.
    • Re-write your name and student ID (e.g., XXXYYZZZZ) on the top of the fourth page.
    • If you have any courses you want to transfer from another institution, please see below under Transfer Courses.
    • Do NOT use "print-to-PDF". The form must contain the PDF fill in boxes at the bottom.
      • Use Adobe Acrobat Reader to fill out the PDF. I must have the ability to click the digital signature boxes to sign in the appropriate spots.
    • Upload your form to the Canvas course here: Online Graduation Canvas Course

Electronic Signature

IMPORTANT: Make sure your e-signature resembles the graphic above. It must have your name, the date, and the time.

After You Submit Your Form

I will forward the signed form for the second signature, and if everything is correct, it will be forwarded and submitted to the graduate school. I will update your Canvas submission assignment with either a Complete or Not Complete. For the latter, I will leave a comment as to why the form was rejected. The next email you will get regarding your status is your approval/denial from the graduate school graduation specialist which may take several weeks to months to complete.

Transfer Credits

If you have already taken some classes towards an MS in Computer Science from an accredited university or institute, up to four courses or twelve credit hours (whichever is lower) may be transferred to use towards your MSCS degree. However, these courses must be approved by your advisor (typically me) and will be documented on your MS candidacy form.

Only courses that are close to the courses you need to take for your concentration can be transferred. For example, an industrial engineering class cannot be transferred since it doesn't closely resemble any of the courses you need for your master's degree. The close enough will be judged by your advisor. This is why a syllabus and typical topics are important when making the decision on whether to accept a transfer course, or not.

Transfer Restrictions

The following restrictions apply (from the graduate catalog). The course you wish to transfer must...

  • Be taken for graduate credit.
  • Be a course transcribed for graduate credit and in which the student earned at least a grade of B.
  • Not have been used for a previous degree.
  • Be approved by the student’s graduate committee and the Dean of the Graduate School on the Admission to Candidacy form.
  • The equivalent course has not been attempted at UT.
  • The course(s) must have been taken within six years prior to receiving your online MSCS degree.

NOTE: Courses transferred to any graduate program will not affect the minimum residence requirements for the program, nor will they be included in calculating the student’s UT grade point average.

Documenting Transferred Courses

NOTE: If you plan on transferring courses from another school, please include the following in your email to me. You will also add the classes you want to transfer on your admission to candidacy form at the bottom after you list all of your UT courses. There's a section for transfer courses.

  1. The syllabus of each and every course you plan on transferring.
  2. The online MSCS degree course you plan on substituting for your transferred course.
  3. A copy of the transcript for which you took the course.
    • The transcript must clearly show the grade you received for the course.
    • The transcript's course number and year must clearly match the syllabus.
  4. State plainly and clearly your certification that the course(s) you plan on transferring was not used for any other conferred degree.
    • WARNING: All we can do as a department is determine if an external course covers the same topics as one of ours. If you attest to not using the course towards another degree, you will be responsible for: (1) the truth of that statement and (2) proving that statement if the graduate school requests clarification.

Commencement Ceremony

The commencement ceremony is the graduation ceremony. This is only offered after the fall and spring semesters. Summer graduates may attend either the preceding spring or succeeding fall semester's ceremony. For frequently asked questions, please visit: Graduation FAQ.

The ceremony is NOT coordinated with the department, and the graduation application does NOT automatically register a student for the commencement ceremony. Instead, students interested in attending the ceremony must register at https://commencement.utk.edu.

Questions about commencement must be directed to commencement@utk.edu.

Course Offerings

Register for classes at https://onestop.utk.edu/class-registration/add/.
Registrar calendars can be found at the registrar's office: https://registrar.utk.edu.

Course Schedules

Course schedules can be found here: Online MSCS Course Schedules

Course Information

Course information for some offerings can be found here: Online MSCS Course Information (Login w/ UT ID)

Registration Requirements

Students are required to register for at least one (1) course in the fall or spring semesters. Students are not required to register for courses in the summer.

Should a student not be registered for any courses in the fall or spring semesters, he or she will be considered withdrawn from the program and will require a readmission.

See https://gradschool.utk.edu/admissions/applying-to-graduate-school/readmission/ for information about readmission.

Repeating a Course

Students who earn below a C who wish to repeat a course must apply to repeat. Applications are processed by the graduate school. See https://gradschool.utk.edu/academics/forms-central/permission-to-repeat-a-graduate-course/

The form must be e-signed just like the admission to candidacy form.

Concentrations

Each concentration requires you take two (2) core courses, at least four (4) focused courses, and several electives for a total of 10 courses. Students may count any additional focused course as an elective.

We recommend that new students take no more than two courses in their admitted semester. Then, as the student becomes accustomed to the format and courses, they could take additional courses.

Students must earn a cumulative 3.0 GPA out of 4.0 to remain in the program. When a student dips below 3.0, he or she will be placed on academic probation. Students who are on probation for too long may be removed from the program.

Students who earn a D or F in a graduate class will not have that class count towards the degree program. The student may apply to retake the course. Students may only retake up to two graduate courses in the program.

Cybersecurity

Core (must take both)

COSC530: Computer Systems Organization
COSC566: Software Security

Focused (must take a minimum of 4)

COSC533: Cloud and Web Architectures
COSC534: Network Security
COSC559: Human-Computer Interaction
COSC561: Compilers Construction
COSC569: Human Factors in Cybersecurity
COSC583: Applied Cryptography
ECE553: Computer Networks

Electives

COSC522: Machine Learning
COSC523: Artificial Intelligence
COSC524: Natural Language Processing
COSC525: Deep Learning
COSC526: Data Engineering
COSC540: Advanced Software Engineering
COSC545: Fundamentals of Digital Archeology
COSC565: Databases and Scripting Languages
COSC581: Algorithms
ECE517: Reinforcement Learning

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

The DMIS concentration has been renamed to AIML starting with fall 2026 admits to better align its name with the core courses. Students currently in the DMIS concentration will remain in the DMIS concentration.

Data Mining and Intelligent Systems

Core (must take both)

COSC522: Machine Learning
COSC523: Artificial Intelligence

Focused (must take a minimum of 4)

COSC524: Natural Language Processing
COSC525: Deep Learning
COSC526: Data Engineering
COSC530: Computer Systems Organization
COSC533: Cloud and Web Architectures
COSC545: Fundamentals of Digital Archeology
ECE517: Reinforcement Learning
ECE553: Computer Networks

Electives

COSC534: Network Security
COSC540: Advanced Software Engineering
COSC559: Human-Computer Interaction
COSC561: Compilers Construction
COSC565: Databases and Scripting Languages
COSC566: Software Security
COSC569: Human Factors in Cybersecurity
COSC581: Algorithms
COSC583: Applied Cryptography

Software Engineering

Core (must take both)

COSC540: Advanced Software Engineering
COSC581: Algorithms

Focused (must take a minimum of 4)

COSC526: Data Engineering
COSC530: Computer Systems Organization
COSC533: Cloud and Web Architectures
COSC545: Fundamentals of Digital Archeology
COSC559: Human-Computer Interaction
COSC561: Compilers Construction
COSC565: Databases and Scripting Languages

Electives

COSC522: Machine Learning
COSC523: Artificial Intelligence
COSC524: Natural Language Processing
COSC525: Deep Learning
COSC534: Network Security
COSC566: Software Security
COSC569: Human Factors in Cybersecurity
COSC583: Applied Cryptography
ECE517: Reinforcement Learning
ECE553: Computer Networks