FAQ for new/returning MS students

FAQ for new/returning MS students

Information for new and returning MS students

Welcome new and returning graduate students!  Please read these frequently asked questions and answers.  Hoping you find this information helpful.

Please note:  You should read ALL of these FAQs before you reach out to anyone in the Computer Science department.  Why?  The CS graduate programs have a very large enrollment.  Often the answers you seek can be found below.  By using this page, you can help your fellow graduate students, because answering the same frequently asked questions to a large number of students will slow down any inqueries or processes.  

Due to the large volume of students, immediate answers should not be expected.  However, please know that we value you. Your issues/questions will all be addressed (although perhaps not as quickly as you would like).  Thus we truly appreciate your patience and your review of these answers below.

FAQs (frequently asked questions)

How can I receive a teaching or research fellowship?

Fellowship opportunities are a great way to manage the cost of your graduate degree.  However, such fellowship opportunities are extremely limited.

Thus these positions rarely, if ever, are awarded to incoming students in their first semester with Rowan.  The number of requests for such positions are very high.  It is very competitive to land such a position.

What to do if you are interested and are a brand new student?

Please do not send emails to professors asking them to take you on as a research fellow or teaching fellow.  Also, please do not try to join a research lab before we have gotten to know you, and you have gotten to know Rowan.

The best way to secure such an arrangement in your second semester with us is to do the following:

  • Do extremely well in your first semester classes.  Impress us!

  • Establish a good relationship with one or more of your professors in your first semester.  Having faculty truly know you and your capabilities is the best way to land one of these rare opportunities.

It is also important to note that research faculty need to maintain small and manageable research teams.  Doing graduate level research, while a great opportunity, will not be available to most graduate students. Also the MS in Cybersecurity has no opportunites for research.

How do I get a schedule of my courses?
Incoming graduate students are assigned courses for their first semester.  No student should be worried that they are not yet enrolled, because the CS department will make absolutely sure that all incoming students are registered for three classes that are needed for their program.

You need to take no action on your own.

All of the scheduling work will be done for you by CS Grad Advising (CSGradadvising@rowan.edu).

Which courses will I be scheduled into?
Depending on your graduate program (MS Computer Science, MS Data Science, MS Cybersecurity), you will be scheduled for the standard courses that you need.  You should check out the Standard Schedules.  Even if the customary first semester courses are filled, you will be placed into alternative courses that work for your degree.
I don't like my schedule. How can I change it?

The CS graduate programs are very large.  Therefore, there is limited flexibility.  We need to guarantee that our sections are relatively full, and that enrollment is distributed across multiple sections.

This means that you might not be placed into your preferred time slot.  You might also not be placed with your first choice of professor.  You might not be placed into the courses you most want.

In terms of the actual courses, please see the previous question (Which courses will I be scheduled into?)

Given the volumes of students, Rowan CS will place you for your first semester.  You will have the opportunity in future semesters to enroll yourself.  Registration for your next semester will be opened for approximately one month.  After that time, registration will be closed and if you have not registered for your second or third semesters, you will need CS Graduate Advising to place you.  Therefore, you are strongly encouraged to register for subsequent semesters as soon as registration opens.

If there are true and critical concerns about the timing of your courses, these might be addressed but only in the most extreme circumstances.  Adjustments to your scheduled courses cannot occur until right the semester begins.  We urge all incoming students to abide by their predetermined schedule.  

Here are a few reasons that will NOT result in any adjustments:

  • I don't like classes in the morning.
  • I don't like classes in the evening.
  • I want to be in the same section as a friend of mine.
  • I prefer a different professor.
  • I don't want classes on a particular day.
The courses I want are all filled! (What is "zero-capping"?)

While it might appear that all the CS graduate sections are all filled, this is most likely not the case.  Enrollment for upcoming semesters usually happens early in the previous semester.  (Please check the schedules posted at the Registrar's site - https://sites.rowan.edu/registrar/registration-information/registration-dates.html)

Registration is only open for 4 weeks.  So it is important to register early.  After the first four weeks, all CS graduate sections are "zero-capped."  This means that the maximum enrollment is set to zero, giving the appearance that there are no seats left. 

However, this does not necessarily mean that there are no seats remaining.  It only means that students can no longer register, but CS Graduate Advising can still register students.

Typically face to face graduate courses admit a maximum of 30 students, whereas online graduate courses admit a maximum of 35 students.  Some graduate sections are coded as "double sections", which means that approximately 65 students may be admitted.  Other graduate sections are coded as "triple sections", which means that approximately 90-100 students may be admitted.  Your CS Graduate Advisor knows which sections are double or triple.  

Under no circumstances can a section hold more students than the room capacity due to Fire Code regulations.  Section Tally will show you the absolute room capacity in the very last column labeled "Room Cap."

Again, only CS Graduate Advising can add students to sections after the enrollment is closed.  Please do not contact the instructors directly.

Is the Graduate Seminar a required course?
For all students entering any Master's Degree in Computer Science (Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or Data Science) on or after Fall 2024, the 1 credit Graduate Seminar course CS 00500 is required.  Students must take this in their first semester matriculating in their graduate program.
When will I be scheduled?

We understand how excited you are to begin studies at Rowan.  We are also excited to welcome you to our programs.  But please remember that our department has more graduate students than any other department.  This means that it will take time for your schedule to be prepared.

While there are no expectations of how quickly your schedule will be ready, typically you can expect a full schedule within three weeks of your acceptance.  Please do not continually request updates.  Responding to such requests only slows down the normal processing of everyone's schedules.  Furthermore, please do not email the professors of the courses who have NO control over enrollment.

See the next question "Who should I be in contact with?"

Who should I be in contact with?

Frequently incoming students feel that many people should be copied on communications or that a message should be separately sent to as many people as possible.

This is understandable for students eager to get their questions answered immediately.

However, such practices often have the opposite effect.  When many people are working on the same exact question, it causes duplication and confusion here at Rowan.  And this only slows down the processes for everyone.

Sending your questions to the right people and only the right people will result in faster, more accurate answers.

So exactly who should I be addressing?

For international students only, the International Center (rowanIC@rowan.edu) is the only office who can help you with the following types of questions/issues:

  • Visa issues
  • I-20 issues
  • SEVIS issues
  • CPT and OPT questions
  • Permissions to work in the United States
  • Permissions to travel outside of the United States once at Rowan

For international students only, International Admissions (international@rowan.edu) should handle the following questions/issues:

  • Status of your application
  • Incomplete items on the admissions checklist
  • Transcript-related items
  • Change of program of study / Application to a different Rowan program

The Bursar's Office (bursar@rowan.edu) handles all issues related to tuition and payment.

The CS Graduate Advising Office (CSGradadvising@rowan.edu) should be contacted for the following:

  • Questions/concerns about your schedule (please see the questions above)
  • Details about your selected Program of Study.  This could include the Program Guides, course descriptions, etc.

Your Program Coordinator will vary depending on your program of study.  For the PhD in Data Science, your coordinator is Dr. Ho (hos@rowan.edu).  For the MS in Data Science, your coordinator is Professor Myers (myersjac@rowanedu).  For the MS in Computer Science, your coordinator is Dr. Ho (hos@rowan.edu).  For the MS in Cybersecurity, your coordinator is Professor Stinchcombe (stinchcombe@rowan.edu).  The following questions should be addressed to your coordinator:

  • Transferring graduate courses from another institution into Rowan's program
  • Questions regarding research and fellowships
Can I switch my graduate program?
Switching graduate programs within the Computer Science department, once the student is accepted and the student registers for the program, is possible.  However certain rules apply and the change may or may not require a new registration application and new registration fees.  Please refer to the relevant CS Graduate Policy on this page.
As a new student, what are my next steps? What should I do now?