Master of Applied Science in
Computer Science
The Program
The MASc in Computer Science is a course-based Masters (full-time) completed over a period of a
16 months or 2 years of full-time study. It is open to students with an undergraduate major in
Computer Science, or the equivalent combination of courses. Students have flexibility to select from
numerous elective courses to design a Master’s program that meets their professional interests and
aspirations. Students will also have the option to complete an elective, project-based course in a
workplace environment or a co-operative education option. The Department also offers a thesis-
based, research-intensive Master’s in Computer Science.
Admission Requirements
Incoming students should have a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent with a major in Computer Science
or related field. A degree in a related field is acceptable if the applicant shows evidence of a
sufficient Computer Science background suitable for entry into the program as determined by the
departmental Graduate Committee. The minimum background is the equivalent of all required
courses of a StFX Major degree in Computer Science:
• Introduction to Programming: An introduction to computers, algorithms and programming.
Topics include problem analysis, algorithm development, data representation, control
structures, arrays, and file manipulation.
• Programming and Data Structures: this course covers memory management and data
abstraction via classes and objects, and introduces the linear data structures lists, stacks, and
queues. Structured programming is encouraged viamodular development.
• Advanced Data Structure: this course provides a deep investigation of foundational data
structures and algorithms. Criteria for selecting appropriate data structures and algorithms
for a given problem are presented. General problem solving is emphasized throughout the
course. Specific topics include stacks, queues, lists, trees, searching, sorting, traversals,
recursion, graphs, hashing, and complexity analysis.
• Computer Organization: this course covers basic computer arithmetic, architectures, and
instruction sets; in-depth study of the central processing unit, memory and input/output
organization; and microprogramming and interfacing.
• Database Management Systems: an introduction to the theory and practice associated with
the design and implementation of databases. Topics include database models (relational
model in detail), design, normalization, transactions, SQL, and a DBMS (Oracle). A project
involving the design and implementation of a database and the creation of an application
with embedded SQL is a key component of the course.
• Discrete Structures: An introduction to sets, binary relations and operations; induction and
recursion; partially ordered sets; simple combinations; truth tables; Boolean algebras and
elementary group theory, with applications to logic networks, trees and languages; binary
coding theory and finite-state machines.
• Operating Systems: an overview of operating systems functions: file management, CPU
scheduling, process management, synchronization, memory management, and deadlock
handling. UNIX will be introduced and used in this course.
• Matrix Algebra and Introduction to Statistics are recommended.
Students who have completed undergraduate programs in related disciplines (e.g. business
information systems) may be eligible for admission. If the applicant is missing some prerequisite
courses, acceptance may still be recommended as long as the student has sufficient CS background.
Alternatively, a student might be required to take qualifying courses at the undergraduate level.
Proof of English language competency is required for applicants whose first language is not English
or whose normal language of instruction has been other than English. The StFX English Language
admission standard requires an IELTS score of 6.5 with no band below 6.
Admission is competitive. The minimum admission average is 70.
Program Structure
To complete the program, students must complete 10-11 courses. Each course is worth the
equivalent of 3 credits, with the exception of Computer Science Graduate Seminar, which is a mandatory
6 credits and taken during the students first Fall semester, and Project, an optional experiential
project-based course, which is also worth 6 credits. This means that to complete the program,
students must complete 1 mandatory course and 9-10 elective courses totaling 36 credits.
The full-time pathways are as follows:
2-year pathway
YEAR 1 YEAR 2
Semester Fall Winter Spring/Summer Fall Winter Spring/Summer
September- January- September- January-
Dates May-August May-August
December April December April
Credits 9 9 - 9 9 -
Total: 36 Credits
Condensed 16-month pathway
YEAR 1 YEAR 2
Semester Fall Winter Spring/Summer Fall Winter Spring/Summer
September- January- September- January-
Dates May-August May-August
December April December April
Credits 9 9 9 9 - -
Total: 36 Credits
Note: Students in both the 2-year and 16-month pathway graduate in May following their last semester
of courses.
Available Courses
Below are the graduate-level courses available to students in the MASc. Not every course is offered
every year. Students will also have the option of completing up to 3 credits of undergraduate courses
(not listed below) or graduate courses outside of Computer Science to count towards their MASc in
Computer Science degree.
1. Real-Time System 3 Credits
2. High Performance Computing 3 Credits
3. Embedded Systems 3 Credits
4. Theory of Computing 3 Credits
5. Representations and Reasoning 3 Credits
6. Specification and Verification 3 Credits
7. Computational Logic 3 Credits
8. Artificial Intelligence 3 Credits
9. Matrix Computation 3 Credits
10. Data Mining and Machine Learning 3 Credits
11. Computer and Network Security 3 Credits
12. Computer Graphics 3 Credits
13. Advanced Database Systems 3 Credits
14. Constraint Processing and Heuristic Search 3 Credits
15. Big Data 3 credits
16. Advanced Data Analytics 3 Credits
17. Mobile Application Design and Development 3 Credits
18. Biomedical Computation 3 Credits
19. Evolutionary Computation 3 Credits
20. Software Engineering 3 Credits
21. Project 6 Credits
22. Computer Science Graduate Seminar 6 Credits
Experiential Learning
One of the cornerstones of this program is the opportunities provided to students to engage in
experiential learning, which will help students build confidence and gain experience in the field prior
to entering the workforce. The program is structured so that real-world problems are embedded
throughout the program (in the Computer Science Graduate Seminar course and throughout the
elective courses). Additionally, students have the opportunity to complete CSCI 591- Project (listed
above). This course provides real-life software development experience working by applying
classroom learning in a real work context. Students work with an industry or academic partner and
develop a computing a solution to a real-world problem. Students are responsible to manage the
project from development to execution to presentation to the client and final review.
