Graduate programs

The PHDINF program will prepare you to work in the transformative “fourth paradigm” of science and engineering, an interdisciplinary field relying on big data and advanced software, hardware, and statistics skills. After a streamlined, five-year plan of study, you’ll be ready for leadership roles in industry and government research labs, as a faculty member or research scientist in academia, or as an entrepreneur in cutting-edge informatics application areas.

As a graduate, you will make contributions to exciting projects that address critical areas of national need in these areas: bioinformatics, population health and health informatics, environmental sustainability, ecology and ecoinformatics, software engineering, wearable computing, cyber-physical systems, and cybersecurity. Your research and education will be strengthened through broad collaborations with a variety of academic, government, and private entities in Northern Arizona.

Requirements

We accept students from broad formal educational backgrounds, including computer science, electrical engineering, statistics, biology, and ecology. No matter their background, all students must possess sufficient mastery of key foundational areas in order to meaningfully engage in, and contribute to, original research. These areas include programming, data structures, software development methods, and statistics. Program faculty may require that students admitted into the program correct any deficiencies in these areas by enrolling in additional undergraduate or graduate courses.

To successfully complete the program, students must also complete a series of examinations.

The catalog description for the PHDINF program offers detailed requirements for the degree program.

Admission

This program only admits students in the fall term of each year. The deadline for applying for fall admission is January 15.

The MSECS degree is a research- and thesis-based program that focuses on the application of computer science to advanced sustainability and engineering design.

Graduates with this degree possess advanced expertise and are well-qualified to work in software development organizations, particularly in applications relating to sustainability, data mining, and software design. This degree also provides research experience and a strong foundation for further graduate study in a Ph.D. program. Students who are not planning on further graduate study may also be interested in the non-thesis MEngCS program.

Requirements

We accept students from a broad range of educational backgrounds, but all students are expected to possess mastery of key foundational computer science areas. If a student’s bachelor degree is not in Computer Science, there are additional course requirements that must be completed before a student is admitted.

The catalog description for the MSECS program offers detailed requirements for the degree program.

Admission

This program admits students for both fall and spring terms. The deadline for spring admission is September 15; the deadline for fall admission is March 14.

The MSEEE degree is a research- and thesis-based program focused on the application of electrical engineering to sustainable systems and advanced engineering design.

Graduates with this degree possess advanced expertise and are well-qualified to work as leaders in sustainable design, research labs, and entrepreneurial organizations. This degree also provides research experience and a strong foundation for further graduate study in an electrical engineering PhD program. Students who are not planning on further graduate study may also be interested in the non-thesis MEngEE program.

Requirements

We accept students from a broad range of educational backgrounds, but all students are expected to possess mastery of key foundational electrical engineering areas. If a student’s bachelor degree is not in Electrical Engineering, there are additional course requirements that must be completed before a student is admitted.

The catalog description for the MSEEE program offers detailed requirements for the degree program.

Admission

This program admits students for both fall and spring terms. The deadline for spring admission is September 15; the deadline for fall admission is March 14.

The MEngCS degree is a non-thesis program that focuses on building advanced computer science expertise through a project-based experience.

Graduates with this degree possess advanced expertise and are well-qualified to be a leader in a variety of software development organizations. Students who are planning on further graduate study in a PhD program may be interested in the thesis-based MSECS program.

Requirements

We accept students from a broad range of educational backgrounds, but all students are expected to possess mastery of key foundational computer science areas. If a student’s bachelor degree is not in Computer Science, there are additional course requirements that must be completed before a student is admitted.

The catalog description for the MEngCS program offers detailed requirements for the degree program.

Admission

This program admits students for both fall and spring terms. The deadline for spring admission is September 15; the deadline for fall admission is March 14.

The MEngEE degree is a non-thesis program that focuses on developing advanced electrical engineering expertise through a project-based experience.

Graduates with this degree possess advanced expertise and are well-qualified to work in various electrical engineering applications. Students who are planning on further graduate study in a PhD program may be interested in the thesis-based MSE EE program.

Requirements

We accept students from a broad range of educational backgrounds, but all students are expected to possess mastery of key foundational electrical engineering areas. If a student’s bachelor degree is not in Electrical Engineering, there are additional course requirements that must be completed before a student is admitted.

The catalog description for the MEngEE program offers detailed requirements for the degree program.

Admission

This program admits students for both fall and spring terms. The deadline for spring admission is September 15; the deadline for fall admission is March 14.

• Conditional admission to the Accelerated Bachelor/Master’s Program may be granted to either freshmen, transfer students, or continuing students that meet the requirements. Conditional admission will be discontinued once you earn a BSCS or BSE degree while maintaining performance levels required.
• Submit an application for the Accelerated Bachelor/Master’s Program as a freshman, transfer student, or once you have completed 60 semester hours with at least a 3.25 GPA in 24 hours completed at NAU, and at least a GPA of 3.5 in 12 hours of NAU major-prefix courses (CS for BSCS, EE for BSE). You must apply and be admitted before you take any of the credits that will be used for both degrees. You will maintain undergraduate status (for tuition and financial aid purposes) even while taking graduate classes until you receive your BSCS/BSE degree. Students admitted conditionally must have an overall NAU GPA of 3.25 and a 3.50 GPA in their major prefix coursework at their BSCS graduation. Students are ineligible to continue in the accelerated program if their overall NAU GPA drops below 3.0 at any time or if they fail to demonstrate adequate progress as defined by the academic program.
• Students admitted into the accelerated program will sign an agreement, a copy of which is forwarded to the Graduate College. The Graduate College will seek confirmation from students of their intent to continue after they accumulate at least 90 credits. A student may withdraw from the accelerated program by informing the academic program in writing, with a copy to the Graduate College.
• Students must submit an undergraduate application for graduation (BSCS/BSE) during the term before their expected graduation (which must be at least one semester prior to your MSE/MEng graduation). Upon posting of your BSCS/BSE degree, you will be granted full graduate status and will be eligible for graduate assistantships and other graduate financial awards.
• A minimum of 120 units are required for a BSCS degree, 127 units are required for a BSE degree, and 30 units for the master’s degree. Up to 6 units can apply to both degrees.
• All required coursework for the bachelor’s degrees must be completed with a grade of C or higher. For the BSCS degree, one D is allowed in CS electives or technical elective coursework. For the BSE degree, two D’s are allowed in elective coursework. Any coursework credited to both bachelor’s and master’s degrees must be completed with a grade of B or higher.
• The master’s degree allows for up to 6 units to be a combination of 400-level or individualized study (either 685 – Graduate Research or 697 – Independent Study).
• Your six undergraduate major electives that will be counted for both degrees must be at the 400- or 500-level and must be approved by your graduate committee; for co-convened classes that count for both degrees, you must take the 500-level option.

For more information, see NAU’s policy on accelerated programs.