MS CMPE Frequently Asked Questions

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1. Have degree(s) equivalent to a four-year U.S. undergraduate baccalaureate degree.
2. Have academic degrees in computer related fields including Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Computer Science.
3. An applicant without a US baccalaureate degree must pass the TOEFL or equivalent exam. For the latest information regarding English-Language Proficiency Exam Requirements, please refer to http://www.sjsu.edu/gape/prospective_students/test_requirements/index.htm#toefl.
4. B (3.0) or better GPA.
5. The General Test GRE is required if an applicant does not have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited university in the United States.
6. For the GRE test, there are no hard cut-offs. We use the scores to compare and rank candidates.

No. Academic and professional references are not required.

visit http://www.sjsu.edu/gape/

Online application may be obtained from the following link:http://www.sjsu.edu/gape/

The MS in CMPE program has an expedited admissions process for applicants from India, and can evaluate an application for admission (and the necessary I-20) as soon as the 7th semester mark-sheet is available.

Applications are submitted using the graduate admissions selection at CSUmentor.org. The following are some hints for filling in the application pages. (1) Page 1: Applicants should select Engineering-Computer Engineering (MS) as the Major/Program Objective. (2) Test Scores: GRE and TOEFL test scores should be routed to San Jose State University, code=4687. No department code is required.

Yes. But your application will not be processed by the evaluator until SJSU Graduate Studies and Research Office receives your official GRE scores.

You should submit your GRE scores before Documentation Deadline.

In general, CMPE Department does not offer any of the above to new students.

A student who has been admitted to another SJSU graduate program can apply to transfer to the MS in CMPE program before the beginning of the second semester at SJSU. The student must submit a Change of Major Form to SJSU Graduate Studies and Research office. Transfer students have the same admission requirements as new applicants.

A new graduate student has to take at least one course during his/her first semester at SJSU. Otherwise, the student forfeits the admission to current semester and has to re-apply to SJSU. By notifying SJSU Graduate Studies and Research office, you might not have to resubmit all required documents. However, SJSU has closed Spring 2010 admission. Thus, it is not feasible to roll over your admission to next semester.

You have to submit all pending documents in the original form, not softcopy.

It is not required. However, attending the new student orientation session is required. The Program Coordinator/Advisor will email you information regarding the new student orientation session.

Almost all single-section CMPE graduate courses are offered after 6:00 p.m.

You have to submit a Change of Major Request form to the Graduate Admissions and Program Evaluations (GAPE) office after the 6th week of the first semester. An evaluation of the request will be conducted by the Graduate Advisor after receiving the request form from GAPE. The Graduate Advisor will not provide a Program of Study for a non-MSCMPE student. Transferrable courses will be evaluated after the student successfully transfers to MS in CMPE program

Graduate assistantships are competitive, and are awarded based on the student's qualifications and fit to particular tasks. We do not award assistantships at the time of admission. We generally recommend that students do NOT distract themselves by taking on duties beyond their studies the first term. Generally, the tuition and fees are very low at our university, we had invested in lower costs for all students rather than charging high fees and only providing some students with the lower cost.

The MS degree in Computer Engineering requires a minimum of 30 units of graduate-level course work plus the completion of the Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR).

For students entered the program before Fall 2009, the degree requires (1) 6 units of degree core courses,(2) minimum 9 units of specialization core courses, (3) minimum 9 units of technical electives, (4) 6 units of project, 6 units of thesis, or 1 unit of comprehensive exam, and (5) Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement.

For students entered the program in or after Fall 2009, the degree requires (1) 9 units of degree core courses,(2) minimum 9 units of specialization core courses, (3) minimum 6 units of technical electives, (4) 6 units of project, 6 units of thesis, or 1 unit of comprehensive exam, and (5) Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement.

A student must take at least three courses from one of the four specializations: System Design, Network Systems, Embedded Systems, and Secure Systems.

A student must declare a specialization during the first week of taking CMPE 295A or CMPE 299A

Besides taking three courses form the specialization, each student must take two technical electives. An elective can be any CMPE graduate course except CMPE 270, 271, 298*, and 298I. CMPE 297 courses can be electives.

A student can take at most two electives from other departments. A student must submit an official request and receive a documented approval from the graduate advisor before taking a course from another department; otherwise the course will not be counted toward to the student’s degree program.

*A student electing the Course-Only plan can use of 2 units of CMPE 298 as electives toward the degree.

It is highly recommended that you take elective courses after (1) completing all admission conditions, (2) two degree core courses, and (3) two specialization core courses.

You should consult with your Program Advisor, Dr. Su, for your overall program of study. Dr. Su will direct you to the appropriate program advisors for comprehensive advising.

With the approval of the Program Director, you may transfer at most 6-unit OU courses. However, none of the courses taken during or after you submit the admission application can be transferred.

A thesis has a more rigid requirements of contents and reporting style. A project-track student must enroll in CMPE 295A and CMPE 295B in two consecutive semesters A thesis-track student must enroll in CMPE 299A and CMPE 299B in two consecuive semesters. Summer enrollments are optional.

Your project/thesis topic must be closely related to your specialization. Your advisor must be an SJSU instructor with expertise in the area of your specialization.

1. Completed all admission conditions and in good standing
2. Completed at least two core courses*
3. Completed at least two specialization core courses*
4. File a candidacy form by the 2nd class session
5. Acquire the approval of candidacy form by the 4th class session
6. Have a minimum 3.0 overall SJSU graduate course GPA (CMPE and pre-approved courses)
7. Have a minimum 3.0 overall GPA of all grades received for the courses listed on the Candidacy Form (except writing course)
8. Completed graduate writing assessment requirement (GWAR) or taking CMPE 294 concurrently

• All degree core courses, all specialization core courses, and GWAR must be completed before or together with CMPE 295A or CMPE 299A.

1. Admission to Candidacy of Master Degree (with satisfied writing requirement)
2. Satisfactorily completed CMPE 295A or CMPE 299A
3. Satisfactorily completed all three program core courses
4. Satisfactorily completed all three specialization core courses
5. Current overall SJSU GPA is equal or greater than 3,0
6. Current overall Candidacy Form GPA, except writing classes, is equal or greater than 3.0

The completion of GWAR (e.g., receiving a passing grade of CMPE 294 or ENGR 200W) is required to obtain a passing grade of CMPE 295A or CMPE 299A. At the end of the semester, a student has not completed GWAR will received a failing CMPE 295A or CMPE 295B grade and must enroll in CMPE 295A or CMPE 299A again and restart the project or thesis.

A student receives a CR (Credit), NC (No Credit), or RP (Report in Progress) grade.

A student receives a RP grade if

1. the project scope changes, or
2. the student encounters documented, unforeseen circumstances that would satisfy the requirements for a grade of “I” in a letter-graded course.

A RP grade can be changed to CR for the following cases.

1. A student satisfactorily completes course requirements within one calendar month from the last day of instruction. (The student doesn’t have to enroll the same course in the following semester.)
2. A student reenrolls in the course in the following semester and satisfactorily completes the course requirements. (This process may be repeated for subsequent semesters up to the limit provided by the university catalog.)*
3. A student satisfactorily completes course requirements as per a completion contract between the faculty member, the student and the chair (or designate).

*A student can claim only one CMPE 295A and one CMPE 295B in the Petition for Advancement to Graduate Candidacy form.

Prior to Spring 2010, a student who get “I” in 295(A/B) should enroll into 298. From Spring 2010, RD is used to replace “I”. A student received an RP must complete an RP Grade Contract and follow the policy described in the contract.

The exam will be given twice a year, once in fall semester and once in spring semester. The exam will be held at least one week before the last day of instruction. The time and place will be announced one week after the last day to add.

A student must meet the prerequisites of CMPE 295A in order to take the exam, During the second week of the “taking exam” semester, a student must submit a Candidacy form to the respective program coordinator to indicate the degree program plan. To take the exam, a student is required to enroll in a designated CMPE 298 section.

The exam is 2-hour long. No books or other assistive devices are allowed, except, if it is necessary, a pre-approved calculator may be allowed during the exam. A student must answer five questions: one question from each of the three degree core courses and two from two selected specialization courses.

For each specialization, questions from more than two specialization courses might be given. A student must answer two questions from two different specialization courses.

Questions will be given for the following degree core courses

MSCMPE: CMPE 200, 220, and 240
MSSE: CMPE 202, 203, and 272.

Questions will be given for the following specialization courses

Systems Design: CMPE 212, 264
Embedded Systems: CMPE 242, 244, 245, 262, 265
Network systems: CMPE 206, 207, 208, 209
Enterprise Software Technologies: CMPE 273, 275
Software Systems Engineering: CMPE 285, 287 
Networking Software: CMPE 206, 207
Cloud Computing: CMPE 281, 283

A student passes the exam if (a) the average of the scores from five courses is at least 70% and (b) at most one of the scores is less than 70%. CMPE 298 grades will be posted on MySJSU to indicate the exam results. After failing an exam, a student may repeat the exam as long as the maximum time allowed for degree completion has not been exceeded.

A student selected Course-Only Plan can apply to include a 2-unit CMPE 298 course (CMPE 298 Section 2) in the degree program.

GWAR stands for Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement and it is a degree requirement for all SJSU graduate students. You can meet GWAR in one of the following ways:

1. Complete CMPE 294
2. Met writing requirement as an undergraduate at a California State University (e.g., ENGR 100W at SJSU)
3. Sole author in professional publication - requires approval by AVP Graduate Studies and Research
4. Completed technical writing course at another university - requires approval by COE Technical Communications Director and AVP Graduate Studies and Research
5. Scored very high on Writing Skill Test (WST)

However, most Computer Engineering Department students meet GWAR by taking CMPE 294.

A student can enroll in CMPE 294 regardless of the student’s WST score. CMPE 294 offers an Entry Writing Test (EWT) for students who has not passed (including who has not taken) WST. EWT will be given only at the first class of each CMPE 294 section. A student who has not passed (including who has not taken) EST must take CMPE 294 and ENGR 90W concurrently. A passing grade of ENGR 90W is required to obtain a passing CMPE 294 grade. Questions about EWT and ENGR 90W should be directed to Professor Vicki Perry.

WST stands for Writing Skill Test. A high WST score allows you to be waived the CMPE 294 requirement. A passing WST score allows you to be waived the writing evaluation test at the beginning of CMPE 294.

Passing the WST is not required. However, a student without a passing WST grade has to complete an evaluation test in CMPE 294, and may have to enroll in a tutoring course if the evaluation indicates a need.

Passing WST with a particularly good grade will waive the CMPE 294 requirement altogether.

Take it concurrently with CMPE 295A or any time before taking CMPE 295A. Due to the severe consequence of failing CMPE 294, it is prudent for you to take CMPE 294 before CMPE 295A.

Go to http://my.sjsu.edu/students/

If you cannot access the system, contact cmshelp@sjsu.edu. If you have problems seeing the correct screen or problems with incorrect IDs, contact erecords@sjsu.edu

In general, you should follow the study sequence shown below:

1. admission condition courses,
2. degree core courses - CMPE 200, CMPE 220, (CMPE 240 for Fall 2009 and after)
3. specialization core courses
4. graduate writing requirements (CMPE 294)
5. technical electives
6. master projects (CMPE 295A, 295B) or thesis (CMPE 299A, 299B)

Due to scheduling constraints, you might deviate from the above sequence. For example, you can take 2 degree core and 1 specialization core courses during the same semester.

Except CMPE 200 and 220, the instructor, not graduate advisor, makes decisions. If you believe you have sufficient background to take the class, you can enroll in the class and then request the instructor's consent. If the instructor denies your request, you must drop the class during the first two weeks of the semester. Graduate advisor enforces the prerequisites of CMPE 200 and 220 without exceptions.

A student can’t take CMPE 200 if one or CMPE 124, 127, and 180-90 admission conditions is not satisfied. A student can’t take CMPE 220 if one of CMPE 126, 142, 180-42, and 180-92 admission conditions is not satisfied. All CMPE 124, 127 and 180-90 conditions can be satisfied by passing the scheduled Digital Design Test. Both CMPE 126 and 180-92 conditions can be satisfied by passing passing the scheduled Object-Oriented Programming Test. Both CMPE 142 and 180-42 conditions can be satisfied by passing the scheduled Operating Systems Design Test.

No. They cannot count towards the minimal requirements for an MS degree.

No. C is a passing grade for a graduate course (but C- is not). You have to maintain at or higher than 3.0 overall GPA in order to avoid probation.

If a student's overall GPA is not below 3.0, a pre-registration advising is not necessary. The student just follows the sequence describe above. A student with an overall GPA below 3.0 must seek the advise from the program Director/Coordinator before enrolling in any class. For an overall GPA below 3.0 student, any course taken without the program Director/Coordinator's prior written permission will not be counted towards the student's degree program. The student must keep all written permissions in order to complete the “Graduation Candidacy Form” when the student takes CMPE 295A.

Register on-line (my.sjsu.edu), but pay attention to fee payment deadlines. Since graduate students can’t enroll in undergraduate courses directly, you have to request permit codes to CMPE 101 and 180 from the department office (see Q605). After the add class deadline, you can request a permission code from the instructor to add to the class.

A new graduate student has to take at least one course during his/her first semester at SJSU. Otherwise, the student forfeits the admission to current semester and has to re-apply to SJSU. After the first semester, a student must file a Leave of Absence form for not taking any course during a semester.

It is not required to file a POS. A POS will be established for special events such as CPT, on-probation, etc.

There is no maximum load limit. In general, a student should not take more than 9 units of graduate courses.

A newly admitted student must take at least one class in the first semester in order to keep the student status. A student will lose his/her active status if the student does not take any class for two consecutive semesters. Students must file a Leave of Absence Form prior to the first semester of leave to avoid losing active status while on leave. Otherwise, the student must reapply to the university to regain active status

Full load (9 units) per semester is required. If a student takes less than 9 units of a semester, the student must file a Reduced Load Request during the first week of the semester. The approval of a request is based on the student’s specific situation such as “the last semester”, etc. The student must go to the department office to submit a Reduced Course Load” request.

Except for CMPE 200, 220, 294, 295A/B, and 299A/B, the prerequisites of any CMPE graduate (CMPE 2xx) or undergraduate course (CMPE 1xx) can be waived by the course instructor (not the Program Director/Coordinator). A student must attend the first session of a class and present the student’s background to the course instructor in order to obtain a prerequisite waiver

CMPE 298 (Special Problems) is a graduate course with two possible grades - CR (credit) or NC (no credit).

CMPE 298 can be taken for the following purposes:

• CMPE 298 Section 1 is for students electing Course-Only Plan to register for Comprehensive Exam.
• CMPE 298 Section 2 is for students electing Course-Only Plan to register for technical elective toward the minimal requirements of the degree. Students electing Project or Thesis Plans can't use CMPE 298 toward the minimal requirements of the degree. It is a supervised independent study course. Although the course is not conducted in classroom, the independent study must under the supervision of a full-time CMPE Department faculty member. It must have a clearly defined study scope and a written study plan pre-approved by the faculty supervisor, the CMPE Program Graduate Advisor, and the Department Chair.
• CMPE 298 Section 3 is a catch-up course after a student enrolled in CMPE 295A and 295B before Fall 2009 and failed to complete the project in the semester he/she planned to complete. The student must register 3 units of CMPE 298 in the subsequent semester. These units will not be counted toward MS degree.

It is a required course for students engaging in Curriculum Practical Training (CPT) or internship program. The student must register 3 units of CMPE 298I. These units will not be counted toward the minimal requirements for the degree.

CMPE 295A instructors will issue permission codes during the second scheduled class session to students electing Course-Only plan. Other students must go to the department office to complete a CMPE 298 enrollment form.

You have to go to the department office to file a Course Overload Request.

It is counted towards your degree as one or the electives.

Contact Spartan Book Store.

Go to the first day of class and ask your instructor for the permit code.

You can take a class as a provisional student. Go to the first day of class and ask the instructor for the permit code.

You should complete all admission conditions as soon as possible to avoid the delay of your graduation. A student can’t take CMPE 200 if one of CMPE 124, 127, and 180-90 admission conditions is not satisfied. A student can’t take CMPE 220 if one of CMPE 126, 142, 180-42, and 180-92 admission condition is not satisfied. A student's can't take CMPE 295A before satisfying all admission conditions.

At the beginning of each semester, three subject tests are scheduled for graduate students to satisfy their admission conditions: Digital Design Test, Object-Oriented Programming Test, and Operating Systems Design Test. All CMPE 124, 127 and 180-90 conditions can be satisfied by passing the scheduled Digital Design Test. Both CMPE 126 and 180-92 conditions can be satisfied by passing passing the scheduled Object-Oriented Programming Test. Both CMPE 142 and 180-42 conditions can be satisfied by passing the scheduled Operating Systems Design Test. Please visit engr.sjsu.edu to get the information of the scope, references, time, and location of each test. You must register at this website 7 days before each test. These are closed book and closed note tests. Technical data sheets will be provided if needed. Only pens, pencils, erasers and rulers are allowed to be on the test tables. The questions for all tests can be a combination of multiple choice and problem solving. The Object-Oriented Programming Test includes programming questions. The duration of each test is 2 hours and 15 minutes. Without a proof of medical reason, a student will fail the test if s/he leaves the room during the exam. You must bring a valid ID with a recent photo. There will be no make-up tests for any reason. You can take each CMPE 180 class more than once with the instructor's consent. However, you can take a specific subject test only once.

Passing a graduate course does not waive an admission condition, e.g., passing CMPE 240 does not waive the condition of passing Digital Design Test or CMPE 180-90 course.

All letter-grade courses count towards your GPA, even if they do not count towards the minimal requirements for the MS degree. However, the grading policy of CMPE 180 is credit/no credit. Thus the grades of CMPE 180 sections don't count towards your overall GPA.

You just enroll in CMPE 200 and CMPE 200 classes and receive a B or better grade in each. If you score lower than a B grade, then you have to take the course again until you receive a B or better grade.

No. your status will be changed when you file a Departmental Request for Candidacy and Graduate Degree Program Form when you take CMPE 295A. At that time you have to present a Web printout transcript with the passing grades to the Program Director.

You have to take at least 24-unit courses within the graduate computer program. You can transfer up to 6 semester units form other universities, other SJSU departments, and SJSU undergraduate programs, and/or SJSU Open University.

You can transfer up to 6 semester units from the graduate program of an accredited US university. Your request will be reviewed by the Program Coordinator/Advisor and the Graduate Studies office for approval. You have to indicate the catalog number and title of the SJSU course that you intend to tranfer to. If a course you intend to transfer was taken from a quarter-system institution, you must multiply the credit units of the course by a factor of 0.667. You must submit a request for each course that you intend to transfer to.

You can transfer up to 6 semester units from your undergraduate course work at SJSU (must be credible graduate-level courses and beyond your required undergraduate units). You need to fill out the Request for Award of Graduate Credit for Units Completed as an Undergraduate Form. This form can be obtained from the office of Graduate Studies and Research, and must be approved by the program director/coordinator.

Open University classes are not available to students who intend to apply for a degree program. Requests to transfer open university courses to the MS in Computer Engineering degree program will be denied if an application to the MS in Computer Engineering program was submitted while the course was in progress.

With the approval from the Program Director, you may transfer up to 6 units graduate Open University courses from SJSU. For an open university course to be transferred into a degree program, you need to fill out the Request for Validation of Transfer Graduate Credit Form. This form can be obtained from the office of Graduate Studies and Research, and must be approved by the Program Director and the Graduate Studies office.

No.

It depends on which of the CMPE or SJSU course it is equivalent to.

Off-campus courses can't be used for the on-campus MS in CMPE degree program.

You should submit the following:

1. a petition for Advancement to Candidacy by filing the Departmental Request for Candidacy and Graduate Degree Program Form (Candidacy form in short).
2. an application for award of MS degree by filing the Application for Award of Master’s Degree Form (Degree form in short).
3. your thesis or project final report.

Your Departmental Request for Candidacy and Graduate Degree Program Form ( should be filed when you take CMPE 295A. Roughly, applications for Candidacy and Degree should be submitted 8 months and 4 months respectively, before your graduation; thesis or project reports should be submitted 2 months or 1 month respectively, before your graduation date.

It will be approved by the Graduate Studies and Research (GSR) Office after you complete the Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR). As a practice, you’ll receive a notification from GSR Office to indicate that your Candidacy Form is not approved or not processed if you haven’t completed the GWAR (even if you have satisfied all other requirements). It is not necessary for you to seek advise from the Graduate Advisor. Again, GSR Office will process and approve your Candidacy Form only after you complete CMPE 294 or equivalent.

Go to the department office and file a Course Substitution Request.

A student must satisfy all of the following conditions to be qualified to take CPT/internship: 1. Completed all admission conditions. 2. Overall SJSU GPA 3.0 or better. 3. Satisfactory completion of four CMPE graduate courses including two degree core courses. 4. Enroll in a 3-unit CMPE 298I.

A maximum of two is permitted. A studdent can participate in a CPT in Spring, Summer, or Fall term. A Winter term CPT can be counted as part of a Spring or Fall CPT.

Go to the department office and file a CPT or OPT Request.

If the student's cumulative GPA falls below 3.0. A student with GPA below 3.0 must make an appointment eith the graduate advisor/director immediately.

If the student is on probation and fails to achieve a semester GPA above 3.0.

The Department does not process reinstatement requests in Spring 2010.

A leave of absence can be taken by a student that will allow student to skip one or multiple semesters of enrollment. If a student plans to skip more than one semester, then student must submit a request for leave of absence form for approval.

Go to the department office to file the request. Following is a list of the requests:

1.1 CPT

1.2 OPT

1.3 Reduce course load

1.4 Letter for change of status to F1

2.1 Transfer from other program

2.2 Reinstatement after disqualification

3.1 Establish and update Program of Study

3.2 Take non-CMPE department or program course

3.3 Transfer non-SJSU or Open University course

3.4 Waive a core course

4.1 Waive technical writing requirement

4.2 Take CMPE 298 to extend CMPE 295 and 295B

5.1 Remove advising hold

5.2 Overlapping course registration

5.3 Late Enrollment

7.1 File Candidacy form

7.2 Course substitution

7.3 Apply for graduation

8.1 Leave of absence

8.2 Withdraw from the university

The department office will not process requests to change classification, enroll in a class without prerequisites, update program of study, and late drop.

In general, it takes a week to process a request. Some requests willl take longer. For example, Transfer Non-SJSU Course and Waiving Technical Requirement will not be processed during the summer and winter breaks.

1. The student goes to the department to completes Information Section of Request Form, Checks the student section boxes of Request Form, and Submits all required documents
2. The department office create a Request Folder and issues you a receipt with a Tracking Number and time stamp.
3. Program Director and/or Department Chair process the Request Folder
4. You pick up documents and takes actions per instructions

No. Only if it is required by the department.

There is useful information at the Computer Engineering Department's web site http://www.engr.sjsu.edu/cmpe/. However, the MS in CMPE Yahoo Group updates its contents more frequently.

More complete, accurate, and updated information (such as the exact deadlines and graduation dates, as well as the forms you will need to fill) is available from SJSU's Office of Graduate Studies and Research web site at http://www.sjsu.edu/gape/.

You may send emails to the Graduate Advisor at lee.chang@sjsu.edu for questions that are not on this FAQ. The answer to a common question will be posted on this FAQ. The answer to a unique situaion will be emailed to you.

1. Your question is not on this Website.
2. After submitting a request to the department office, the department requests you to meet with the Program Director and/or the Gradaute Advisor.
3. Your overall GPA is below 3.0.
4. You are on probation.
5. You are disqualified.

You must submit a Request Form with all required documents to the Department Office, not to the Graduate Adviser directly.

Please make appointments through Computer Engineering Department by email (cmpe@email.sjsu.edu) or phone (408.924.4150). Due to large number of inquiries, the Graduate Adviser can only reply to questions that are not addresses on this MSCMPE Website.