Graduate programs

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Contact the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems

Graduate Student Information

Graduate students in the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems are key contributors to our research and instructional missions, and get to enjoy the beauty of northern Arizona.

While each student’s experience is unique, most graduate students engage with course-based learning opportunities (particularly non-thesis master’s students) and hands-on research projects. Graduate students have the flexibility to customize their program of study by selecting courses from within the focus areas of Computer Science and Software Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Eco- and Bioinformatics. In addition to these regular offerings, our faculty also routinely offer specialized seminars, providing students with learning opportunities in cutting-edge areas and state-of-the-art expertise.

Students in the Ecological and Environmental Informatics emphasis are also eligible to apply for the prestigious National Science Foundation-funded .

Doctorate

At the doctoral level, we offer an interdisciplinary PhD program in Informatics and Computing, with emphases in Cyber and Software Systems, Ecological and Environmental Informatics, or Health and Bioinformatics.

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.

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.

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 1.

Master

At the master level, we offer three degrees: The Master of Science in Computer Science (MSCS), Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE), and Master of Science in Informatics (MSINF). Each of these degree programs offers both a thesis or non-thesis option.

The MSCS degree program prepares graduates for careers in a wide variety of areas in the application of computer science to science, engineering, industry, and business. The non-thesis option of this program allows students to complete their degree through coursework and project-based learning, while the thesis option is focused on engagement with research projects under the mentorship of a faculty member and culminating in the preparation and defense of a thesis. The thesis option of the program is particularly appropriate for preparing graduates to subsequently enter doctoral programs of study.

Common types of software applications include advanced simulations, data analysis using Big Data, search and data mining, cloud-based systems, user interfaces, mobile application development, computer graphics and game development, high-performance parallel applications, and database design and applications. Computer scientists are employed in a large number of organizations, with Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Dell, Oracle, Amazon, Google, General Dynamics, Boeing, and Raytheon among the largest employers. Other more specialized organizations include National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and one of the National Laboratories (e.g. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory or Los Alamos National Laboratory).

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. Provisionally admitted students who have not earned a bachelor degree in Computer Science must first earn a B or better in CS126/L (Computer Science I), CS136/L (Computer Science II), CS249 (Data Structures), MAT136 (Calculus I), MAT137 (Calculus II), and either STA270 (Applied Statistics) or CENE225 (Engineering Analysis) before taking graduate-level computer science courses. Some faculty advisors may also require that students complete CS396 (Principles of Languages) and CS421 (Algorithms). Applicants may petition the ��Ƶ Director for Research and Graduate Programs to determine if equivalent coursework from other institutions or extensive work experience satisfy these requirements.

The catalog description for the MSCS 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 October 1st; the deadline for fall admission is April 1st.

The MSEE degree program prepares graduates for careers in a wide variety of areas in the application of electrical engineering to science, engineering, industry, and business. The non-thesis option of this program allows students to complete their degree through coursework and project-based learning, while the thesis option is focused on engagement with research projects under the mentorship of a faculty member and culminating in the preparation and defense of a thesis.

Common types of electrical engineering applications include cybersecurity, smart buildings, renewable energy, the internet of things, sensors and wearable technologies, intelligent and autonomous systems, system-on-chip design, and wireless systems and networks. Electrical engineers are employed in a large number of organizations; among the largest are General Motors, Apple, Micron Technology, Intel, General Dynamics, Boeing, and Raytheon. Other more specialized organizations include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

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. Provisionally admitted students who have not earned a bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering must first earn a B or better in CS122/L (Programming for Engineering & Science), EE110 (Digital Logic), EE188/L (Electrical Engineering I), EE222 (Intermediate Programming) or CS126/L (Computer Science I), EE215 (Microprocessors), EE280 (Introduction to Electronics), MAT136 (Calculus I), MAT137 (Calculus II), MAT238 (Calculus III), MAT239 (Differential Equations), PHY161/L (University Physics I), PHY262 (University Physics II), CENE225 (Engineering Analysis) or STA275 (Statistical Analysis), EE310 (Fundamentals of Computer Engineering), EE325 (Engineering Analysis II), EE348 (Fundamentals of Signals and Systems), EE364 (Fundamentals of Electromagnetics), and EE380 (Fundamentals of Electronics: Circuits) before taking graduate-level computer science courses. Applicants may petition the ��Ƶ Director for Research and Graduate Programs to determine if equivalent coursework from other institutions or extensive work experience satisfy these requirements.

The catalog description for the MSEE 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 October 1st; the deadline for fall admission is April 1st.

The MSINF degree program prepares graduates for careers in a wide variety of areas in the interdisciplinary application of computing, statistics, and technology to science. The non-thesis option of this program allows students to complete their degree through coursework and project-based learning, while the thesis option of the program is particularly appropriate for preparing graduates to subsequently enter doctoral programs of study.

Common types of informatics applications include the analysis of massive data sets (Big Data), ecological processes modeling and quantification, genetic and genomic analyses, epidemiology and population health, and remote sensing with satellite and drone imaging. Informaticists are employed by industry and government research labs, as research scientists in academia, or as entrepreneurs in cutting-edge informatics application areas.

Requirements

We accept students from a broad range of educational backgrounds, but all students are expected to possess expertise in key informatics areas, such as computer science, biology, or ecology.

The catalog description for the MSINF 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 Otcober 1st; the deadline for fall admission is April 1st.

Computing has become integral to the infrastructure of modern society. From banking and health to education and business, our world runs on algorithms and computing machines. Software and hardware are ubiquitous in every aspect of modern life. This infrastructure is powerful, complex—and highly vulnerable. Small design flaws or less than vigilant safety guards can lead to attacks and exploits that can cost businesses hundreds of billions of dollars and valuable consumer trust, and loss of infrastructure critical to modern civilization. At the same time there is a shortage of workers with the skills needed to secure these systems.

The population best suited for the graduate program are students with undergraduate preparation or work experience in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Software Engineering or other technology areas. The MSCYB degree prepares students for advanced study in Cybersecurity, which in turn prepares students for new career opportunities in cybersecurity research and leadership with an emphasis on secure software and hardware development. Coursework prepares students with the technical skills to provide expert analysis of cybersecurity exploits and to provide innovation in secure computational design.

Requirements

We accept students from a broad range of educational backgrounds, but all students are expected to possess expertise in key informatics areas, such as computer science, biology, or ecology.

The catalog description for the MSCYB 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 October 1st; the deadline for fall admission is April 1st.

Accelerated Bachelor/Master Program

Get your master’s degree sooner with our accelerated program. If you qualify, you can count six units of major electives toward both your bachelor and master’s degree through our accelerated programs in computer science and electrical engineering.

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 Office of Graduate and Professional Studies (OGPS). The OGPS 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 OGPS.
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 .

Research

Our school’s faculty, students, and staff bring interdisciplinary expertise to bear on applied and basic research problems in several emphasis areas, and in partnership with a variety of local and global partners. SICCS emphasizes several areas of research.

Life in Flagstaff

Flagstaff offers an ideal, scenic environment for living and learning. With a four-season climate, amazing landscapes, and ample sunshine, you’ll discover outdoor adventures unlike anywhere else in the United States. At 7000 feet elevation and in the midst of the largest ponderosa pine forest in the world, Flagstaff has drawn positive attention from across the nation.

Snowboard or ski at Arizona Snowbowl, Northern Arizona’s ski resort located just 15 miles from downtown Flagstaff, or cross-country ski at the Nordic Village.
Enjoy the 50 miles of hiking, mountain biking trails, and running tracks that are part of Flagstaff’s Urban Trail System, or sunbathe on Sedona’s red rocks and swim in Oak Creek, less than an hour’s drive to the south in Sedona.

Flagstaff is surrounded by , including being only one-and-a-half hours away from Grand Canyon National Park and minutes away from Walnut Canyon National Monument.

You’ll find that there’s always something happening on the NAU campus, from , to , to , and everything in between.

Community events are constantly on offer in Flagstaff, including community theater, like Theatrikos and the Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival, and downtown events like the Flagstaff Community Farmers Market, First Friday Art Walk, Movies on the Square, and Heritage Square concerts.

Travel and Leisure magazine named Flagstaff among the top 10 Best College Towns in America.
Time.com called it one of the nation’s happiest cities.
Outside Magazine ranked Flagstaff as the 7th best town in the nation.
Fodor.com named the city one of 20 College Towns We Love to Visit, citing Flagstaff’s nearly 700 acres of park land and 50 miles of trails.

Flagstaff is a destination in to itself, but also located nearby other places of interest, like being within a two-hour drive to Phoenix, Arizona and a three-and-a-half hour drive to Las Vegas, Nevada.

Transfer Students

While SICCS faculty, administrators, and staff are here to help, it is important to note that it is each individual student’s responsibility to review and adhere to all policies and ensure that requirements for graduation are met.

Receiving NAU credit for courses taken at another institution requires the completion of a . This petition must be approved by your advisor, SICCS administrators, and the NAU Office of Graduate and Professional Studies before transferred courses will appear on your transcript.

Please see some instructions useful in correctly completing this petition and then contact the SICCS Graduate Program Coordinator for further assistance.

The authoritative resource for almost all important policies governing graduate study is the , and graduate students should review all policies (particularly if you are involved in our educational mission through a graduate teaching assistantship, since you will also need to master policies related to undergraduate programs). Some particularly important policies to more carefully read through include:

The NAU Office of Graduate and Professional Studies provides an up-to-date listing of , , as well as a you may need as a graduate student.

In planning your course load for any particular term, be aware that core INF-prefixed graduate courses are offered on a specific semester rotation (subject to change), as follows:

Fall semester: INF501, INF503, INF511, INF601, INF603
Spring semester: INF502, INF504, INF512, INF602

All other INF-, CS-, and EE-prefixed graduate courses are not offered on a set semester rotation, so please refer to the course schedule for a semester term for specific available course offerings.

Application and Admissions

Admission into all of our graduate programs is competitive and there are no specific grades or exam scores that guarantee admission. The entire admissions process is based on a complete graduate studies application that contains all necessary information—the will guide you through most necessary information.

International students must provide officially-reported or scores. Students applying must request that ETS or IELTS officially report exam scores to NAU–we do not accept or consider GRE/TOEFL/IELTS scores reported to us unofficially directly by the applying student.

Health & Bioinformatics

Computer Science & Software Engineering

Ecological & Environmental Informatics

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Admissions Requirements

All applicants to any graduate program at Northern Arizona University must fulfill .

For additional requirements that are specific to our graduate programs, consult the corresponding University catalog entry (under the “Details” tab) for your program of interest:

Funding Your Graduate Studies

There are many options to finance your graduate studies in SICCS, for students who cannot afford either the entire or part of the expense, including graduate assistantships, , and . PhD students in Environmental and Ecoinformatics can also apply for the .

Outstanding incoming doctoral students may be nominated for an .

Graduate Assistantships

Many doctoral and master’s students in our School are supported through graduate assistantships, which fall in one of two categories:

Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA)
Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA)

GTA positions require that students provide instruction in courses and labs that support our undergraduate degree programs. GRA positions require that students contribute to the development funded research projects.

All students who apply to one of our graduate programs are automatically considered for available GTA positions. Each student is selected based on their excellent academic credentials and extent to which their expertise fills specific instructional needs. International students must have a TOEFL score of 90+ (or equivalent) to be considered for a GTA.

Individual faculty award GRA to incoming or continuing graduate students through funding intended to support specific research projects, such as National Science Foundation or National Institutes of Health research grants. The best way for a student applying to our programs to be considered for a GRA is to fulfill the following steps:

Carefully review faculty research project abstracts and research profiles
Contact individual faculty conducting research in an area of interest
Share your background and specific area of research interest
Provide a current resume or curriculum vita, and any publications you have contributed to
Express your interest in a GRA position

Based on this information, faculty may elect to make GRA offers to highly-qualified students.

Both types of assistantships normally include the following:

Full tuition waiver (excluding university and program fees)
Student health insurance fees waiver
Stipend paid to the student (as of Fall 2018, the stipend for master’s students is $17.5K per year and the stipend for doctoral students is $20K per year)

Therefore, assistantships provide funding for the vast majority of costs involved in attending NAU in addition to providing a stipend that can be used for living expenses.

A number of fees are mandatory of all NAU graduate students, are not included as part of either Graduate Teaching or Graduate Research Assistantships, and are the responsibility of each student. All students should review NAU’s , and a summary of mandatory fees appears below (amounts are current as of Spring 2018):

Health and Recreation fee: $250/semester
Information Technology fee: $168/semester (for 12 units of enrolled classes; less for fewer units)
Athletics: $75/semester
Transportation fee: $75/semester
Financial Aid Trust fee: $41/semester
Graduation application fee (only in the semester of graduation): $35
Student Activity fee: $25/semester
Graduate Matriculation fee (only in the first semester): $25
ID Card fee (only in the first semester: $25
Graduate Student Government fee: $23/semester
Green fee: $5/semester

Other Fees

Other fees are not mandatory, and depend on specific student situations and course selection. These fees may include: Class fees, parking permit costs, fees associated with housing and meal plans, late payment fees, late registration fees, and fees associated with special petitions or requests.

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Contact the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems

Graduate Student Information