Computer Science MS Faculty Advisor Selection Guide

Students interested in a masters capstone or thesis should review the following information for important processes as well as tips and tricks for reaching out to faculty.

Computer Science Masters of Science students have the option to switch to the Plan B capstone or Plan A thesis. Students can switch to either option if they identify a Computer Science & Engineering faculty member who has agreed to serve as their faculty advisor and guide them through their research.

Once you have confirmation from a faculty member they will serve as your advisor and you are ready to enroll in the Plan B project course (CSCI 8760) or Plan A thesis credits (CSCI 8777) you will need to request a permission number through this form.

Eligibility and strategies for connecting with faculty

Those who are eligible to serve as a Computer Science masters student faculty advisor are listed on the Graduate Education Faculty Role List.

When approaching faculty about the possibility of serving as your capstone advisor, it is helpful to:

Open with an introduction about yourself, that you are a student in the Computer Science MS program and you are currently searching for a project or thesis advisor
Discuss your areas of interest and how it might align with their research/area of expertise
Ask if they have the capacity to advise students and are able to meet to discuss your project idea(s) further

While it may feel odd to approach faculty you have never communicated with previously, it is still completely appropriate to connect with them about the possibility of serving as your advisor. We are a research institution, and faculty expect to be approached by students in this capacity.

It is ok to connect with faculty via email initially. As a general rule of thumb, you should tailor unique emails to each individual faculty you reach out to, e.g., include details on their specific research and what interests you about it. Emails lacking specifics to the faculty member will read as a generic email that could be sent to a large group of faculty and tend to not prompt a response.

Faculty are very busy, so it’s possible emails might get buried in their inbox and won’t respond. It is appropriate to send a follow up email if you do not hear back, but it’s common courtesy to allow them a couple weeks to respond before sending a follow up.

If you happen to have a class with the faculty member you are interested in working with as your project or thesis advisor, it may be convenient to visit them during their office hours to initiate capstone project conversations.

Unfortunately, not all faculty have the capacity to take on new students. Their availability is subject to change each semester. The program cannot keep tabs on which faculty are and are not able to advise students. This means it’s possible you will need to connect with additional faculty before your project or thesis advisor is finalized.