MSE Students

Graduate Student Handbook

[Graduate Student Handbook 2020]

This handbook is created for MSE students to provide detailed information about the Computer Science Department at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, and to offer insights into policies and procedures regarding graduate studies at UWL.

Financial Aid

• Financial Aid: The Graduate Studies office maintains a list of financial aid options at UWL.
• GA position postings can be found at the Human Resources office web site. Application instructions vary depending upon the specific posting.

Capstone Projects

[Sample Proposal] [Report Template: LaTeX] [Report Template: Word] [Report Writing Guidelines]

The capstone project is the central feature of the MSE program. The capstone work accounts for 12 graduate credits and includes a significant software development effort after which a detailed academic report is written. Students are encouraged to work on projects that benefit organizations such as non-profits, churches, private businesses or other commercial enterprises. Some of these capstone projects have been used by companies to manage significant portions of their corporate activities and others have started companies to commercialized their own capstone projects.

Students must identify a faculty supervisor and also a sponsor. The faculty supervisor will ensure that the project meets the academic criteria required for successful project completion. The sponsor will serve as the client or product owner for the developed software system. While the faculty supervisor or even the student may serve as the sponsor, it is preferable to include an outside entity for that role.

Sample Capstone Reports

[Lohmeyer] [Strauss] [Durr] [Miller] [Fisher]

Important Dates

Students must first present a capstone project proposal that is reviewed and approved by a faculty committee. When the project is completed, the student submits a detailed academic report and defends the project in a formal oral presentation to another faculty committee. Proposals are accepted every semester and are due November 15^th for the fall semester and April 15^th for the spring. Please contact the program director if there is a need to submit at some other time.