How long should my senior project or master's degree take?
Senior project
For senior projects, it’s pretty straightforward. You enroll in CSC 4460 Senior Project (2 units) for one semester. The rough expectation is that you devote 3–4 hours per unit per week to any given class. So, for a 2-unit Senior Project, you should devote 6–8 hours per week to your project during the semester you’re enrolled.
In my experience, the most successful Senior Projects have begun before you take CSC 4460. I strongly recommend talking to potential advisors during the previous semester, formulating initial ideas with them or getting feedback on your own ideas. This doesn’t have to be particularly time-intensive; even a handful of short chats during the previous semester can help by building rapport, providing time and an avenue to refine initial ideas, and ensuring you can hit the ground running when the Senior Project actually begins. You are welcome and encouraged to stop by office hours for these chats. Being enrolled in our classes is not a pre-requisite for coming to office hours.
If you’re thinking about doing CSC 4461 Research Senior Project, I assume you’re considering the Blended BS+MS. In that case, read on. If not, things will work in much the same way as CSC 4460, just with a different course number.
Master’s thesis
We offer two types of MS degrees in the CSSE department at Cal Poly. The “MS in CS” and the “Blended BS+MS in CS”.
Both degrees require roughly one academic year’s worth of coursework. However, involve both coursework and research. Of course things will vary based on your project, but below is roughly what I would like my students to expect coming into their programs.
MS in CS
Expect to take at least 3 semesters to complete your thesis work. Taking less time is unlikely unless several factors align before your enrollment begins: you have a prospective advisor lined up, you and your advisor have a good idea of what you will work on, and perhaps some progress has already been made toward the project.
Blended BS+MS in CS
This program is often inaccurately called the “4+1” program. It’s certainly possible to complete your blended MS thesis in one academic year after completing coursework requirements for your BS. But it doesn’t happen automatically just by enrolling in the BS+MS; you actually need to “blend” your BS and MS programs.
You can do this by devoting time during your BS program toward your eventual master’s research. Possible strategies are:
- Take CSC 4461 Research Senior Project instead of CSC 4460, and work toward your MS research. Guidance from above about meeting with potential thesis advisors before you begin this enrollment also applies here.
- Do a few quarters of independent study (CSC 4400) in lieu of a technical elective, and work toward your MS research.
If your Senior Project (and your BS in general) has nothing to do with your master’s research, then you’re not doing a blended program. You should read the MS in CS section above because that’s more relevant to you.
Of course, this all requires a fair bit of foresight! You should already be planning to pursue your master’s degree at the start of the final year of your BS, and you should already be approaching potential advisors. I recognize that this is not always doable or knowable in advance.
All the best!