I am a CS Master's student, and my university provides two options for necessary research: (1) take a 6000-level class, or (2) create a thesis. I do NOT want to go into academia and I do NOT want to write a thesis. So this means (2) is out and I should pursue (1).

Here's the logistical problem: I would have to put back my graduation for nearly an entire year if I wanted to do a 6000-level class I am interested in. I will have all of my necessary credit besides the 6000-level class by January 2025. My university only offers two 6000-level classes, each taking place in the Spring, back-to-back. The one happening in Spring 2025 is something I am completely disinterested in and the professor is known as the "impossible" professor who fails half the class, and the one happening in Spring 2026 sounds cool but I also don't want to wait nearly two years from now to graduate.

So there is a possible solution: my department chair is commissioning a project to me and has said that, if I can find a way to make it into a more research-based project, I can obtain 6000-level credit and thus graduate quickly.

But I don't know what research I can do. The project (that is halfway done) is creating a scheduling system for the entire university in which students no longer need an academic advisor: they can input their credits earned, obtain a schedule, change it and validate it in real-time, etc. It is pretty cool. However, I don't know how I can turn this into something requiring academic research, similar to what someone would do for a thesis.

Any ideas?