Computer Science, MS

The Department of Computer Science offers the program of study leading to the Master of Science in Computer Science degree. The M.S. program graduates are expected to demonstrate proficiency in the fundamental areas of computer science. Admission to the program is highly competitive and based upon academic record, GRE scores, and letters of recommendation, etc. GRE is not required, but recommended. It is strongly suggested that applicants present evidence of competence in computer science as well as mathematical maturity.

Students can either take option A (thesis option) or option B (non-thesis option). Details can be found in the section of Degree Requirements.

Admission Requirements

Transcript showing a bachelor’s degree (4 years or equivalent)
GRE is not required, but recommended
TOEFL score (for international students)
Three letters of recommendation
Statement of purpose
CV/Resume (optional)

Additional requirements:

A GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
Evidence of Computer Science background. Students from a non-CS major may be required to take preparatory CS courses before they can be admitted into the program.

Degree Requirements

To receive an MS, the student must finish either option A (thesis option) or option B (non-thesis option).

Option A requires at least 24 credit hours of regular coursework in CS and up to six credits of CS 768 Residence Credit for Master’s Degree. The total number of credits required is 30. MS students under option A must prepare a thesis.
Option B requires 30 credit hours and a project. The 30 hours may include CS 610 . MS students under option B must complete the project.

In either option, students may take up to 6 credits of CS 612 . For either option, at least half of the credit hours must be in higher than 500-level courses (excluding CS 768 and CS 680 ). Courses from other departments require a prior DGS approval.

All courses other than CS 768 for option A must have regular letter grades, that is, no pass/fail, and the overall GPA in these classes must be 3.0 or higher.

MS candidates must pass four core courses, two from each of the following two groups:

CS 505 (Databases), CS 541 (Compilers), CS 570 (Systems), CS 571 (Networks), and
CS 515 (Algorithms), CS 537 (Numerical), CS 575 (Theory).

The final grades in each course must be B or higher. In exceptional cases, when courses needed to complete the requirement are not offered, the DGS may approve other courses as equivalent replacements.

In addition, the graduate school policies manual specifies additional requirements and procedures. It can be found on the graduate school website.

Incoming students are informed of the graduate-school and program-specific academic policies at the orientation held before classes begin each fall. A handbook is also on the CS website.