Master of Computer Science

The Master of Computer Science (MCS) is a Professional Master's degree program designed for: Computer science professionals currently working in business, government, or industry who want to advance their careers. Recent computer science graduates who want to extend and deepen their knowledge of the field in order to gain a competitive edge in the job market. People without a previous degree in computer science who want to prepare for a career as a working computer science professional. The MCS program provides a conceptual and practical education in computer science by combining a broad core curriculum with user-selected areas of study. MCS coursework can include CS Professional courses. Students in the MCS program can choose to do a Master's Project (but not a Master's Thesis) or coursework-only. There is no master's comprehensive exam. The general MCS program requires 30 credit hours of coursework and offers students the most flexibility in selecting elective courses. Students interested in an especially extensive study of a topic can choose one of 11 specializations, but specialization is not required. A full-time student whose bachelor degree was in computer science can complete a general MCS program in three semesters plus a summer course. A student without a bachelor's degree in computer science may require extra time to make up deficiencies in prerequisite undergraduate coursework. The normal time required to earn an MCS with a specialization is two years, and students pursuing a specialization should start taking specialization courses as early as possible, even during their first semester. Graduate CS classes are offered during the day and evening, and both day-only and evening-only student schedules can be accommodated. Students can complete a general MCS or an MCS with technical specialization as distance students, through IIT Online: Classes can be taken entirely through on-demand Internet, without ever visiting the IIT campus. (Business, Education, and Finance courses are not currently offered through IIT Online, so these specializations cannot be completed by distance students.) In general, for admission into an MCS program, prospective students need a bachelor's degree (not necessarily in computer science) and are required to submit a transcript and possibly GRE and TOEFL scores. For more information about this program, contact Dr. Jim Sasaki. Specializations There are eight specializations in areas of computer science. Students in these specializations take four of their elective courses in their area of specialization. Computational Intelligence Cyber-Physical Systems Data Analytics Database Systems Distributed and Cloud Computing Information Security and Assurance Networking and Communications Software Engineering There are three specializations in areas that apply computer science. Students take three courses in their area of specialization. Business and Finance courses are taken from the Stuart School of Business (SSB); Education courses are taken from the Department of Mathematics and Science Education (MSED). Unlike the general MCS and the computer science area specializations, these specializations require 33 credits of coursework. Business Education Finance