Master of Science in Computer Science

The Master of Science in Computer Science is designed to prepare students for advanced study and research in computer science, as well as for research and development roles in industry. The program emphasizes both strong foundational knowledge and the ability to engage with contemporary areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud and distributed processing,  cybersecurity, and large-scale computing systems. Students may choose to pursue a thesis, a project, or a coursework-only option, depending on their academic and professional goals. Those interested in research or doctoral study are encouraged to undertake thesis work under the guidance of a faculty adviser.

Curriculum

The Master of Science in Computer Science degree program requires a core curriculum of 12 credit hours and 20 credit hours of elective courses. The plan of study must consist of at least 32 credit hours, at least 20 of which must be 500-level CS courses.

Degree Options

• Coursework Only: All degree requirement credit hours come from coursework.
• Master's Project: Elective credit hours can include up to five credit hours of master's project work (CS 597). A master's project comprises a high-quality paper submitted for publication as an article or as a technical report, or a high-quality piece of software. The software should be of distribution quality, but can be proprietary.
• Master's Thesis: Elective credit hours can include up to five credit hours of master's thesis work (CS 591). With adviser approval, up to three additional credit hours of CS 591 may be added. A student must successfully defend a thesis to apply CS 591 credit hours toward a degree. Students who complete both a project and a thesis can apply a maximum combined total of eight credit hours of CS 591 and CS 597 toward the degree.

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All core courses must be satisfied by courses taken at Illinois Institute of Technology. Courses transferred for credit cannot be used to satisfy core course requirements.

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Elective credit hours may include 400- and 500-level CS courses, certain courses transferred from other departments (prior approvals from the advisor and department are required), and up to six credit hours of accelerated courses.  CSP courses, Interprofessional Projects (IPROs), and pathway courses (CS 201,CS 401,CS 402) cannot be included. Credit limits to CS 597 and CS 591 apply, as stipulated above.

Core Courses

Regardless of the degree option, students are required to take a minimum of four core courses: at least one core course from four distinct core areas out of six available core areas.