Computer Science Graduate Programs
Master of Computer Science (MCS)
30 credit hours
The Master of Computer Science (MCS) degree program is a course-only 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. Students interested in an especially extensive study of a topic can opt for one of four specializations: Business; Computer Networking & Telecommunications; Information Systems; or Software Engineering. Students with a specialization take four of their elective courses in their area of specialization.
A full-time student can complete the program in one or one and a half years. Graduate CS classes are conveniently offered via on-demand Internet, live interactive TV, and traditional classroom settings. Distance learning students can earn an MCS entirely through distance courses, without ever visiting the IIT campus. (MCS/Business students must take their business courses at the IIT Downtown Campus in Chicago.)
In general, to be accepted 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.
» MCS/Business
» MCS/Computer Networking and Telecommunications
» MCS/Information Systems
» MCS/Software Engineering
» Admission Requirements
» Prerequisite Undergraduate Coursework
» Transfer Credit
» Required Core Courses
| All Master of CS students must include at least one course from each of the following three core areas in their program of study. | |
|---|---|
| Programming Core Courses | |
| CS 522 | Data Mining |
| CS 525 | Advanced Database Organization |
| CS 529 | Information Retrieval Systems |
| CS 540 | Syntactic Analysis of Programming Languages |
| CS 546 | Parallel Processing |
| CS 551 | Operating System Design and Implementation |
| Systems Core Courses | |
| CS 542 | Computer Networks I: Fundamentals |
| CS 544 | Computer Networks II: Network Services |
| CS 547 | Wireless Networking |
| CS 550 | Advanced Operating Systems |
| CS 555 | Analytic Models of Simulation of Computer Systems |
| CS 570 | Advanced Computer Architecture |
| CS 586 | Software Systems Architectures |
| Theory Core Courses | |
| CS 530 | Theory of Computation |
| CS 532 | Formal Languages |
| CS 533 | Computational Geometry |
| CS 535 | Design and Analysis of Algorithms |
| CS 536 | Science of Programming |
| CS 538 | Combinatorial Optimization |
» Degree Requirements
Completing the MCS degree program requires:
- A minimum of 30 credit hours (33.6 for the MCS/Business), approved by an advisor.
- One course taken in each of the three core areas: Systems, Theory, and Programming.
- A GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 in the program of study.
- Specialization courses, for students working toward an MCS with a Specialization.
Students in the program must adhere to the following restrictions:
- A Program of Study (Form #401) must be filed before completing 9 credits of graduate study.
- At least 20 of the required credit hours must be in 500-level CS or CS Professional courses.
- At most 6 credits hours can come from »short», accelerated courses.
- At most 5 credit hours can come from CS 597 or the optional Master's Project.
- CS 401, 402, 403, and Interprofessional Projects (IPROs) cannot be applied toward the credit hour requirement.
- Transfer credit for CS and CS-related courses may be allowed.
- There is a 12 semester time limit for completing the requirements.