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Computer Science Online
MS

Earn your master’s degree from UMassD

The UMass Dartmouth online Master of Science in Computer Science (MSCS) program is 100% online and provides a broad and deep knowledge of computer science with an emphasis on software development. The University also offers a full-time, on-campus MSCS program.

Students with a BS in a field other than Computer Science or Computer Engineering may be required to complete 4 fully online courses in computer science fundamentals that may be finished within one year. The GRE is strongly recommended but not required for this program. 

Curriculum

UMass Dartmouth online Master of Science in Computer Science students must complete 30 credits to graduate. Candidates must complete a master’s project working one-on-one with a faculty member.

Through the MSCS graduate courses, students:

  • Work on realistic scale projects
  • Gain experience working as a team member and as a project leader
  • Learn to conduct independent research and present results orally and in writing
  • Acquire the knowledge and skills needed to develop and design high quality computer systems and application software

Department Resources

  • Free remote access to computer lab machines
  • High-performance computing cluster used for research
  • Specialized research labs for student projects

Sample Course Offerings

Examples of courses offered in the Master of Science in Computer Science include (course offerings subject to change):

  • Paradigmatic Software Development
  • Software System Design
  • Database Design
  • Advanced Bioinformatics
  • Algorithms and Complexity
  • Mobile Robotics
  • Neural Computing

UMassD advantages

Customize your education and receive the help and guidance to finish as planned:

  • UMassD online Master’s in Computer Science ranked in the Top 20 nationally by Computer Science Online
  • Value and affordability of a UMass education
  • One-on-one personal advising from enrollment through graduation
  • Limited class size ensures individualized interaction with professors

Candidates must submit the required application materials and application fee. Applications are reviewed and judged on the following criteria:

  • Submit an application via the online portal. Be sure to provide your full legal name and to capitalize the first letter of all proper nouns.
  • Pay non-refundable $60 application fee (American Express, Discover, MasterCard or Visa) via the online portal.
  • Statement of Purpose, minimum 300 words. Unless otherwise indicated in the program requirement details, indicate your graduate study objectives, research interests and experience, and business or industry experience if applicable. If you are applying for a teaching or research assistantship, include any special skills or experience that would assist us in making assistantship decisions.
  • Resume
  • Transcripts for all post-secondary institutions attended (regardless of whether a credential is earned or not). Unofficial transcripts are accepted for admissions application review, once enrolled a final official transcript is required. International students or students who earned degrees outside the USA will need a full evaluation (including course by course translation with grades and equivalencies) if transcript is not on US 4.0 grading scale.
  • GRE is strongly recommended.
  • 2 letters of recommendation: from a person in the field of your academic major at the institution most recently attended or from a supervisor familiar with your recent job performance. Applicants will be required to provide the recommenders name and email address so we can contact the recommender for the letter of recommendation.
  • International students: official TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo (if accepted by program) score. Unofficial scores are accepted for admissions application review, once enrolled official scores are required and must be sent by the testing agency (copies/scans not accepted). This is required of any applicant who did not earn a bachelor’s degree or higher degree from an accredited academic institution in the U.S. or accepted English-speaking country, see exemptions for more details. The Duolingo test is not accepted for the following programs: Art Education, Biology/Marine Biology, Luso-Afro-Brazilian Studies & Theory, Marine Science and Technology (MS, PSM, PhD), Nursing (MS, DNP, PhD), Portuguese Studies, Professional Writing and Communication, Psychology (ABA, Clinical, Research), and Public Policy. 

* All official documents are required for enrollment, please have documents (ie. test scores) sent prior to the expiration. 

University requirements for graduate admissions

  • Submit an application via the online portal. Be sure to provide your full legal name and to capitalize the first letter of all proper nouns.
  • Pay non-refundable $60 application fee (American Express, Discover, MasterCard or Visa) via the online portal. For Nursing applicants, the non-refundable application fee is $75.
  • Statement of Purpose, minimum 300 words. Unless otherwise indicated in the program requirement details, indicate your graduate study objectives, research interests and experience, and business or industry experience if applicable. If you are applying for a teaching or research assistantship, include any special skills or experience that would assist us in making assistantship decisions.
  • Resume
  • Transcripts for all post-secondary institutions attended (regardless of whether a credential is earned or not). Unofficial transcripts are accepted for admissions application review, once enrolled a final official transcript is required. International students applying with an transcript evaluation, please submit that document with your unofficial transcripts. International applicants for Data Science must submit semester-by-semester transcripts as well as consolidated transcripts. 
  • Many programs have specific recommendations/requirements, please see the additional program-specific requirements for more information.
  • International students: official TOEFL iBT, IELTS, Pearson PTE or Duolingo (if accepted by program) score. Unofficial scores are accepted for admissions application review, once enrolled official scores are required and must be sent by the testing agency (copies/scans not accepted). This is required of any applicant who did not earn a bachelor’s degree or higher degree from an accredited academic institution in the U.S. or accepted English-speaking country, see exemptions for more details. We require an overall/total minimum score of 72 on the TOEFL iBT or BAND 6.0 on the IELTS or a 52 on the Pearsons PTE Academic for entrance to any program and a minimum score of 79 on the TOEFL iBT or BAND 6.5 on the IELTS for consideration for a teaching assistantship. Some programs require higher minimum scores (see program-specific requirements). Most programs also accept the Duolingo with a minimum score of 95. The following programs do not accept the Duolingo: Art Education, Biology/Marine Biology, Marine Science and Technology (MS, PSM, PhD), Nursing (MS, DNP, PhD), Psychology: Clinical, and Public Policy. 
  • All official documents are required for enrollment, please have documents (ie. test scores) sent prior to the expiration. 

Program deadlines

Learning Style: Online

Online courses are taught by UMass Dartmouth faculty to provide high quality instruction and personal attention. Students have the flexibility to accommodate work and home responsibilities within the structure of defined assignment due dates. The majority of our online courses are taught asynchronously.

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Course descriptions, schedules and requirements

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