MS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE PROGRAM
The Master of Science (MS) program is intended for people who wish to broaden and deepen their understanding of computer science. Columbia University and the New York City environment provide excellent career opportunities with multiple industries. The program provides a unique opportunity to develop leading-edge in-depth knowledge of specific computer science disciplines. The department currently offers concentration tracks covering eight such disciplines. MS students are encouraged to participate in state of the art research with our research groups and labs.
All students must complete the following requirements:
- Complete a total of 30 points
- Maintain at least a 2.7 overall GPA
- Complete the Columbia Engineering Professional Development & Leadership (PDL) requirement
- Satisfy breadth requirements
- Take at least 6 points of technical courses at the 6000-level.
- At most up to 3 points of your degree can be Non-CS/Non-track If they are deemed relevant to your track and sufficiently technical in nature. Submit the Non-CS/NonTrack form and the course syllabus to your CS Faculty Advisor for review.
Students can choose from one of the tracks below. See track webpages for details on track requirements.
Computational Biology
Computer Security
Foundations of Computer Science
Machine Learning
Natural Language Processing
Network Systems
Software Systems
Vision, Graphics, Interaction, and Robotics
MS Personalized
MS Thesis
CS MS Track Advisors
Advisors will be assigned after students select a track in MICE. If you do not yet have a MICE account but are a CS MS student, please contact gradvising@cs.columbia.edu. Computer Science MS students do not need to get advisor approval to register for courses as the courses. Contact your Track Advisor to get special permission for any course not specifically approved on your CS track websites.
Degree Progress Checklist
Students should keep an updated copy of their Degree Progress Checklist on hand for any academic progress reviews with their Faculty and/or Admin advisor. This form will also be requested a few weeks before graduation to verify your program requirements are met.
How to fill out your checklist
- List all coursework that should be used to meet your CS MS program requirements
- For all topics courses (COMS 4995 & COMS 6998 courses) remember to include the actual course title (example use “COMS 4995 Hacking for Defense” NOT “COMS 4995”)
- For all Projects courses (COMS 6901) include the name of the instructor and how many points the course was worth
- For all Thesis courses (COMS 6902) include the name of the instructor and how many points the course was worth
- For all Personalized Track students include the name of your track advisor on your checklist
- For Advanced standing – mark which courses are approved by SEAS Academics
- For waived Required Track courses, list which course you are using to satisfy the points requirement for the waived course.
–If you are following the old MS track requirements, please refer to the old requirements page.–
TOPICS COURSES
Topics Courses by Track approval – See which Topics courses (COMS 4995 or COMS 6998) are pre-approved for each track on this spreadsheet.
Students may take multiple sections of COMS 4995 and/or COMS 6998 as each section will vary by content each semester. If you aren’t sure if a course is the same, please email your track advisor to verify.
Topics Descriptions
- Spring 2023 Topics Course Descriptions
Fall 2022 Topics Course Descriptions - Spring 2022 Topics Course Descriptions
- Fall 2021 Topics Course Descriptions
- Spring 2021 Topics Course Descriptions
- Fall 2020 Topics Course Descriptions
Columbia Video Network (CVN) students should also choose from one of the above tracks. For faculty advisement, please contact the assigned track advisors.
MS IN COMPUTER ENGINEERING
In addition to the Computer Science MS Program, we offer the Computer Engineering MS Program jointly with the Electrical Engineering Department. More information about the program can be found in the Computer Engineering section of SEAS bulletin and on the Computer Engineering website.
DUAL MS IN JOURNALISM AND COMPUTER SCIENCE
Admitted students will enroll for a total of four semesters. In addition to taking classes already offered at the Journalism and Engineering schools, students will attend a seminar and workshop designed specifically for the dual degree program. The seminar will teach students about the impact of digital techniques on journalism; the emerging role of citizens in the news process; the influence of social media; and the changing business models that will support news gathering. In the workshop, students will use a hands-on approach to delve deeply into information design, focusing on how to build a site, section or application from concept to development, ensuring the editorial goals are kept uppermost in mind. For more information, please visit the program website.
IMPORTANT AND USEFUL LINKS
MS TRACK ADVISORS
MS PROGRAM FAQ
MS FIELDWORK FAQ
COLUMBIA ENGINEERING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & LEADERSHIP (PDL) PROGRAM
GENERAL POLICY INFORMATION
Computer Science Department Academic Honesty Policy
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