MASTER OF 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 in 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.
REQUIREMENTS
- Complete a total of 30 points (Courses must be at the 4000 level or above)
- Maintain at least a 2.7 overall GPA. (No more than 1 D is permitted). The full Academic Standing Policy can be found here.
- Complete the Columbia Engineering Professional Development & Leadership (PDL) requirement (Not applicable to CVN students)
- 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. Please submit the course syllabus to your CS Faculty Advisor for review, and then forward the approval confirmation email to ms-advising@cs.columbia.edu
TRACK OPTIONS
Choose one of the tracks below, view each track webpage for details on requirements.
Columbia Video Network (CVN) students should also choose from one of the above tracks. For faculty advisement, please contact the assigned track advisors.
CS MS FACULTY TRACK ADVISORS
CS Faculty Advisors will be assigned after you select a track in Mice. If you do not yet have a Mice account but are a CS MS student, please contact ms-advising@cs.columbia.edu. 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 (for 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.
TOPICS COURSES
If you are interested in applying a specialized Topics in Computer Science courses (COMS 4995 or COMS 6998) to your Track electives, please view Topics Courses by Track Approval.
Students may take multiple sections of COMS 4995 and/or COMS 6998, as each topic title will vary by content each semester. If you aren’t sure if a course is the same, please email your MS Faculty Track Advisor.
No approval is required for the course to count as a General Elective.
A list of current and recent Topics Course Descriptions can be found here.
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 the 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
- FIELDWORK/CPT FAQ
- NEW MS STUDENTS WELCOME GUIDE
- COLUMBIA ENGINEERING RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
- COLUMBIA ENGINEERING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & LEADERSHIP (PDL) PROGRAM
- COMPUTER SCIENCE ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY
ADMISSIONS INFORMATION
- SEAS Admission FAQ
- SEAS Admissions contact: seasgradmit@columbia.edu
- CS Admission FAQ
- CS Admissions contact: ms-admissions@cs.columbia.edu
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