Master of Science in Computer Science

Appreciating the converging nature of management skills and technology, the Computer Science department has a special relationship with Metropolitan College’s Administrative Sciences and Actuarial Science departments. Degree candidates in either program may apply 8 credits from one degree toward a second degree in one of these disciplines, thereby reducing their work by two courses. Students must be accepted by both departments, but they may request that application materials such as references and transcripts be forwarded from the first program to the second.

• Actuarial Science
• Administrative Studies

Prerequisite courses or evidence of proficiency in these areas must accompany the application to the program. If college-level credit courses are not in evidence, the department will determine what prerequisite courses must be completed in addition to the graduate degree requirements. Students claiming equivalent proficiency in prerequisite courses from non-academic sources must take an examination to demonstrate such proficiency.

Official transcripts of previous academic work, three letters of recommendation, personal statement and résumé are required as part of the application.

A maximum of two graduate-level courses (8 credits) taken at Metropolitan College before acceptance into the program may be applied toward the degree.

Minimum passing grade for a course in the graduate program is C (2.0), but an average grade of B (3.0) must be maintained to be in good academic standing and satisfy the degree requirements.

Visit the online application to get started.

Academic Standing

No grade lower than C may be used toward degree requirements. Students must maintain an overall grade point average of 3.0 in order to be in good academic standing and to graduate. Students with a grade point average of less than 3.0 are on academic probation and must be in a position to achieve a 3.0 within the 48 required credit hours for graduation.

Prerequisites

Students who complete the program’s prerequisites at Boston University can earn a Certificate in Computer Science. Contact the Department of Computer Science for more information.

Applicants to the program are required to have a baccalaureate degree in any field and proficiency in the areas covered by the following courses:

• MET CS 201 Introduction to Programming
• MET CS 231 Programming with C++ or
  MET CS 232 Programming with Java
• MET CS 248 Discrete Mathematics
• MET CS 341 Data Structures with C++ or
  MET CS 342 Data Structures with Java
• MET CS 472 Computer Architecture

If college-level credit courses are not in evidence, the department will determine what prerequisite courses must be completed in addition to graduate degree requirements. Students claiming equivalent proficiency in the prerequisite courses from non-academic sources must take an examination to demonstrate such proficiency.

A total of 40 credits is required.

Core Curriculum

(Five courses/20 credits)

• MET CS 535 Computer Networks or
  MET CS 579 Database Management
• MET CS 566 Analysis of Algorithms
• MET CS 575 Operating Systems
• MET CS 662 Computer Language Theory
• MET CS 673 Software Engineering

Students who have completed courses on core curriculum subjects as part of their undergraduate degree program must replace the corresponding core courses with electives. It is recommended that each replacement course be in the same technical area. Students who have work-related experience in any of the core curriculum courses may apply for a waiver by submitting appropriate documentation. When a course waiver is granted the student must substitute a graduate-level computer science course for the core course.

General Electives

(Five courses/20 credits)

Students who are not choosing a concentration must select five General Electives. At least three courses must be at the 600 level or above:

• MET CS 503 Windows .NET Application Programming with C#
• MET CS 532 Computer Graphics
• MET CS 546 Quantitative Methods for Information Systems (formerly CS 534)
• MET CS 560 Organization of Programming Languages
• MET CS 561 Financial Informatics
• MET CS 565 Advanced Java Programming
• MET CS 580 Health Informatics
• MET CS 581 Electronic Health Records
• MET CS 599 Biometrics
• MET CS 601 Web Application Development
• MET CS 605 Human-Computer Interface Design with .NET
• MET CS 632 IT Project Management
• MET CS 633 Distributed Software Development and Management
• MET CS 635 Networks Design and Implementation
• MET CS 651 Web Development with .NET
• MET CS 664 Artificial Intelligence
• MET CS 665 Design Patterns and Components
• MET CS 667 Enterprise Java
• MET CS 671 Systems Programming Using UNIX
• MET CS 674 Database Security
• MET CS 683 Mobile Application Development
• MET CS 684 IT Security Policies and Procedures
• MET CS 685 Network Performance and Management
• MET CS 689 Designing and Implementing a Data Warehouse
• MET CS 690 Network Security
• MET CS 693 Digital Forensics and Investigations
• MET CS 695 Enterprise Information Security
• MET CS 699 Data Mining and Business Intelligence
• MET CS 701 Rich Internet Application Development
• MET CS 703 Network Forensics
• MET CS 713 Advanced Digital Forensics
• MET CS 732 Advanced Game Graphics
• MET CS 733 Real-Time Multimedia Simulation
• MET CS 734 Artificial Intelligence for Video Games
• MET CS 751 Web Services
• MET CS 755 Cloud Computing
• MET CS 767 Fuzzy, Expert, Genetic, and Neural Systems
• MET CS 773 Software Quality Management
• MET CS 779 Advanced Database Management
• MET CS 780 Database Administration
• MET CS 783 Enterprise Architecture
• MET CS 789 Cryptography
• MET CS 799 Advanced Cryptography

Electives other than those listed must be approved by an advisor and often include:

• MET CS 594 Special Topics
• MET CS 893 Agile and Advanced Software Engineering Methods
• MET CS 894 Special Topics

Master’s Thesis Option in Computer Science

(8 credits)

Students majoring in Computer Science may elect a thesis option, to be completed within 12 months. This option is available to Master of Science in Computer Science candidates who have completed at least seven courses toward their degree and have a GPA of 3.7 or higher. Students are responsible for finding a thesis advisor and a principal reader within the department. The advisor must be a full-time faculty member; the principal reader may be part-time faculty with a PhD (unless waived by department).

• MET CS 810/811 Master’s Thesis