MS in Computer Science

The Master of Science (MS) in Computer Science program is for computer professionals and people who intend to move into the computer field from other areas of study.

This program requires an average of 12–20 months to complete. Students may begin the program in the fall, spring, or summer term.

Learning Outcomes

• Advanced knowledge of computer language theory, software design, as well as databases, networks, or security.
• Proficiency in algorithms, operating systems, computer language usage, software development, and the management of data, networks, or security.
• Competence sufficient to investigate continually emerging new software technologies, applications, and approaches.
• An understanding of, and ability to apply, the values and principles of professional ethics.
• Effective communication, teamwork, and leadership skills.

Admissions Information

For current admissions information, please visit the Metropolitan College website.

Prerequisites

Applicants to the program are required to have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and academic experience with programming, discrete mathematics, and computer systems. If college-level credit is not in evidence, the Admissions Committee will determine which prerequisite courses will need to be taken. Students who complete the program’s prerequisites at Boston University can earn an undergraduate Certificate in Computer Science. Contact Admissions & Enrollment Services at 617-353-6000 or met@bu.edu for more information.

Degree Requirements

Students are required to finish the core curriculum and either a five-course concentration or five general electives. The minimum passing grade for a course in the graduate program is a C (2.0), but an average grade of B (3.0) must be maintained to be in good academic standing and be eligible to graduate.

A total of 10 courses (40 units) is required, as follows:

Core Curriculum (five courses/20 units)

• 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 may request permission from the Department of Computer Science to replace the corresponding core courses with graduate-level computer science electives. Please refer to the MET CS Academic Policies Manual for further details.

General Electives (five courses/20 units)

Students who are not choosing a concentration must select five general electives (20 units) from the list below with at least three courses at the 600 level or above. When choosing electives, students should make sure that they have all prerequisites required by the selected course.

• MET CS 544 Foundations of Analytics and Data Visualization
• MET CS 550 Computational Mathematics for Machine Learning
• MET CS 555 Foundations of Machine Learning
• MET CS 561 Financial Analytics
• MET CS 570 Biomedical Sciences and Health IT
• MET CS 580 Health Informatics
• MET CS 581 Health Information Systems
• MET CS 599 Biometrics
• MET CS 601 Web Application Development
• MET CS 602 Server-Side Web Development
• MET CS 622 Advanced Programming Techniques
• MET CS 664 Artificial Intelligence
• MET CS 665 Software Design and Patterns
• MET CS 674 Database Security
• MET CS 677 Data Science with Python
• MET CS 683 Mobile Application Development with Android
• MET CS 684 Enterprise Cybersecurity Management
• MET CS 685 Network Design and Management
• MET CS 688 Web Mining and Graph Analytics
• MET CS 689 Designing and Implementing a Data Warehouse
• MET CS 690 Network and Cloud Security
• MET CS 693 Digital Forensics and Investigations
• MET CS 694 Mobile Forensics and Security
• MET CS 695 Cybersecurity
• MET CS 699 Data Mining
• MET CS 701 Rich Internet Application Development
• MET CS 763 Secure Software Development
• MET CS 766 Deep Reinforcement Learning
• MET CS 767 Advanced Machine Learning and Neural Networks
• MET CS 775 Advanced Networking
• MET CS 777 Big Data Analytics
• MET CS 779 Advanced Database Management
• MET CS 781 Advanced Health Informatics
• MET CS 787 AI and Cybersecurity
• MET CS 788 Generative AI
• MET CS 789 Cryptography
• MET CS 790 Computer Vision in AI
• MET CS 793 Special Topics in Computer Science

With advisor’s approval, students may choose to take courses outside of the general electives list.

Master’s Thesis Option in Computer Science (8 units)

Students majoring in computer science may elect a thesis option, to be completed within 12 months. This option is available to MS in Computer Science candidates who have completed at least seven courses toward their degree and have a grade point average (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 in Computer Science

Concentrations

Declaration of More Than One Concentration

Students in the Master of Science in Computer Science program have the option to concentrate in more than one area. Each concentration must be finished before the student officially graduates from their program. No additional concentrations may be added after graduation. In the case of some courses overlapping between one or more concentrations, only one course may count toward both concentrations. If more than one course overlaps, the student must take an elective in its place so that each concentration is completed.

Second Master’s Degree Option

In appreciation of the converging needs of management and technology, the departments of Actuarial Science, Administrative Sciences, and Computer Science collaborate to offer a unique opportunity to students currently enrolled in their degree programs as well as alumni of those programs. Learn more.