While an advanced degree in computer science isn\u2019t necessary to \u201cwork with computers,\u201d there is intense demand for computer professionals in many fields where a deeper and principled understanding of computer and information systems is needed. Areas of opportunity range from developing rich applications integrated with a database back end, to interoperability of software with complex network infrastructure, to consulting opportunities involving optimization of client software and hardware. With the Master of Science, students become professionals with knowledge of the underlying principles of the main areas of computer and information systems and theory and with hands-on experience that allows them to participate in the development of new systems. Upon graduation, when confronted with a new problem, students will have sufficient facility with basic techniques and methods to research the technical literature in search of a solution or to devise new algorithmic methods. The CS program at Boston University is geared toward students with a CS undergraduate degree, but it also welcomes those with equivalent computer training and experience, as well as students with gaps in their CS background but strong academic records overall.<\/p>\n
Students will possess a broad mastery of in-depth knowledge of computer science across theory, software, systems, and applications.<\/p>\n
Eight term courses (32 units) approved for graduate study are required. Course requirements include 5 breadth courses, with at least one in each of the following areas:<\/p>\n
The remaining three courses can be fulfilled by any graduate-level CS course of interest.<\/p>\n
Among the grades received for the five breadth courses, the number of grades of B\u2013 must not be greater than the number of grades of B+ or higher. No grade lower than B\u2013 may be used for graduate units. A minimum grade of B\u2013 is required in nonbreadth courses.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0MS in CS Core Breadth Requirements<\/strong>\u00a0must be satisfied by all students pursuing an MS in CS, inclusive of specialization. This core requirement covers the three areas of\u00a0software<\/em>,\u00a0systems,<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0theory<\/em>. Students can satisfy each area of the core with any graduate-level CS course that is applicable. However, it is recommended that the CS core be satisfied with the courses that have been explicitly designed to form the core CS foundation for master\u2019s students, specifically:<\/p>\n Students wishing to satisfy a core area with a different course, other than the course recommended, have the option to do so with the approval of their CS advisor.<\/p>\n *With advisor permission, other courses that can satisfy, the\u00a0Software<\/strong>\u00a0requirement are:<\/p>\n and, the\u00a0Theory<\/strong>\u00a0requirement are:<\/p>\n In addition to the three course CS Core requirement, students must complete at least\u00a0two\u00a0<\/em>additional courses specific to degree.<\/p>\n Students who are in the general CS track, should take at least one additional course in the breadth area of\u00a0applications<\/em>. The fulfillment of the applications requirement can be completed with a wide array of courses in the Department of Computer Science.<\/p>\n Any application-related graduate-level CS course satisfies the applications requirement. However, any course that is applicable for the Cybersecurity or Data-Centric Computing specialization or any course applicable for the MS in AI program is recommended and will automatically fulfill this requirement.<\/p>\n The remainder of the general MS degree is elective courses. Students in the general degree program can tailor their elective courses with a choice of:<\/p>\n There is no foreign language requirement for this degree.<\/p>\n While not required to do so, MS candidates may complete a master\u2019s project or thesis. Projects are carried out with the approval of, and under the supervision of, a faculty member. A master\u2019s project can be expanded into a master\u2019s thesis, which requires two faculty readers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" While an advanced degree in computer science isn\u2019t necessary to \u201cwork with computers,\u201d there is intense demand for computer professionals in many fields where a deeper and principled understanding of computer and information systems is needed. Areas of opportunity range from developing rich applications integrated with a database back end, to interoperability of software with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2696,"featured_media":0,"parent":3511,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/30263"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2696"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30263"}],"version-history":[{"count":38,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/30263\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97720,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/30263\/revisions\/97720"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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General CS Track<\/h3>\n
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Language Requirement<\/h2>\n
Master\u2019s Project<\/h2>\n