Learn to Engineer Secure Computer Networks
The Master of Science in Computer Science concentration in Computer Networks at Boston University’s Metropolitan College (MET) provides students with a broad foundation in information technology, and an in-depth understanding of computer data communication and modern networking. Designed to empower students with extensive knowledge and hands-on experience, the BU MET MS in Computer Science Computer Networks concentration will prepare you to analyze, design, procure, manage, and implement cutting-edge computer networking solutions and technologies.
Program at a Glance
- On Campus
- Part-Time or Full-Time Study
- STEM Designated
- 40 Credits
- 12–20 Months to Completion
- 17 Core Faculty
- No GRE/GMAT
- Tuition & Fees Range—Part-Time Study*: $32,500-$34,200
*Based on 2024–2025 Boston University tuition and fees. Merit scholarship may reduce cost.
Develop In-Demand Networking Skills for Your Career
In 2020, “computer network architect” was ranked #7 among U.S. News & World Report’s 10 Best Technology Jobs. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupation Outlook Handbook, the median annual income for computer network architects is more than $112k.
The BU MET Computer Science master’s concentration in Computer Networks prepares you for competitive roles in the field, providing a comprehensive understanding of network design and implementation, network performance analysis and management, network security, and the latest networking technology.
A National Center of Academic Excellence
Boston University has been designated a Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Cyber Defense and Research by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security. Our information security programs are certified by the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS).
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Computer Science Career Outlook
Top computer science careers in data science, software development, and other popular areas of IT.
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Why Earn a Master’s in Computer Science Degree from BU
- Recognized & Certified: Boston University is recognized by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security as a Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Cyber Defense and Research. BU MET’s information security programs are certified by the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS).
- Active Learning Environment: BU MET’s computer science courses ensure you get the attention you need, while introducing case studies and real-world projects that emphasize technical and theoretical knowledge—combining in-depth, practical experience with the critical skills needed to remain on the forefront of the information technology field. In addition, BU’s Center for Reliable Information Systems and Cyber Security (RISCS) offers opportunities to collaborate and participate in research on system reliability and information security.
- Career Counseling: MET’s Career Development office and BU’s Center for Career Development offer a variety of job-hunting resources, including one-on-one career counseling by appointment for both online and on-campus students.
- Engaged Faculty: In BU MET’s Computer Science master’s program, you benefit from working closely with highly qualified faculty and industry leaders who have hands-on involvement in computer networking, information security, mobile technology, cloud computing, software engineering, software development, and many other areas.
- Extensive Network: Study computer science alongside peers with solid IT and business experience, learn from faculty who have valuable contacts across several sectors, and benefit from an alumni community with strong professional connections.
- STEM Designated: Eligible graduates on student visas have access to an Optional Practical Training (OPT) of 12 months and an extension for up to 24 additional months.
- Student Support: Enjoy an exceptional student-to-instructor ratio, ensuring close interaction with faculty mentors and access to support.
- Valuable Resources: Make use of Boston University’s extensive resources, including the Center for Career Development, Educational Resource Center, Fitness & Recreation Center, IT Help Centers, Mugar Memorial Library, Center for Antiracist Research, Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground, George Sherman Union, Rafik B. Hariri Institute for Computing and Computational Science & Engineering, and many others.
- Flexible Options: Study at the pace that works for you, evenings on campus with courses that begin fall, spring, and summer.
- Track Record: Learn from the best—BU MET’s Department of Computer Science was established in 1979 and is the longest-running computer science department at BU. Over its four decades, the department has played an important role in the emergence of IT at the University and throughout the region.
- Merit Scholarships: US citizens and permanent residents are automatically considered during the application process and nominated based on eligibility. Learn more.
Master the Tools to Excel in Computer Networking
The Computer Networks concentration is part of BU MET’s Master of Science in Computer Science (MSCS) degree program. Along with a comprehensive, introductory networking course that covers digital communications, local area, wide area, wireless, and other network technologies, the MSCS core also includes courses in databases, math for IT, strategic IT, software development, and systems analysis and design.
BU MET’s Computer Science master’s degree prepares you for jobs that are seeing faster-than-average growth and excellent salaries. Amid growing demand for—and reliance upon—big data, cloud computing, machine learning, information security, and networking, jobs in the computer science and information technology sector continue to grow at a faster rate than other occupations, with overall projected growth of 11 percent through 2029 and a median annual wage of more than $88K in 2019 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupation Outlook Handbook). Because of the specialized nature of the work, competition for talent is fierce.
Graduate with Expertise
In addition to the learning outcomes derived from Metropolitan College’s Computer Science master’s degree program, the concentration in Computer Networks will equip you with:
- Advanced knowledge of data communication networks and protocols along with the ability to identify issues involved in multi-access media and devices as applied to wired and wireless networks; the ability to identify key areas for performance analysis and debugging of networks; and techniques for network management in small- to large-scale networks.
- Proficiency in data communication protocols and networks, including such areas as: flow control, distributed synchronization, error detection and correction, and routing techniques, and where to implement them.
- Competence sufficient to design, specify, and develop data transfer protocols for specific purposes; design, specify, plan, and define networks of any size; and analyze, evaluate, and select networking devices applicable to the network area that they are being implemented in, whether LAN, MAN, WAN, or wireless.
Certificate-to-Degree Pathway
BU MET graduate certificate programs can serve as building blocks to a master’s degree. The Graduate Certificate in Computer Networks shares specific courses with the master’s in Computer Science concentration in Computer Networks. Students currently enrolled in a graduate certificate who are interested in transitioning into a master’s degree should contact their academic advisor to declare their interest in this pathway. A new master’s degree application is not required. Connect with a graduate admissions advisor at csadmissions@bu.edu to learn more about this option.
Master’s in Computer Science Curriculum
A total of 40 credits is required.
Students who are declaring an MSCS concentration in Computer Networks must complete the core and required concentration courses.
A 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 to be eligible to graduate.
Core Curriculum
(Five courses/20 credits)
MET CS 566 Analysis of Algorithms
Sprg ‘25
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CS341 or CS342 or CS526) or instructor's consent - earn basic methods for designing and analyzing efficient computer algorithms and practice hands-on programming skills. Topics include sorting, searching, dynamic programming, greedy algorithms, advanced data structures, graph algorithms (shortest path, spanning trees, tree traversals), matrix operations, string matching, and NP-completeness. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Zhang |
SHA 201 |
M |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
A2 |
IND |
Belyaev |
STH 113 |
W |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
A3 |
IND |
Belyaev |
MCS B37 |
R |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
O1 |
IND |
Braude |
|
ARR |
12:00 am – 12:00 am |
MET CS 575 Operating Systems
Sprg ‘25
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (METCS472) and (CS 231 or CS 232) or instructor's consent - Overview of operating system characteristics, design objectives, and structures. Topics include concurrent processes, coordination of asynchronous events, file systems, resource sharing, memory management, security, scheduling and deadlock problems. Prereq: MET CS472, and MET CS231 or MET CS232, or instructor's consent. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Nourai |
KCB 107 |
T |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
A2 |
IND |
Nourai |
KCB 102 |
R |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
MET CS 662 Computer Language Theory
Sprg ‘25
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (METCS566) or instructor's consent - Theory of finite automata and regular expressions and properties of regular sets. Context- free grammars, context-free languages, and pushdown automata. Turing machines, undecidability problems, and the Chomsky hierarchy. Introduction to computational complexity theory and the study of NP-complete problems. Prerequisite: MET CS 248 or instructor's consent. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Naidjate |
CAS 233 |
M |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
A2 |
IND |
Naidjate |
KCB 104 |
W |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
MET CS 673 Software Engineering
Sprg ‘25
HUB
Undergraduate Prerequisites: MET CS342 and at least one 500-level computer programming-intensive sc ience course (or instructor's consent). MET CS 564 or MET CS 565 are r ecommended. - Overview of techniques and tools to develop high quality software. Topics include software development life cycle such as Agile and DevOps, requirements analysis, software design, programming techniques, refactoring, testing, as well as software management issues. This course features a semester-long group project where students will design and develop a real world software system in groups using Agile methodology and various SE tools, including UML tools, project management tools, programming frameworks, unit and system testing tools , integration tools and version control tools.
Prereq: This is a capstone course to be taken after at least two programming intensive courses toward the end of a program of study. Familiarity with OO design concepts and proficiency in at least one high-level programming language is required. Or, Instructor's consent. Familiarity with web or mobile application development preferred.
Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration. [ 4 cr. ]
BU Hub Learn More - Digital/Multimedia Expression
- Oral and/or Signed Communication
- Teamwork/Collaboration
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Czik |
CAS B06B |
W |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
And one of the following:
MET CS 535 Computer Networks
Sprg ‘25
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (METCS575) ; Undergraduate Corequisites: Undergraduate students can not take any combination of courses from th e list: CS 425, CS 535, CS 625. Only one of these courses can be coun ted toward their requirements. - This course provides a robust understanding of networking. It teaches the fundamentals of networking systems, their architecture, function and operation and how those fundamentals are reflected in current network technologies. Students will learn the principles that underlie all networks and the application of those principles (or not) to current network protocols and systems. The course explains how layers of different scope are combined to create a network. There will be a basic introduction to Physical Media, the functions that make up protocols, such as error detection, delimiting, lost and duplicate detection; and the synchronization required for the feedback mechanisms: flow and retransmission control, etc. Students will be introduced to how these functions are used in current protocols, such as Ethernet, WiFi, VLANs, TCP/IP, wireless communication, routing, congestion management, QoS, network management, security, and the common network applications as well as some past applications with unique design solutions. Prereq: MET CS 575 and MET CS 201 or MET CS 231 or MET CS 232. Or instructor's consent. Restrictions: This course may not be taken in conjunction with MET CS 625 or MET CS 425 (undergraduate). Only one of these courses can be counted towards degree requirements. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Day |
PSY B51 |
T |
12:30 pm – 3:15 pm |
O1 |
IND |
Day |
|
ARR |
12:00 am – 12:00 am |
MET CS 579 Database Management
Sprg ‘25
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (METCS231 OR METCS232) or consent of instructor. ; Undergraduate Corequisites: Restrictions: This course may not be taken in conjunction with CS 669 or CS 469 (undergraduate). Only one of these courses can be counted to wards degree requirements. - This course provides a theoretical yet modern presentation of database topics ranging from Data and Object Modeling, relational algebra and normalization to advanced topics such as how to develop Web-based database applications. Other topics covered - relational data model, SQL and manipulating relational data; applications programming for relational databases; physical characteristics of databases; achieving performance and reliability with database systems; object- oriented database systems. Prereq: MET CS 231 or MET CS 232; or instructor's consent. Restrictions: This course may not be taken in conjunction with MET CS 469 (undergraduate) or MET CS 669. Refer to your Department for further details. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Lee |
CAS 218 |
R |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
Students who have completed courses on core curriculum subjects as part of their undergraduate degree program or have relevant work-related experience 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.
Computer Networks Concentration Requirements
(Five courses/20 credits)
MET CS 635 Network Media Technologies
Graduate Prerequisites: (METCS231 & METCS232 & METTC535) CS 231 or CS 232 and TC 535 or consent of the instructor. - The purpose of this course is to provide students with a deeper understanding of Media-specific Technologies not only so that they will be able to use the ones covered in this course, but more importantly be able to analyze and evaluate new technologies. This course applies the principles from CS 535 to understand the engineering that lead to them as well as the special problems that confront network technologies that operate directly over the physical media. These Media specific layers have three problems to solve: the usual one of multiple users of a common resource, accommodating the particular characteristics of the media, and providing (to the degree possible) a media- independent service to the layers above. While CS 535 provides a high-level view of some of these technologies, in this course, they are considered in much greater detail as to how these technologies address their requirements and take advantage of the assumptions made. The emphasis is on those technologies that are either representative of a type or take a unique perspective on the problem. Hence, the traditional data link protocols, such as HDLC, modern Ethernet (primarily VLANs), WiFi (802.11) represent the first type, while media technologies, such as DOCSIS, RFIDs, IoT, and cellular mobile networks are representative of the second. The course will consider how these technologies solve mobility, routing, congestion, QoS (multi-media), security, etc. A major project is part of this course. Prereq: MET CS 231 or MET CS 232 and either MET CS 625 or MET CS 535; or instructor's consent. [ 4 cr. ]
MET CS 685 Network Design and Management
Sprg ‘25
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (METCS535 OR METCS625) or instructor's consent - . This course will cover contemporary integrated network management based on FCAPS (Fault, Configuration, Administration, Performance, and Security management) model. The introduction to the course will be an overview of data transmission techniques and networking technologies. The middle part of the course will be on Network Management Model, SNMP versions 1, 2 and 3, and MIBs. In the second part of the course, particular focus and emphasis will be given to current network management issues: various wireless networks technologies (WLAN, WiFi, WiMax), Voice-over-IP, Peer-to-Peer Networks, networking services, Identity Management, and Services Oriented Architecture Management. Prereq: MET CS 535 or MET CS 625. or instructor's consent. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
O2 |
IND |
Arena |
|
ARR |
12:00 am – 12:00 am |
MET CS 690 Network Security
Sprg ‘25
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (METCS535 OR METCS625) or instructor's consent. - This course will cover advanced network security issues and solutions. The main focus on the first part of the course will be on Security basics, i.e. security services, access controls, vulnerabilities, threats and risk, network architectures and attacks. In the second part of the course, particular focus and emphasis will be given to network security capabilities and mechanisms (Access Control on wire-line and wireless networks), IPsec, Firewalls, Deep Packet Inspection and Transport security. The final portion of the course will address Network Application security (Email, Ad-hoc, XML/SAML and Services Oriented Architecture security. As part of our course review we will explore a number of Network Use Cases. Prereq: MET CS 535 or MET CS 625; Familiarity with OSI and TCP/IP protocol stack; Background-familiarity with binary numbers, prime numbers, binary- hexadecimal-decimal conversions, etc; Familiarity with computer programming concepts; or instructor's consent. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Zhang |
WED 140 |
R |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
O1 |
IND |
Zhang |
|
ARR |
12:00 am – 12:00 am |
MET CS 775 Advanced Networking
Graduate Prerequisites: (METCS535) or consent of the instructor - This seminar course provides a strong foundation in networking and Internet architecture, data transfer protocols, including TCP, SCTP, QUIC, and IPv6, and a deep look at network resource allocation with an emphasis on protocol- independent hardware for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) and congestion management. The course goes into greater depth of current topics such as: naming and addressing, synchronization, congestion management and resource allocation (routing) and how they manifest in different environments. There will be assigned readings from the professor that require considerable class participation, both in presenting material and discussing it.
Prereq: MET CS 535 OR MET CS 625,or instructor's consent required. [ 4 cr. ]
Plus one additional course from the following general electives:
MET CS 532 Computer Graphics
Graduate Prerequisites: MET CS 248 and MET CS 341 or MET CS 342 or consent of the instructor - This course is primarily the study of design of graphic algorithms. At the end of the course you can expect to be able to write programs to model, transform and display 3- dimensional objects on a 2-dimensional display. The course starts with a brief survey of graphics devices and graphics software. 2-d primitives such as lines and curves in 2- d space are studied and a number of algorithms to draw them on a rectangular surface are introduced, followed by a study of polygons, scan conversion and other fill methods. Attributes of the primitives are studied as well as filtering and aliasing. Geometric transformations in 2 dimensions are introduced in homogeneous coordinates, followed by the viewing pipeline, which includes clipping of lines, polygons and text. Hierarchical graphics modeling is briefly studied. The graphics user interface is introduced and various input functions and interaction modes are examined. 3-d graphics is introduced through object representations through polygonal methods, spline techniques, and octrees. This is followed by 3-d transformations and the 3-d viewing pipeline. The course ends with a study of algorithms to detect the visible surfaces of a 3-d object in both the object space and the image space. Laboratory Course. Prereq: MET CS 248 and MET CS 341 or MET CS 342. Or instructor's consent. [ 4 cr. ]
MET CS 550 Computational Mathematics for Machine Learning
Sprg ‘25
Undergraduate Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of Python or R; or consent of instructor. - Mathematics is fundamental to data science and machine learning. In this course, you will review essential mathematical concepts and fundamental procedures illustrated by Python and/or R code and visualizations. Computational methods for data science presented through accessible, self-contained examples, intuitive explanations, and visualization will be discussed. Equal emphasis will be placed on both mathematics and computational methods that are at the heart of many algorithms for data analysis and machine learning. You will also advance your mathematical proficiency enabling you to effectively apply your skills to data analytics and machine learning. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Pinsky |
MET 101 |
M |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
MET CS 561 Financial Analytics
Sprg ‘25
This course presents financial algorithms used in applications of computer science in financial decision analysis, risk management, data mining and market analysis, and other modern business processes. The course covers theoretical background on probabilistic methods used for financial decision making and their application in number of fields such as financial modeling, venture capital decision making, operational risk measurement and investment science. Number of financial applications and algorithms are being presented for portfolio risk analysis, modeling real options, venture capital decision making, etc. The course concludes with algorithms for financial risk assessment and presents the security concepts and challenges of financial information systems. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Law |
STH 113 |
T |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
MET CS 570 Biomedical Sciences and Health IT
Sprg ‘25
This course is designed for IT professionals, and those training to be IT professionals, who are preparing for careers in healthcare-related IT (Health Informatics). This course provides a high-level introduction into basic concepts of biomedicine and familiarizes students with the structure and organization of American healthcare system and the roles played by IT in that system. The course introduces medical terminology, human anatomy and physiology, disease processes, diagnostic modalities, and treatments associated with common disease processes. IT case studies demonstrate the key roles of health informatics and how IT tools and resources help medical professionals integrate multiple sources of information to make diagnostic and therapeutic decisions. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Keskin |
CAS 324 |
T |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
MET CS 580 Health Informatics
Sprg ‘25
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (METCS570) - This course presents the fundamental principles, concepts, and technological elements that make up the building blocks of Health Informatics. It introduces the characteristics of data, information, and knowledge in the domain, the common algorithms for health applications, and IT components in representative clinical processes. It presents the conceptual framework for handling biomedical data collection, storage, and optimal use. It covers the concepts of population health and precision medicine and the information systems that support them. It introduces basic principles of knowledge management systems in biomedicine, various aspects of Health Information Technology standards, and IT aspects of clinical process modeling. Students design a simple Health Informatics solution as a term project. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Diwania |
KCB 102 |
M |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
MET CS 581 Health Information Systems
Sprg ‘25
Health Information Systems are comprehensive application systems that automate the activities of healthcare delivery including clinical care using electronic health records (EHRs), coordination of care across providers, telehealth, management of the business of healthcare such as revenue cycle management, and population health management. The course covers the functionality of these systems, the underlying information technology they require and their successful operations. It addresses challenges in this rapidly changing field such as complex data, security, interoperability, mobile technology and distributed users. The course emphasizes applied use of health information systems through case studies, current articles, and exercises. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
O1 |
IND |
Levinger |
|
ARR |
12:00 am – 12:00 am |
MET CS 599 Biometrics
Sprg ‘25
In this course we will study the fundamental and design applications of various biometric systems based on fingerprints, voice, face, hand geometry, palm print, iris, retina, and other modalities. Multimodal biometric systems that use two or more of the above characteristics will be discussed. Biometric system performance and issues related to the security and privacy aspects of these systems will also be addressed. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Djordjevic |
PHO 201 |
W |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
MET CS 601 Web Application Development
Sprg ‘25
Prerequisites: WAD 100 - Learn essential front-end development skills, starting with foundational JavaScript techniques, such as DOM manipulation and event handling, and advancing to interactive web technologies like HTML's Drag and Drop, Canvas, and SVG. You will be exposed to asynchronous operations, including AJAX, the Fetch API, and Web Workers, and learn to craft responsive designs using Flexbox, CSS Grid, and advanced CSS selectors. A comprehensive exploration of TypeScript and its main feature, static typing, and capabilities will also be covered. The course concludes with a comprehensive dive into ReactJS, covering its core architectural concepts, component-based structure, and state management techniques [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Sheehan |
CAS 208 |
R |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
A2 |
IND |
Sheehan |
CAS 116 |
T |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
MET CS 602 Server-Side Web Development
Sprg ‘25
Prerequisite: MET CS 601 Or instructor's consent. - The Server-Side Web Development course concentrates primarily on building full stack applications using the state of the art tools and frameworks. The course is divided into various modules covering in depth the following topics: NodeJS, Express, React, MongoDB, Mongoose ODM, Sequelize ORM, REST and GraphQL APIs, and application security. Along with the fundamentals underlying these technologies, several applications will be showcased as case studies. Students work with these technologies starting with simple applications and then examining real world complex applications. At the end of this course, students would have mastered developing the full stack applications using the MERN stack and related technologies. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
O1 |
IND |
Kalathur |
|
ARR |
12:00 am – 12:00 am |
MET CS 622 Advanced Programming Techniques
Sprg ‘25
HUB
Polymorphism, containers, libraries, method specifications, large-scale code management, use of exceptions, concurrent programming, functional programming, programming tests. Java will be used to illustrate these concepts. Students will implement a project or projects of their own choosing, in Java, since some concepts are expressible only in Java. Prerequisite: MET CS 342 or equivalent knowledge of Java. Or MET CS 521 and MET CS 526. Or instructor's consent. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Creativity/Innovation, Critical Thinking. [ 4 cr. ]
BU Hub Learn More - Creativity/Innovation
- Critical Thinking
- Quantitative Reasoning II
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Rawassizadeh |
KCB 102 |
W |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
O1 |
IND |
Rawassizadeh |
|
ARR |
12:00 am – 12:00 am |
MET CS 632 Information Technology Project Management
Sprg ‘25
HUB
This course provides students with a comprehensive overview of the principles, processes, and practices of software project management. Students learn techniques for planning, organizing, scheduling, and controlling software projects. There is substantial focus on software cost estimation and software risk management. Students will obtain practical project management skills and competencies related to the definition of a software project, establishment of project communications, managing project changes, and managing distributed software teams and projects. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Teamwork/Collaboration. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Campbell |
HAR 302 |
W |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
MET CS 633 Software Quality, Testing, and Security Management
Sprg ‘25
Theory and practice of security and quality assurance and testing for each step of the software development cycle. Verification vs. validation. Test case design techniques, test coverage criteria, security development and verification practices, and tools for static and dynamic analysis. Standards. Test-driven development. QA for maintenance and legacy applications. From a project management knowledge perspective, this course covers the methods, tools and techniques associated with the following processes -- Plan Quality, Perform Quality Assurance, and Perform Quality Control. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
O1 |
IND |
ELENTUKH |
|
ARR |
12:00 am – 12:00 am |
MET CS 664 Artificial Intelligence
Sprg ‘25
Graduate Prerequisites: MET CS 248 and MET CS 341 or MET CS 342. - Study of the ideas and techniques that enable computers to behave intelligently. Search, constraint propagations, and reasoning. Knowledge representation, natural language, learning, question answering, inference, visual perception, and/or problem solving. Laboratory course. Prereq: MET CS 341, MET CS 342, MET CS 520 or MET CS 521. Or instructor's consent. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Kalathur |
MET 122 |
M |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
MET CS 665 Software Design and Patterns
Sprg ‘25
Graduate Prerequisites: (METCS341 or METCS342 and METCS565) or consent of the instructor - Software design principles, the object-oriented paradigm, unified modeling language; creational, structural, and behavioral design patterns; OO analysis and design; implementation of semester project. Laboratory course. Prereq: (MET CS 526 or MET CS 622) and one of the following (MET CS 341, MET CS 342, MET CS 520, or MET CS 521). Or instructor's consent. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Orsini |
PSY B51 |
R |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
O2 |
IND |
Kalathur |
|
ARR |
12:00 am – 12:00 am |
MET CS 674 Database Security
Sprg ‘25
Graduate Prerequisites: CS 579 or CS 669 or consent of the instructor - The course provides a strong foundation in database security and auditing. This course utilizes Oracle scenarios and step-by-step examples. The following topics are covered: security, profiles, password policies, privileges and roles, Virtual Private Databases, and auditing. The course also covers advanced topics such as SQL injection, database management security issues such as securing the DBMS, enforcing access controls, and related issues. Prereq: MET CS 579 or MET CS 669; or instructor's consent. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
O2 |
IND |
Carroll |
|
ARR |
12:00 am – 12:00 am |
MET CS 677 Data Science with Python
Sprg ‘25
Students will learn major Python tools and techniques for data analysis. There are weekly assignments and mini projects on topics covered in class. These assignments will help build necessary statistical, visualization and other data science skills for effective use of data science in a variety of applications including finance, text processing, time series analysis and recommendation systems. In addition, students will choose a topic for a final project and present it on the last day of class. Prerequisite: MET CS 521 or equivalent. Or, instructor's consent. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Pinsky |
CAS 216 |
W |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
A2 |
IND |
Pinsky |
HAR 222 |
T |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
A3 |
IND |
Mohan |
CDS 264 |
R |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
O2 |
IND |
Chertushkin |
|
ARR |
12:00 am – 12:00 am |
MET CS 683 Mobile Application Development with Android
Sprg ‘25
Graduate Prerequisites: (METCS342) or instructor's consent. - This course discusses the principles and issues associated with mobile application development using Android as the development platform. Topics covered will include Android application components (Activities, Services, Content Providers and Broadcast Receivers), ICC (Inter-component Communication), UI design, data storage, asynchronous processing, 2D graphics, and Android security. Students will develop their own apps in Java and/or Kotlin using Android Studio in their semester-long projects. Prior knowledge of Java programming is required. Prerequisite: MET CS 342 OR MET CS 520 OR MET CS 521. Or instructor's consent. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
O2 |
IND |
Zhang |
|
ARR |
12:00 am – 12:00 am |
MET CS 684 Enterprise Cybersecurity Management
Sprg ‘25
This course covers important topics that students need to understand in order to effectively manage a successful cybersecurity and privacy program, including governance, risk management, asset classification and incidence response. Students are first introduced to cybersecurity & privacy policy frameworks, governance, standards, and strategy. Risk tolerance is critical when building a cybersecurity and privacy program that supports business goals and strategies. Risk management fundamentals and assessment processes will be reviewed in depth including the methodology for identifying, quantifying, mitigating and controlling risks. Asset classification and the importance of protecting Intellectual Property (IP) will prepare students to understand and identify protection mechanisms needed to defend against malicious actors, including industry competitors and nation states. Incident Response programs will cover preparation and responses necessary to triage incidents and respond quickly to limit damage from malicious actors. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Mukavetz |
CAS 426 |
M |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
E1 |
IND |
Mukavetz |
CAS 426 |
M |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
MET CS 688 Web Mining and Graph Analytics
Sprg ‘25
Prerequisites: MET CS 544, or MET CS 555 or equivalent knowledge, or instructor's consent. - The Web Mining and Graph Analytics course covers the areas of web mining, machine learning fundamentals, text mining, clustering, and graph analytics. This includes learning fundamentals of machine learning algorithms, how to evaluate algorithm performance, feature engineering, content extraction, sentiment analysis, distance metrics, fundamentals of clustering algorithms, how to evaluate clustering performance, and fundamentals of graph analysis algorithms, link analysis and community detection based on graphs. Laboratory Course. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Vasilkoski |
MCS B37 |
M |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
A2 |
IND |
Vasilkoski |
CAS 222 |
W |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
A3 |
IND |
Hajiyani |
CAS 327 |
M |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
O1 |
IND |
Rawassizadeh |
|
ARR |
12:00 am – 12:00 am |
MET CS 689 Designing and Implementing a Data Warehouse
Sprg ‘25
Graduate Prerequisites: CS 579 or CS 669 or consent of the instructor - This course surveys state-of-the art technologies in DW and Big Data. It describes logical, physical and semantic foundation of modern DW infrastructure. Students will create a cube using OLAP and implement decision support benchmarks on Hadoop/Spark vs Vertica database. Upon successful completion, students will be familiar with tradeoffs in DW design and architecture. Prereq: MET CS 579 or MET CS 669 and either MET CS 520 or MET CS 521. Or instructor's consent. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
O2 |
IND |
Polnar |
|
ARR |
12:00 am – 12:00 am |
MET CS 693 Digital Forensics and Investigations
Sprg ‘25
Provides a comprehensive understanding of digital forensics and investigation tools and techniques. Learn what computer forensics and investigation is as a profession and gain an understanding of the overall investigative process. Operating system architectures and disk structures are discussed. Studies how to set up an investigator's office and laboratory, as well as what computer forensic hardware and software tools are available. Other topics covered include importance of digital evidence controls and how to process crime and incident scenes, details of data acquisition, computer forensic analysis, e-mail investigations, image file recovery, investigative report writing, and expert witness requirements. Provides a range of laboratory and hands-on assignments either in solo or in teams. With rapid growth of computer systems and digital data this area has grown in importance. Prereq: Working knowledge of windows computers, including installing and removing software. Access to a PC meeting the minimum system requirements defined in the course syllabus. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
E1 |
IND |
Arena |
MET 101 |
S |
9:00 am – 12:00 pm |
O2 |
IND |
Navarro |
|
ARR |
12:00 am – 12:00 am |
MET CS 694 Mobile Forensics and Security
Sprg ‘25
Overview of mobile forensics investigation techniques and tools. Topics include mobile forensics procedures and principles, related legal issues, mobile platform internals, bypassing passcode, rooting or jailbreaking process, logical and physical acquisition, data recovery and analysis, and reporting. Provides in-depth coverage of both iOS and Android platforms. Laboratory and hands-on exercises using current tools are provided and required. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Zhang |
MCS B33 |
R |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
MET CS 695 Cybersecurity
Sprg ‘25
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (METCS625) or instructor's consent - This course introduces fundamental concepts, principles of cybersecurity and their use in the development of security mechanisms and policies. Topics include basic risk assessment and management; basic legal and ethics issues, various cyber attacks, defense methods and tools; security principles, models and components; different crypto protocols, techniques and tools, including symmetric and asymmetric encryption algorithms, hashing, public key infrastructure, and how they can be used; security threats and defense to hardware, operating systems, networks and applications in modern computing environments. Hands-on labs using current tools are provided and required. Prerequisite: METCS535 or METCS625 or instructor's consent. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Arena |
MCS B29 |
M |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
O1 |
IND |
See |
|
ARR |
12:00 am – 12:00 am |
MET CS 699 Data Mining
Sprg ‘25
Prerequisites: MET CS 521 & MET CS 546; MET CS 579 or MET CS 669; or consent of instructor. - Study basic concepts and techniques of data mining. Topics include data preparation, classification, performance evaluation, association rule mining, regression and clustering. Students learn underlying theories of data mining algorithms in the class and they practice those algorithms through assignments and a semester-long class project using R. After finishing this course, students will be able to independently perform data mining tasks to solve real-world problems. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Lee |
CAS 326 |
M |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
A2 |
IND |
Lee |
EPC 206 |
W |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
MET CS 701 Rich Internet Application Development
Sprg ‘25
Undergraduate Prerequisites: MET CS 520 or MET CS 601 and programming experience, or instructor's c onsent - The Rich Internet Application (RIA) Development course concentrates primarily on building rich client web applications in the browser for desktop and mobile devices. The course is divided into various modules covering in depth the following technologies: HTML5, AngularJS, and Ionic framework. Along with the fundamentals underlying these technologies, several applications will be showcased as case studies. Students work with these technologies starting with simple applications and then examining real world complex applications. At the end of this course, students would have mastered the latest and widely used RIA methodologies. Course Prerequisites: METCS520 (Information Structures) and METCS601 (Web Application Development), or instructor's consent. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Davoodi |
CAS 306 |
W |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
O2 |
IND |
Winderbaum |
|
ARR |
12:00 am – 12:00 am |
MET CS 703 Network Forensics
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (METCS625 & METCS695) or instructor^s consent. - This course provides a comprehensive understanding of network forensic analysis principles. Within the context of forensics security, network infrastructures, topologies, and protocols are introduced. Students understand the relationship between network forensic analysis and network security technologies. Students will learn to identify network security incidents and potential sources of digital evidence and demonstrate the ability to perform basic network data acquisition and analysis using computer based applications and utilities. Students will also identify potential applications for the integration of network forensic technologies and demonstrate the ability to accurately document network forensic processes and analysis. Prereq: MET CS 625 and MET CS 695; or instructor's consent. [ 4 cr. ]
MET CS 763 Secure Software Development
Sprg ‘25
Graduate Prerequisites: MET TC 250 or MET CS 248 or MET OM 501. - Overview of techniques and tools to develop secure software. Focus on the application security. Topics include secure software development processes, threat modeling, secure requirements and architectures, vulnerability and malware analysis using static code analysis and dynamic analysis tools, vulnerabilities in C/C and Java programs, Crypto and secure APIs, vulnerabilities in web applications and mobile applications, and security testing. Hands-on lab and programming exercises using current tools are provided and required. Prerequisite: At least two 500- level (or above) programming-intensive computer science courses; or instructor's consent. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Zhang |
FLR 123 |
T |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
MET CS 767 Advanced Machine Learning and Neural Networks
Sprg ‘25
Graduate Prerequisites: MET CS 521; MET CS 622, MET CS 673 or MET CS 682; MET CS 677 strongly recommended; or consent of instructor. - Theories and methods for learning from data. The course covers a variety of approaches, including Supervised and Unsupervised Learning, Regression, k-means, KNN’s, Neural Nets and Deep Learning, Recurrent Neural Nets, Rule-learning, Adversarial Learning, Bayesian Learning, and Genetic Algorithms. The underpinnings are covered: perceptrons, backpropagation, attention, and transformers. Each student focuses on two of these approaches and creates a term project. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Chertushkin |
EPC 206 |
T |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
A2 |
IND |
Mohan |
MET 101 |
T |
9:00 am – 11:45 am |
MET CS 777 Big Data Analytics
Sprg ‘25
This course is an introduction to large-scale data analytics. Big Data analytics is the study of how to extract actionable, non-trivial knowledge from massive amount of data sets. This class will focus both on the cluster computing software tools and programming techniques used by data scientists, as well as the important mathematical and statistical models that are used in learning from large-scale data processing. On the tools side, we will cover the basics systems and techniques to store large-volumes of data, as well as modern systems for cluster computing based on Map-Reduce pattern such as Hadoop MapReduce, Apache Spark and Flink. Students will implement data mining algorithms and execute them on real cloud systems like Amazon AWS, Google Cloud or Microsoft Azure by using educational accounts. On the data mining models side, this course will cover the main standard supervised and unsupervised models and will introduce improvement techniques on the model side.
Prerequisite: MET CS 521, MET CS 544 and MET CS 555. Or, MET CS 677. Or, Instructor's consent. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Alizadeh-Shabdiz |
MCS B31 |
M |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
O1 |
IND |
Trajanov |
|
ARR |
12:00 am – 12:00 am |
MET CS 779 Advanced Database Management
Sprg ‘25
Graduate Prerequisites: (METCS579 OR METCS669) or consent of the instructor - This course covers advanced aspects of database management including normalization and denormalization, query optimization, distributed databases, data warehousing, and big data. There is extensive coverage and hands on work with SQL, and database instance tuning. Course covers various modern database architectures including relational, key value, object relational and document store models as well as various approaches to scale out, integrate and implement database systems through replication and cloud based instances. Students learn about unstructured "big data" architectures and databases, and gain hands-on experience with Spark and MongoDB. Students complete a term project exploring an advanced database technology of their choice. Prereq: MET CS 579 or MET CS 669; or instructor's consent. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
A1 |
IND |
Polnar |
MET 122 |
R |
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm |
O1 |
IND |
Polnar |
|
ARR |
12:00 am – 12:00 am |
MET CS 781 Advanced Health Informatics
Sprg ‘25
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (METCS570) - This course presents the details of information processing in hospitals, hospital information systems (HIS), and more broadly health information systems. It presents the architecture, design, and user requirements of information systems in health care environment. It focuses on Information Technology aspects of Health Informatics specifically addressing the design, development, operation, and management of HIS. The first part of this course covers the introductory concepts including information processing needs, and information management in health care environment. The second part covers detailed description of HIS including hospital process modeling, architecture, quality assessment, and applicable tools. The final part of the course covers management of HIS and related issues and extension of this topic to other health care organizations. The course will have a term project providing students a hands-on experience in design and research of HIS. Prereq: MET CS 580; or instructor's consent. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
O2 |
IND |
Levinger |
|
ARR |
12:00 am – 12:00 am |
MET CS 783 Enterprise Architecture
Sprg ‘25
Graduate Prerequisites: (METCS682) or strategic IT experience or instructor's consent - This course builds upon the strong technical foundation of our MSCIS and MSCS curricula, by providing students with the CIO-level management perspective and skills of an enterprise architect, in the context of the technologies that implement those architectures. Current technologies and processes explored in the enterprise architecture context include blockchain, microservices, multimodal/analytic databases, DevOps, SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework), containers/Docker, and some leverage of AI techniques. We cover both the migration of legacy enterprise systems and de novo enterprise architecture development, vendor selection and management, cybersecurity in the enterprise, and complex system integration. Enterprise architecture decisions are presented in the context of the business goals and alignment that are critical for success, given globalization and the reality that "all companies are now technology companies." The course content is rich with case studies that illustrate practical application of enterprise architecture approaches and lessons learned. The course also includes a number of realistic enterprise architecture assignments and an incremental term project with components spanning the course, to provide students with hands on enterprise architecture experience. Students develop the understanding and skills needed to define and implement successful enterprise architectures that provide real strategic and concrete value to organizations, such as substantially reducing IT costs while improving performance, agility and alignment of information technology to business goals. On-campus classrooms follow a "flipped classroom" format, where significant class time is devoted to in-class group workshops. Prereq: MET CS 682. Or strategic IT experience. Or instructor's consent. [ 4 cr. ]
Section |
Type |
Instructor |
Location |
Days |
Times |
O2 |
IND |
Yates |
|
ARR |
12:00 am – 12:00 am |
MET CS 789 Cryptography
Graduate Prerequisites: (METCS248 & METCS566) or consent of the instructor - The course covers the main concepts and principles of cryptography with the main emphasis put on public key cryptography. It begins with the review of integers and a thorough coverage of the fundamentals of finite group theory followed by the RSA and ElGamal ciphers. Primitive roots in cyclic groups and the discrete log problem are discussed. Baby-step Giant-step and the Index Calculus probabilistic algorithms to compute discrete logs in cyclic groups are presented. Naor -- Reingold and Blum -- Blum -- Shub Random Number Generators as well as Fermat, Euler and Miller-Rabin primality tests are thoroughly covered. Pollard's Rho, Pollard's and Quadratic Sieve factorization algorithms are presented. The course ends with the coverage of some oblivious transfer protocols and zero-knowledge proofs. There are numerous programming assignments in the course. Prereq: MET CS 248, or instructor's consent. [ 4 cr. ]
MET CS 793 Special Topics in Computer Science
Fall 2023 Topic: Generative AI
This course focuses on recent advances in generative AI. It starts by reviewing statistics and regression models related to generative models, then common deep learning methods described. Later, models for designing new content, such as images, music, or text, will be explored, including GAN, VAE, Autoregressive and Diffusion Models. MLP, CNN, RNN, and Transformer models covered in CS 767 are reviewed. Students should be fluent in Python programming and CS 555 and CS 677 [ 4 cr. ]
MET CS 799 Advanced Cryptography
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (METCS789) or instructor's consent - This course builds on the material covered in CS 789 Cryptography. It begins with the coverage of commutative rings, finite fields, rings of polynomials, and finding of the greatest common divisor in the ring of polynomials. Irreducible polynomials are discussed. Field extensions and fields Fᴩ [x]/P are thoroughly covered. The main emphasis is put on elliptic curves over Fᴩ and F₂ and the ElGamal cipher on elliptic curves is presented. Block ciphers DES and double and triple DES are introduced. AES and WHIRLPOOL block ciphers and modes of operation are covered. The course continues with the introduction of message integrity and message authentication. In the last part of the course cryptographic hash functions SHA-512 and WHIRLPOOL as well as various digital signatures are introduced. Finally, entity authentication and key management issues are discussed. Prereq: MET CS 789; or instructor's consent. [ 4 cr. ]
Computer Science Faculty
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How Much Does This Program Cost?
BU MET Programs offer the flexibility of part-time or full-time study. Tuition, fees, and total program cost are determined by enrollment status. If you enroll in 1–2 courses (4–8 credits) in a semester, you are charged the part-time per-credit rate. If you enroll in 3–4 courses (12–16 credits) in a semester, you are charged the full-time semester rate.
MS in Computer Science, Computer Networks Concentration (On Campus)
Enrollment Status |
Part Time |
Full Time |
Courses per Semester |
2 courses (8 credits) |
4 courses (16 credits) |
3 courses (12 credits) |
Time to Degree |
5 semesters (20 months) |
3 semesters (12-16 months)*** |
4 semesters (16-20 months)*** |
Tuition* |
$550-$975 per credit** |
$33,335 per semester |
$33,335 per semester |
Fees per Semester* |
$60 |
$478 |
$478 |
Total Degree Cost* |
$32,500– $34,200 |
$75,486 |
$105,399 |
*Based on 2024–2025 Boston University tuition & fee rates.
**Cost per credit is determined by course number (100–599 = $550/credit, 600–999 = $975/credit).
***Summer semester enrollment is not required for international students to maintain F-1 visa status. Enrollment in summer semester coursework will expedite completion of program and reduce total program cost.
International students seeking an F-1 visa for on-campus study must enroll full time and demonstrate availability of funds to cover the Estimated Cost of Graduate Study; those who wish to study online may enroll part-time but are not eligible for a visa. Learn more about International Student Tuition & Fees.
Questions? Please contact us to hear from an Admissions Advisor who can help you determine the best enrollment pathway. For information regarding financial aid, visit BU MET’s Financial Aid page.
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