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Additional requirements for the Master of Science in Computer Science program:

• Research advisor should be selected by the end of the second semester at NDSU.
• Additional 600-800 level Computer Science courses selected in consultation with your advisor
  • maximum of two courses (6 credits) at the 600 level
  • Field Experience/Practicum credits do not count.
• Courses on topics that are typically considered to be part of computer science, such as AI, machine learning, software engineering, etc. should be taken in the Computer Science Department. Outside courses (courses without a CSCI prefix) need prior approval by the graduate coordinator and the research advisor and should only be approved if a course with similar content is not already offered by our department. A syllabus might need to be submitted by the student wanting to take a particular course from another department to ensure adequate coverage of computer science content.
• All course work must be approved by the student's advisor, supervisory committee, and graduate coordinator through the Plan of Study.
• A Plan of Study listing coursework and examination committee members should be completed by the end of the second semester at NDSU.
• A maximum of 9 credits may be transferred into the program.
• There may be a maximum of 3 credits of independent study.

Admission and Application Requirements

• Graduate School admission and application requirements are found on the Admission Information page.
• In addition, this program requires applicants to show, by a combination of educational background, academic performance, and work experience, the potential to succeed in advanced study and research in computer science.
  • Minimum preparation usually includes the ability to program in one or more modern, commonly used high-level languages (such as Java or C++); and experience in using data structures such as linked lists and binary trees.
  • Minimum preparation for unconditional admission to the master's program would normally include courses in computer science principles and theory equivalent to the NDSU courses:

• GRE score is not required for admission.  However, a GRE score above the median (50th percentile) for the quantitative reasoning portion is strongly recommended for gaining priority in assistantships.