Department of Computer Science

Online Academic Requirements

The Master of Computer Science (M.C.S.) is a non-thesis degree that requires 36 credit hours of graduate coursework.

Degree Requirements

1. Distribution Coursework: 9 to 12 credit hours.
2. Advanced coursework: 12 credit hours must be computer science courses numbered CS 500 through CS 590 or CS 598. CS 597, or an approved non computer science 500-level course, may satisfy four credit hours of this requirement.
3. Up to 4 credit hours of CS 591 and/or CS 491 may count toward the total credit hours required for the degree.
4. At least 24 credit hours must be taken in computer science courses offered by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
5. At most 12 semester credit hours of previous graduate course work may be transferred and apply to the M.C.S. degree requirements.
6. All degree requirements must be completed within five consecutive semesters (only fall and spring semesters are counted). Off-campus students have 5 years in which to complete the online MCS program.