MCS in Chicago
Explore the MCS in Chicago Program
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, through the Department of Computer Science in The Grainger College of Engineering, is now offering the MCS degree in Chicago. Learn more about the MCS in Chicago program launch in partnership with the Discovery Partners Institute.
Attend classes in downtown Chicago to pursue an MCS degree full-time in as little as three semesters or take up to five years as a part-time student. Busy professionals can complete a degree while they continue to meet their current life and career obligations. Students pay full tuition and applicable fees. Student cohorts will be taught in-person and through an online hybrid model.
The Professional MCS is a non-thesis (coursework-only) degree that requires 32 hours of graduate coursework to complete. At least four courses must be chosen from unique “core” areas of computer science, and 12 hours must be at the advanced graduate level (500-level).
We also offer an Online MCS and Online MCS in Data Science, both through the Coursera platform, for busy professionals. Or join us at our flagship campus in Urbana-Champaign for our on-campus MCS.
Application Information
Who may apply? Applicants should hold a bachelor's degree in computer science, or if not, must have coursework (or commensurate experience) in object-oriented programming, data structures, algorithms, linear algebra and probability/statistics. Students attend classes in downtown Chicago to pursue an MCS degree full-time in as little as three semesters, or take up to five years as a part-time student. The recommended undergraduate GPA for applicants applying to the Professional Master's program is a 3.2/4.0 or higher. The Department of Computer Science does not require GRE scores for any of its graduate programs. Applications for the MCS do not require letters of recommendation, but will be considered if included, especially if used to justify experience in lieu of required coursework, or other irregularities. Please note that this program is currently only available to applicants who do not require a student visa.
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Master of Computer Science (MCS) Requirements Table.
Degree Planning Document [PDF].
Breadth Requirement: 12-16 credit hours.
Must complete four different courses, each from a different area, from the following ten core areas with a grade of B- or higher:
- Architecture, Compilers, Parallel Computing: CS 426, 431, 433, 483, 484, 526, 533, 534, 536
- Artificial Intelligence: CS 440, 441, 442, 443, 444, 445, 446, 447, 448, 540, 542, 543, 544, 545, 546, 588, 598 DL for Healthcare
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology: CS 466, 581, 582
- Computers and Education: CS 500
- Database and Information Systems: CS 410, 411, 412, 470, 510, 511, 512, 514
- Interactive Computing: CS 409, 415, 416, 417, 418, 419, 445, 465, 467, 469, 519, 565, 567, 568
- Programming Languages, Formal Methods, Software Engineering: CS 421, 422, 427, 428, 474, 475, 476, 477, 521, 522, 524, 527, 576, 584
- Scientific Computing: CS 450, 482, 554, 555, 556, 558
- Security and Privacy: CS 461, 463, 562, 563
- Systems and Networking (includes real-time systems and security): CS 414, 423, 424, 425, 434, 435, 436, 437, 438, 439, 461, 463, 498 Cloud Computing Applications, 523, 525, 537, 538, 541, 563
- Theory and Algorithms: CS 473, 475, 507, 571, 573, 574, 579, 580, 583, 586
Advanced Coursework: 12 credit hours with a grade of C or higher.
Must be computer science courses numbered CS 500-590 or 598. One 4 credit hour CS 597 course or an approved non-computer science 500-level course may be approved.
Additional Requirements
- At least 24 credit hours must be taken in computer science offered by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
- Any course taken for letter grade must have a grade of C or higher.
- Up to 12 credit hours of previous graduate coursework that is approved by the Department of Computer Science (including non-degree graduate courses completed within the Department of Computer Science) may be transferred and applied to the Professional MCS degree requirements.
- Degree must be completed within five years from initial enrollment.
MASTER OF COMPUTER SCIENCE (MCS) Requirements TABLE
| Credit Hours | Hours |
|---|---|
| Total Credit for the Degree | 32 |
| Course Work | 32 |
|
Breadth Requirement: four different courses, each from a different core area out of the ten core areas. |
12-16 |
|
Advanced courses – chosen from CS 500 - CS 590 and CS 598; CS 597, or an approved non-CS 500-level course may satisfy 4 credit hours of this requirement. |
12 |
|
Elective courses (subject to Other Requirements and Conditions below) |
4-8 |
|
Other Requirements and Conditions (may overlap):* Only 500-level and 400-level (when offered for graduate credit) coursework will be counted toward degree requirements. A minimum of 24 CS credit hours must be taken from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. A minimum of 12 500-level credit hours overall. A maximum of 4 hours of CS 591 and CS 491 may be applied toward the degree. A grade of B- or higher is required for the Breadth course work. The minimum program GPA is 3.0. At most, 12 credit hours of previous graduate coursework that is approved by the Department of Computer Science (including non-degree graduate courses completed within the Department of Computer Science) may be transferred and applied to the Professional MCS degree requirements. All degree requirements must be completed within five years from initial enrollment. |
|
Tuition & Fees
- MCS in Chicago Program Tuition and Fees [Choose the term, then "Graduate & Professional" and "Grad Engineering & Engineering Related", then "Resident (Campus Programs)"]
- Payment Options at Illinois
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
The Department of Computer Science generally does not offer Professional MCS students research or teaching assistantships.