Additional Admission Requirements

In addition to the general requirements for admission to the Graduate School, students applying for this program are expected to have knowledge of two higher languages, data structures, algorithm analysis, operating systems or computer architecture, and two additional upper-division computer science courses. Also, knowledge of calculus, discrete mathematics, and linear algebra are required. Students without all the above undergraduate prerequisites in computer science and mathematics may need additional coursework after entering the program, as determined by the department.

A bachelor’s degree in a high quality computer science is desired. Individuals who have worked at a high professional level in the computer industry may be able to substitute work experience for some of the specific subject area requirements, subject to review by the Department Graduate Committee.

Students must have an undergraduate grade point average of (or equivalent to) at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 point scale) and a Junior/Senior GPA of at least 3.0. A satisfactory score on the aptitude portion of the GRE is also required.

Early Entry Program

Exceptional undergraduate students at UNC Charlotte may be accepted into the M.S. in Computer Science and begin work toward a graduate degree before completion of the baccalaureate degree. The criteria for admission are the following:

1. A student may be accepted into the Early Entry Program at any time after completion of 75 credit hours of undergraduate work applicable to the appropriate degree, although it is expected that close to 90 hours will have been earned by the time the first graduate course is taken.
2. The application process and all required documentation (e.g., test scores, transcripts, letters of recommendation) are the same for early entry students as for other applicants to the program, except that the GRE scores are waived. Admission must be recommended by the Department of Computer Science and approved by the Graduate School. The admission status will be “provisional” pending the award of the undergraduate degree.
3. To be accepted into this program an undergraduate student must have at least a 3.2 overall GPA and a minimum 3.3 GPA in the Department of Computer Science.
4. If an Early Entry student has not met the normal admission requirements of a 3.0 overall undergraduate GPA and a 3.0 Junior/Senior GPA at the end of his/her baccalaureate degree, she/he will be dismissed from the graduate program.
5. Students accepted into an Early Entry Program will be subject to the same policies that pertain to other matriculated graduate students. Generally, it will be assumed that Early Entry students will finish their baccalaureate degrees before they complete 15 hours of graduate work.
6. This Early Entry Program is also accelerated in which up to 12 hours earned at the graduate level may be substituted for required undergraduate hours. In other words, up to 12 hours of graduate work may be “double counted” toward both the baccalaureate and graduate degrees.

Degree Requirements

The Master of Science program in Computer Science requires 30 graduate credit hours with a minimum 3.0 GPA, which may optionally include 6 hours of thesis.  At least 18 hours of the courses applied to the degree must be from the Department of Computer Science and at least 24 hours must be from the College of Computing and Informatics.  At least 15 hours must be 6000 level or above courses.  No more than 6 hours may be in Individual Study. A maximum of 6 hours of graduate credit may be transferred from other institutions.

Minimum Background Requirements for Admission

Applicants to M.S. program in Computer Science must have had a computing background equivalent to two years of undergraduate training in Computer Science, including at least an introductory course on programming, a course on data structures, and a course either in operating systems or computer architecture. In addition, background in Mathematics to include courses in Linear Algebra or Statistics, Discrete Mathematics, and at least one year of Calculus is also required. Students without sufficient background in Computer Science or Mathematics may be admitted to the Program but must complete background courses determined by the M.S. Program Director in the first year.

Assistantships

Financial assistance for qualified students is available on a competitive basis in the form of graduate teaching and research assistantships. Students that are awarded assistantships are expected to choose the thesis option. The deadline for graduate teaching assistantship applications is March 15 for the following academic year. For detailed and updated information, refer to the Computer Science website.

Minor in Operations Research

The Department of Computer Science participates in the program leading to an interdisciplinary graduate Minor in Operations Research . See the Mathematics and Statistics  heading under the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences section of this Catalog for complete information and program requirements.