CECS Graduate Programs

Tailored to the schedules of working professionals, the CSULB Master of Science in Computer Science and other graduate programs offer the most relevant and up-to-date curriculum to meet the demands of the rapidly changing world of computing.

Tailored to the schedules of working professionals, the CSULB Master of Science in Computer Science program offers the most relevant and up-to-date curriculum to meet the demands of the rapidly changing world of computing.

Courses represent a broad spectrum of technology interests, including:

  • Software engineering
  • Networks
  • Web design
  • Game programming
  • Modeling and simulation
  • Computer architecture
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Computer graphics, and more

The M.S. in Computer Science providesadvanced study in software development and engineering, networking, operating systems, distributed computing, artificial intelligence, and analysis of algorithms. Students can pursue concentrations in Advanced Systems or Software Development.

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Complete your graduate degree with a comprehensive exam or thesis research project. Recent thesis projects have covered:

  • Virtual agents
  • Data mining
  • Software quality assurance
  • Evolutionary algorithms
  • Neural networks, and
  • Distributed web computing.

To be considered for admission, graduate applicants must have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, been in good standing at the last institution attended, and have a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 for the last 60 semester units (90 quarter units) attempted. View admission deadlines

Students wishing to pursue advanced study may be interested in the College of Engineering’s Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) degree. Graduate study leading to the MSE can be tailored to the goals of a student with a background in chemical engineering by taking advanced course work to develop expertise in one of four areas:

  • Environmental: Chemistry and civil engineering
  • Controls: Electrical engineering
  • Microelectronics: Computer engineering
  • Thermal, fluids, and materials: Mechanical engineering

With most courses offered in the evening, the program is tailored to working professionals.

Program advisor: Feike Leij
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Under this joint program, the CSULB College of Engineering oversees the engineering portion of the program, and the Claremont Graduate University the mathematics portion.

Ph.D. advisor: Hamid Rahai

Interested in graduate study in computer science? Below is information on admission and requirements.

To be considered for admission, a graduate applicant must:

  • Have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
  • Have been in good standing at the last institution attended
  • Possess a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 for the last 60 semester units (90 quarter units) attempted.

Students may be admitted on a conditional basis, subject to the requirement that they remedy any deficiencies subsequent to admission. Letters of recommendation are not required. There is no separate application for the department.
 

Apply online at Cal State Apply

The CSULB Center for International Education provides details on admissions procedures, deadlines, and English language requirements.

The application deadline for the master's in computer science program for international students is Jan. 15 for the Fall semester and Sept. 1 for the Spring semester.

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To file for Advancement to Candidacy:

Registration in Continuous Enrollment/Graduate Studies 700 (GS-700), offered by the CSULB College of Professional & Continuing Education, is restricted to graduate students who have completed all other course work, been advanced to candidacy, have department and school approval, and require additional utilization of university facilities to complete their thesis or comprehensive examination. Students shall receive zero credit for enrollment in this course. 

  • Transfer units: Students may transfer up to 9 of the 30 units required for the MSCS degree, subject to approval of the CECS graduate advisor. Units earned through the College of Professional & Continuing Education are considered transfer units. No transfer units may be used to fulfill the 21-unit graduate credit requirement.
  • 7-year limit: All requirements of the MSCS degree must be completed within seven years from the date the first course of the student's approved program was completed.
  • Academic warning: Graduate students are placed on academic warning if they fail to maintain an overall grade-point average of at least 3.0 in all upper division and graduate level courses taken since admission to the degree program. Students who remain on academic warning for more than two consecutive semesters are subject to academic disqualification.