MCS Application Information
The following information applies to our Urbana-Champaign MCS program, MCS in Chicago program, online MCS, and online MCS in Data Science.
Who may apply? Applicants should hold a 4-year bachelor's degree (or equivalent). Students with a bachelor’s degree in a field other than computer science are encouraged to apply, but they must have prerequisite coursework or commensurate experience in object-oriented programming, data structures, algorithms, linear algebra, and statistics/probability.
The recommended undergraduate GPA for applicants applying to the Professional Master's program is 3.2/4.0 or higher. The Siebel School of Computing and Data 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.
Guaranteed Admission for Illinois Graduates
Current students and alumni are eligible for guaranteed admission into any MCS program in the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science if they meet the following criteria:
- Have completed (or will complete before the first semester of MCS enrollment) a bachelor's degree in CS, CS + X, Mathematics & CS, Statistics & CS, or Computer Engineering or a minor in CS at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
- Have taken CS 374, either CS 340, CS 341 or ECE 391 and two 400-level CS courses with a 3.7+ GPA in these and all other CS courses taken.
Guaranteed admission may be available for the Online MCS and Online MCS-DS programs even if these criteria are not fully met due to greater program capacity. For further information, reach out to the program staff for the program(s) you're interested in.