The Grainger College of Engineering
Siebel School of Computing and Data Science

MCS Application Information

The following information applies to our MCS Urbana-Champaign, MCS Chicago, MCS Online and the MCS Online Data Science Track.

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 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 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, and either CS 340, CS 341 or ECE 391 with a 3.4+ GPA in these and all other CS courses taken at Illinois.

Notes:  A complete application must be submitted to be considered for guaranteed admissions. If a student received credit for a non-repeatable University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign course, they cannot retake this course for credit towards any graduate degree in the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science. Repeatable courses may only be repeated for credit in a graduate  degree program provided that the topics vary. 

Guaranteed admission may be available for the Online MCS program 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.