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

MCS Degree Requirements

The Master of Computer Science (MCS) degree requires completion of at least 32 credit hours. The breadth, advanced coursework, and elective requirements ensure that graduates conclude the program as well-rounded professionals prepared to advance the field of computer science.

View the Degree Planning Document [PDF].

View the Course Catalog entry for MCS.

Breadth requirement: 12-16 credit hours

Must complete four different courses, each from a different area, from the following core areas with a grade of B- or higher:

Area Available Courses
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

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 permitted. All courses counting toward this requirement must be passed with a grade of C or higher.

Elective courses: 4-8 credit hours

Subject to all Additional Requirements listed below.

Additional Requirements

  • Only 500-level and 400-level (when offered for graduate credit) coursework may be counted toward degree requirements.
  • A minimum of 24 computer science credit hours must be taken from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
  • A minimum of 12 credit hours taken at the 500-level overall.
  • A maximum of 4 hours of CS 591 and CS 491 may be applied toward the degree.
  • Any course taken for letter grade must have a grade of C or higher. A grade of B- or higher is required for the Breadth coursework.
  • The minimum program GPA is 3.0.
  • Up to 12 credit hours of previous graduate coursework that is approved by the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science (including non-degree graduate courses completed within the Siebel School) may be transferred and applied to the degree requirements.
  • All degree requirements must be completed within five years of initial enrollment.