Degree & Program Options
Siebel School of Computing and Data Science offers a variety of graduate study options to fit any educational goal. Read through each program carefully to determine which option is right for you. Applicants can only have one pending application for our graduate programs at a time.
- Ph.D. in Computer Science (Urbana-Champaign)
- Master of Computer Science (Urbana-Champaign)
- Master of Computer Science (Chicago)
- Master of Computer Science (Online) and optional data science (MCS-DS) track (Online)
- Master of Science in Bioinformatics non-thesis (Urbana-Champaign)
- Master of Science in Computer Science with thesis (Urbana-Champaign)
- 5-year B.S./Master of Science in Computer Science with thesis (Urbana-Champaign
- 5-year B.S./Master of Computer Science (Urbana-Champaign)
- Graduate Certificate in Computing Fundamentals (iCAN) (Online)
Comparison of CS Graduate Programs
| Program | Admission Cycle | Average Duration |
Thesis Required |
Research Required |
Undergraduate GPA (Recommended, 4.0 scale) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ph.D. in Computer Science (Urbana-Champaign) | Fall only | 5-7 years | Yes | Yes | 3.4 |
| Master of Computer Science (Urbana-Champaign) | Spring & Fall | 3 semesters (on campus) Up to 5 years (online) |
No | No | 3.2 |
| Master of Computer Science (Chicago) | Spring & Fall | Up to 5 years | No | No | 3.2 |
| Master of Computer Science (Online) and optional data science (MCS-DS) track (Online) | Spring, Fall & Summer | Up to 5 years | No | No | 3.2 |
| Master of Science in Bioinformatics non-thesis (Urbana-Champaign) | Spring & Fall | 2 years | No | No | 3.2 |
| Master of Science in Computer Science with thesis (Urbana-Champaign) | Fall only | 2 years | Yes | Yes | 3.2 |
| 5-year B.S./Master of Science in Computer Science with thesis (Urbana-Champaign)* | Fall only | 1 year | Yes | Yes | 3.5 |
| 5-year B.S./Master of Computer Science (Urbana-Champaign)* | Fall only | 1 year | No | No | 3.2 |
*Applicants to the Fifth Year Master's Programs are only open to current Siebel School of Computing and Data Science undergraduates enrolled in The Grainger College of Engineering who have a junior standing (must have at least one year left of their undergraduate studies after admission into the program).