Graduate Student Information

It varies term to term. Look in the university's current calendar for the dates for each semester.

Application Deadlines:

• Spring Semester - December 9th
• Summer Semester - May 15^th
• Fall Semester - June 30th

Once all the application materials have been submitted, it typically takes approximately two weeks to process the application.

An undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university and one of the following

• A minimum 2.75 undergraduate cumulative GPA
• A minimum 3.00 cumulative GPA in the student's undergraduate major
• A score of at least 290 on the verbal and the quantitative sections of the GRE
• Significant experience (as judged by the Computer Science School) in industrial software development as documented by a resume and other appropriate documents, including published papers or patents.

Applicants who believe that the above material might not accurately reflect their readiness to undertake graduate study are invited to submit a résumé and two letters of recommendation from employers or college-level instructors to the TSYS School of Computer Science.

Applicants with significant industrial experience are invited, but not required, to include a resume to demonstrate practical experience in software development.

Application documents must be submitted through the Admission Office's application portal. The Admissions Office may ask that you include a small application fee, a certificate of immunization and a proof of lawful presence.

You may be required to complete one or both of CPSC 6106 and CPSC 6105 with a grade of B or higher each to make up for any course deficiencies. See the latest catalog of the computer science school. Neither of these bridging courses can apply to the credit hours that are required for the degree.

Work experience is an important part of professional development in the CS field. Your detailed resume helps the admissions committee determine your preparedness for the MS-ACS program. Include all CS-related skills, projects and responsibilities. The résumé is designed for cases in which the traditional methods are ambiguous. If you think that a résumé will improve your chances, include one.

We will accept for transfer a maximum or six (6) credits of graduate level coursework that was completed no earlier than 7 years before the student's expected graduation date with an MS in Applied Computer Science at CSU and that was passed with a grade of B higher from accredited universities. We do not accept credit for certification courses. The transfer has to be approved by a graduate student advisor in the school.

We do not have a math requirement. Most students have not needed any refresher math for any of our courses.

Maybe. Undergraduate degrees must be 4 years in length to be considered the equivalent of a bachelor's degree. Check with the CSU admissions office for transcript evaluation instructions.

If your degree is from a foreign university, it must be evaluated by an accredited service. CSU uses the following services for this purpose: World Education Services, Inc. and Josef Silny & Associates, Inc.

A minimum score of 79 on the internet-based TOEFL or a minimum score of 6.5 on the IELTS. Substitutions and waivers for these tests are outlined on the admissions page.

Certainly. You would have to follow the same process that you followed to apply the first time around, and make sure that your new application shows that the reason for your initial denial no longer exists.

For regularly admitted students, 30 graduate-level computer science credits are required. The official program of study gives a breakdown of the classes that are required for each of the degree's concentrations.

That is up to you. All course work is offered in the evenings and/or online. The number of courses that you choose to take determines the pace at which you proceed and finish the program. Most CSU students are part-time and take 1-2 courses per semester.

All work credited towards a graduate degree must be completed within seven years. The maximum course load for any graduate student in a semester is 12 hours, so a student could complete the degree in a minimum of three semesters. However the typical load for a full-time graduate student is nine hours in a semester, which would suggest that most full-time students would need four semesters to complete their degree. Students who are employed will typically only take 1-2 courses per semester and will require longer to complete the program.

Yes, all graduate courses are offered online. Several graduate courses are also offered on campus, alternating between day and night offerings.

Several graduate courses are offered on campus, alternating between day and night offerings. There is no minimum number of courses required on campus. However, a student in the United States on an F-1 nonimmigrant visa may take no more than one distance education or on-line class per semester towards his or her full course of study requirements. Such restrictions do not prohibit international students from completing programs that are offered on-line, as the students can enroll in the course without being admitted to the United States.

Most students in our program work. Each professor will have their own attendance policy - all of which take into account that students will miss class due to travel, work, commitments, sick children, etc. Students should work out their schedule with their professor and other students on their project team.

Yes. Graduate students are encouraged to be creative and put together their own proposals/ideas for an MS project. Some instructors may be expert or currently active in part or all of a student's research area, which increases the likelihood of the student finishing their project in time. If not, then the student might take a bit longer to finish.

Most students finalize a concentration about a semester or two into the MS program. You would just have to let your academic advisor know about your intention to take a certain concentration. You may always switch to another concentration (in consultation with your academic advisor) later into your progress towards the degree. If you choose to go with a new concentration, then you may have to take some additional concentration electives and end up taking more credit hours than the 30 credit hours that most students must take.

Please review the Chart of Tuition and Fees.

Students who only take online courses in Computer Science are only required to pay tuition and the Technology fee. Tuition for online courses in the graduate Computer Science program are charged at a rate of $329 per credit hour. The Technology fee is $79/semester. For graduate students who are admitted without any deficiencies, the total tuition is 30 * $329 = $9,870.

These calculations are based on tuition for Summer 2020. For the most up-to-date information see the current Chart of Tuition and Fees.

Some faculty require that exams be proctored at an approved testing facility. Approved testing facilities may charge a fee for each proctored exam.

We do not have a payment plan. However, we do have an Emergency Loan that allows you to pay for tuition in three payments.

Yes. There are a limited number of Graduate Assistantships (GAs) each year. Applications should be submitted to the Human Resources Office, through the Graduate School's assistantships portal. Although graduate assistantships are awarded for an academic year at a time, renewal is based on eligibility and renewal criteria. Graduate assistants are expected to do research and may be asked to help as a tutor (total of 19 hours a week.)

Yes. There are a limited number of Graduate Scholarships for newly accepted students or students in their first semester only. Send an email to cs@columbusstate.edu for the application form. The award is $2,500 per semester for a maximum of two semesters. Each semester, the graduate scholarship awardees are selected from the current pool of accepted applicants to the MS program. Awardees must enroll full time during their first two semesters in the MS program and maintain a Graduate Program GPA of 3.3. 

Not at this time.

It varies term to term. Look in the university's current calendar for the dates for each semester.

Application Deadlines:

• Spring Semester - December 9th
• Summer Semester - May 15^th
• Fall Semester - June 30th

Once all the application materials have been submitted, it typically takes approximately two weeks to process the application.

An undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university and one of the following

• A minimum 2.75 undergraduate cumulative GPA
• A minimum 3.00 cumulative GPA in the student's undergraduate major
• A score of at least 290 on the verbal and the quantitative sections of the GRE
• Significant experience (as judged by the Computer Science School) in industrial software development as documented by a resume and other appropriate documents, including published papers or patents.

Applicants who believe that the above material might not accurately reflect their readiness to undertake graduate study are invited to submit a résumé and two letters of recommendation from employers or college-level instructors to the TSYS School of Computer Science.

Applicants with significant industrial experience are invited, but not required, to include a resume to demonstrate practical experience in software development.

Application documents must be submitted through the Admission Office's application portal. The Admissions Office may ask that you include a small application fee, a certificate of immunization and a proof of lawful presence.

Your undergraduate degree does not have to be in a discipline that is related in any way to computer science or to information systems.

Work experience is an important part of professional development in the CS field. Your detailed resume helps the admissions committee determine your preparedness for the MS-ACS program. Include all CS-related skills, projects and responsibilities. The résumé is designed for cases in which the traditional methods are ambiguous. If you think that a résumé will improve your chances, include one.

We will accept for transfer a maximum or six (6) credits of graduate level coursework that was completed no earlier than 7 years before the student's expected graduation date with an MS in Applied Computer Science at CSU and that was passed with a grade of B higher from accredited universities. We do not accept credit for certification courses. The transfer has to be approved by a graduate student advisor in the school.

We do not have a math requirement. Most students have not needed any refresher math for any of our courses.

Maybe. Undergraduate degrees must be 4 years in length to be considered the equivalent of a bachelor's degree. Check with the CSU admissions office for transcript evaluation instructions.

If your degree is from a foreign university, it must be evaluated by an accredited service. CSU uses the following services for this purpose: World Education Services, Inc. and Josef Silny & Associates, Inc.

A minimum score of 79 on the internet-based TOEFL or a minimum score of 6.5 on the IELTS. Substitutions and waivers for these tests are outlined on the admissions page.

Certainly. You would have to follow the same process that you followed to apply the first time around, and make sure that your new application shows that the reason for your initial denial no longer exists.

For regularly admitted students, 30 graduate-level computer science credits are required. The official program of study gives a breakdown of the classes that are required for each of the degree's concentrations.

That is up to you. All course work is offered in the evenings and/or online. The number of courses that you choose to take determines the pace at which you proceed and finish the program. Most CSU students are part-time and take 1-2 courses per semester.

All work credited towards a graduate degree must be completed within seven years. The maximum course load for any graduate student in a semester is 12 hours, so a student could complete the degree in a minimum of three semesters. However the typical load for a full-time graduate student is nine hours in a semester, which would suggest that most full-time students would need four semesters to complete their degree. Students who are employed will typically only take 1-2 courses per semester and will require longer to complete the program.

Yes, all graduate courses are offered online. Several graduate courses are also offered on campus, alternating between day and night offerings.

This program is 100% online.

Most students in our program work. Each professor will have their own attendance policy - all of which take into account that students will miss class due to travel, work, commitments, sick children, etc. Students should work out their schedule with their professor and other students on their project team.

Please review the Chart of Tuition and Fees.

Students who only take online courses in Computer Science are only required to pay tuition and the Technology fee. Tuition for online courses in the graduate Computer Science program are charged at a rate of $329 per credit hour. The Technology fee is $79/semester. For graduate students who are admitted without any deficiencies, the total tuition is 30 * $329 = $9,870.

These calculations are based on tuition for Summer 2020. For the most up-to-date information see the current Chart of Tuition and Fees.

Some faculty require that exams be proctored at an approved testing facility. Approved testing facilities may charge a fee for each proctored exam.

We do not have a payment plan. However, we do have an Emergency Loan that allows you to pay for tuition in three payments.

No.

Yes. There are a limited number of Graduate Scholarships. Applications should be submitted to the TSYS School of computer Science, through the Graduate School's scholarships portal. The award is $2,500 per semester for a maximum of two semesters. Each semester, the graduate scholarship awardees are selected from the current pool of accepted applicants to the MS program. Awardees must enroll full time during their first two semesters in the MS program and maintain a Graduate Program GPA of 3.3.

Not at this time.