Organizations across industries from health care and business to engineering and education rely on those with computer science knowledge and skills. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for computer and information research scientists is expected to grow by 23% from 2022 to 2032, which is much faster than average for all occupations.
Earning a Master of Computer Science is a step toward advancing your career in a lucrative field. Computer and information research scientists made a median annual salary of $136,620 in May 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The skills you’ll develop in this master’s program
This Master of Computer Science program is designed to build your knowledge about a range of topics from designing software for networks, graphics and database systems to integrating computer science with biology, geography, public health and more. Upon graduation, you’ll have a variety of skills, including:
- Designing and analyzing computers.
- Implementing computational processes.
- Improving software reliability, network security and information retrieval systems.
- Inventing next-generation computer systems, computer networking, biomedical information systems, gaming systems and more.
- Transferring and transforming information.
Tailor your studies to fit your career goals
In this program, you’ll create a customized plan that aligns with your career goals. A majority of your courses will be electives, giving you the opportunity to explore your interests in a variety of topics, such as artificial intelligence, blockchain and software engineering.
Interested in delving deeper into specific areas of computer science and gaining career-relevant skills? Check out the two available concentrations:
- Big data systems.
- This concentration focuses on creating scalable systems to manage, interpret and analyze large amounts of data. You’ll also learn how to draw conclusions from data that enables organizations to make informed decisions.
- Cybersecurity.
- In this concentration, you’ll gain the skills needed to safeguard information systems, develop solutions and mitigate risk.
Offered through Arizona State University’s School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, the online Master of Computer Science (MCS) is designed for those interested in expanding their knowledge of computer science and computation. In this program, you’ll gain an advanced understanding of topics such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and big data, while strengthening your skills through technical projects.
You’ll choose one course in each of three primary areas of study: theoretical foundations, systems and applications. You’ll also take several elective courses on topics ranging from statistical machine learning and mobile computing to data mining and information assurance.
Of the 350+ faculty members in Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, the majority have been honored with the highest awards in their fields. Faculty milestones include:
- National Academy of Engineering members.
- National Academy of Sciences member.
- National Academy of Inventors members.
- National Academy of Construction members.
The Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering is dedicated to providing a dynamic learning environment and supporting all students on the paths to their degrees. We’ve received numerous peer-reviewed programmatic honors from U.S. News & World Report.
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This program has a highly competitive admission process.
Applicants with international credentials have an application deadline of six weeks prior to the selected session start date. All other applicants have an application deadline of four weeks prior to the selected session start date.
This degree is offered in A and B sessions for fall and spring, and in C session for summer. You can view upcoming start dates in the academic calendar.
How to complete an application
- Submit online application and pay application fee.
- Send official transcripts to ASU’s graduate admission services.
- If needed, send proof of English proficiency.
- If you’re not a U.S. citizen but are living in the U.S., send a copy of your U.S. visa to [email protected].
- If you’re based outside of the U.S., select "JN" under Visa.
For questions, call 1-844-353-7953 or email [email protected].
You must have completed an undergraduate degree in computer science from an accredited university. Please review the necessary CS pre-requisite courses in the section below to confirm eligibility.
GPA requirements
A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 in the last 60 credit hours (last two years) of a four-year undergraduate degree. If your degree was completed in the U.S., it must be from a regionally accredited university.
Applicants who have previously completed graduate-level coursework must have a minimum post-baccalaureate/graduate GPA of 3.00.
English proficiency
If all college degrees are from a country outside of the U.S., you may need to demonstrate English proficiency.
Note that the MCS degree requires higher English proficiency scores.
- TOEFL: 575 paper-based / 90 internet-based.
- IELTS (academic version): 7.
- PTE: 65.
- Duolingo: 115.
Don’t yet meet this requirement? If you complete the pathway with a 3.00 or higher, you’ll have demonstrated English proficiency. Click on the nondegree tab below to learn more.
GPA requirements
A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 in the last 60 credit hours (last two years) of a four-year undergraduate degree. If your degree was completed in the U.S., it must be from a regionally accredited university.
Applicants who have previously completed graduate-level coursework must have a minimum post-baccalaureate/graduate GPA of 3.00.
Math course requirements:
You must have two semesters of advanced math in Calculus I and Calculus II, as well as a background course in discrete math.*
Applicants with an undergraduate degree in a STEM field have likely completed the math requirement.
*Discrete math is not always a separate class at all universities. Taking a course that covers data structures and algorithms may also fulfill this requirement. If you’ve never done algorithms, you may not have the proper background for the program.
Pre-requisite course requirements:
To be eligible for this program, you must have programming knowledge in a variety of languages, including C/C++, Java, Python and HTML, as well as courses in calculus and discrete math.
CS course information:
CSE 230: Computer Organization and Assembly Language Programming
- Register-level computer organization, instruction set architecture, assembly language, processor organization and design, memory organization, IO programming and exception/interrupt handling.
CSE 310: Data Structures and Algorithms
- Advanced data structures and algorithms, including stacks, queues, trees (B, B+, AVL), graphs and searching for graphs, hashing and external sorting.
CSE 330: Operating Systems
- Operating system structure and services, processor scheduling, concurrent processes, synchronization techniques, memory management, virtual memory, input/output, storage management and file systems.
Principles of Programming Languages OR Introduction to Theoretical Computer Science
CSE 340: Principles of Programming Languages
- Formal syntactic and semantic descriptions, compilation and implementation issues, and theoretical foundations for several programming paradigms.
CSE 355: Introduction to Theoretical Computer Science
- Introduces formal language theory and automata, Turing machines, decidability/undecidability, recursive function theory and complexity theory.
CS competency exams
If you don’t have these topics on your transcript but have a strong understanding of them, you can take the prerequisite knowledge exams. If you complete the exams with the grade outlined in the respective syllabi, you’ll satisfy that prerequisite knowledge requirement.
English proficiency
If all college degrees are from a country outside of the U.S., you may need to demonstrate English proficiency.
Note that the MCS degree requires higher English proficiency scores.
- TOEFL: 575 paper-based / 90 internet-based.
- IELTS (academic version): 7.
- PTE: 65.
- Duolingo: 115.
Don’t yet meet this requirement? If you complete the pathway with a 3.00 or higher, you’ll have demonstrated English proficiency. Click on the nondegree tab below to learn more.
As a nondegree graduate student, you can begin taking graduate-level computer science courses without being admitted to the master’s program.*
Professional certification
If you’re not sure you want to pursue the full degree or only want to focus on a specific topic, you can earn a professional certification for ASU credit.
To receive a professional certification, you must successfully complete at least three courses from that topic area with a grade of “B” or better. Available certifications include:
- AI and machine learning.
- Big data.
- Cybersecurity.
- Software engineering.
Learn more about professional certifications.
General pathway
This pathway provides an opportunity to take a variety of courses as a nondegree-seeking student to explore topics or meet this program’s GPA and English proficiency admission requirements. Completing nine graduate credits with a “B” or better (3.00 GPA) will demonstrate English proficiency.
Through this pathway, you can choose and complete any three 500-level courses that are part of the Master of Computer Science program as a nondegree-seeking student. The courses you complete with a “B” or higher, up to 12 credits, will apply to the Master of Computer Science if you’re admitted to the program within three years of completing the courses.
Begin your application for one of the four professional certifications or the general pathway.
The ASU graduate admission office will review the application and notify you by email if any additional steps are required upon admission. All official emails will go to your ASU student Gmail account.
Please note:
- If you don’t enroll in the semester in which you are admitted, you must submit a new application and pay the application fee.
- Completing the pathway or professional certification does not waive the requirement for all applicants to the Master of Computer Science program to demonstrate mathematics and computer science topic prerequisite knowledge. See the admission requirements sections above for more information.
*If you do not have the prerequisite knowledge outlined in the master’s admission criteria for mathematics and computer science, you should be aware that you may not have the necessary background for graduate CSE courses and are enrolling at your own risk. You are responsible for acquiring that knowledge before and during the course.
- As a nondegree-seeking graduate student, you can take master’s-level computer science courses without being admitted to the program. This provides you the opportunity to establish a high graduate GPA, try out courses, meet the English proficiency requirement or earn a professional certification credential.
Those who complete three courses with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00 after the first attempt can use this GPA and the credit hours earned when applying for the Master of Computer Science program. You must also meet all prerequisite requirements to be admitted.
No, Arizona State University’s diplomas don’t specify whether you earn your degree online or in person. All diplomas and transcripts simply say “Arizona State University.”