The goal of the Master's Degree Program in Computer Science is to provide individuals who have a background in computer science a means of acquiring a higher level of computer sophistication. Individuals with job titles such as application programmer/analyst, systems programmer or software engineer who want to expand the breadth of their computing background, or for whom an advanced degree is required for advancement would derive long term benefits from the M.S. Program.

The Master's Degree in Computer Science has two concentrations: one for individuals who want to enter careers in industry and one for individuals who want to pursue a Ph.D.

In order to accommodate these individuals who may be employed full time, the courses in the Master's Degree Program are offered in the evening or on Saturday mornings.

Course Requirements
The Master's Degree in Computer Science requires 36 credit hours of course work, 27 of which must be earned at Northeastern Illinois University. The remaining 9 credit hours may represent courses taken at accredited institutions with graduate programs in computer science and in conformance with the rules of the Graduate College. The 36 hours will be made up of 9 credit hours of core course work, 18 credit hours of required course work from one of concentrations, and 9 credit hours of elective course work (or 6 credit hours, if the student completes a Master's thesis).

The concentrations are Management Information Systems and Computer Science. The purpose of the Management Information Systems Concentration is to prepare students for the application of computer science and related technologies to solving business problems. The primary purpose of the Computer Science Concentration is to prepare students to enter a Ph.D. program in computer science.

Click for Detailed Course Requirements

Click for Course Rotation Plan

Project Requirement - Master's Projects Presentation Time Slots
As stated in the course requirements above, each student is required to complete a Master's Project or Master's Thesis. The student will make this decision in consultation with his or her advisor.

A Master's Project must be a paper or a large-scale software project that extends a student's scope of study beyond that covered in any course. A Master's Thesis will allow students to undertake more ambitious projects than the Master's Project course. Enrollment in either CS-490 Master's Project (3 credit hours) or CS-495 Master's Thesis (6 credit hours) is allowed only after a student has completed 30 credit hours in the program. Both the Master's Project and the Master's Thesis are chosen and worked on with a project advisor. The Master's Thesis must, in addition, be submitted to a thesis committee for final approval. A defense of the thesis will also be required. The grade for the Master's Thesis will be given after the thesis committee has reviewed the project and the defense has been made.