The college offers Concentrations in Data Science and Security which meets all of the regular master's degree requirements. The requirements for the Concentrations in Data Science and Security emphasize data science and security related courses.
All master's program students are expected to have a solid undergraduate background in computer science. If you are unsure of your background, you should consult master's advisor, Elizabeth Parolski, for course options.
Master's students are required to:
Students interested in research are encouraged to participate in independent study research after their first semester of coursework. In addition, we have a Master's Project 6 credit research opportunity.
Our MS degree usually takes two years (four semesters) to complete. We recommend the following distribution of courses for the four semesters:
|
Year |
Fall |
Spring |
Summer |
|
1st |
core (3cr) *International students must be registered for 9 credits to fulfill fulltime visa requirements |
core (3cr) |
Internship (optional) *CPT approval requires students to be enrolled in two consecutive semesters before applying |
|
2nd |
core (3 cr)
|
core (3 cr) -not online *International students are permitted one final semester of less than 9 credits |
|
Your background and the available course offerings may cause you to shift from this model. This list is intended only as a guide. We strongly recommend that students take no more than three graduate-level classes in any semester.
International students should consider a Curricular Practical Training during the first summer following the completion of two academic semesters. See the CICS CPT Process.
New for 2020-2021!!! Co-op opportunities for students who want to participate in a full-time internship during the academic semester! See CICS Careers for opportunities for both domestic and international students!
The CICS policy does not allow MS students to be hired on an assistantship at CICS unless the student is a Baystate Fellow. Starting in the Spring 2021 semester CICS will not approve TA or RA contracts from any UMass department for master's students.
All MS students are eligible to apply for 15-week grader appointments after their first semester. Grader positions are graduate hourly positions. Campus graduate hourly positions are also available.