Joint BS in Computer Science/MS in Computer Science
Degree Requirements
To earn a joint Bachelor of Science in Computer Science/Master of Science in Computer Science degree from UIC, students need to complete university, college, and department degree requirements. The Department of Computer Science degree requirements are outlined below. Students should consult the College of Engineering section for additional degree requirements and college academic policies.
The Joint Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (BSCS) and Master of Science in Computer Science (MSCS) is designed for undergraduate students with outstanding academic performance who desire to pursue graduate studies in Computer Science, or who wish to prepare themselves for advanced placement in the workplace. Students will earn both a BSCS and an MSCS degree upon completion, with 8 hours of coursework shared between the two degrees.
The requirements for completion of the combined BSCS/MSCS degree are nearly identical to the completion of these two separate degrees. The only difference is that 8 hours of shared coursework used for both degrees. Completion of 120 hours at the undergraduate level; plus 8 shared hours counting toward both the BSCS and MSCS degrees; plus 28 hours of coursework at the graduate level will result in joint BSCS/MSCS degrees. Students in the BSCS who have only two semesters of coursework left and who have at least a 3.60/4.00 grade point average may register for two graduate-level courses (one at the 400 level, and one at the 500 level) and receive 4 hours, instead of 3 hours, for each. The two graduate-level courses count toward the technical elective requirement within the BSCS component of the program. As a result, students in the joint degree complete six technical elective courses for a total of 20 hours and 7 hours of free electives. At the graduate level these courses will count as required courses. An advisor must approve these courses.
Students should apply to the program during their third year, after having completed at least 27 hours of CS courses (excluding CS 398). An overall GPA of 3.60 or higher is required for application.
Sample Course Schedule
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| MATH 180 | Calculus I | 4 |
| CS 111 |
Program Design I or Program Design I in the Context of Biological Problems or Program Design I in the Context of Law and Public Policy |
3 |
| ENGL 160 | Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts | 3 |
| Science Elective | 4 | |
| ENGR 100 | Engineering Success Seminar a | 1 |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| MATH 181 | Calculus II | 4 |
| ENGL 161 | Academic Writing II: Writing for Inquiry and Research | 3 |
| CS 141 | Program Design II | 3 |
| CS 151 | Mathematical Foundations of Computing | 3 |
| General Education Requirement course | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| MATH 210 | Calculus III | 3 |
| CS 211 | Programming Practicum | 3 |
| CS 251 | Data Structures | 4 |
| CS 277 | Technical and Professional Communication in Computer Science | 3 |
| Science Elective | 4 | |
| Hours | 17 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CS 261 | Machine Organization | 4 |
| CS 342 | Software Design | 3 |
| Required Math course | 3 | |
| Humanities/Social Sciences/Art Elective | 3 | |
| General Education Requirement course | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CS 301 | Languages and Automata | 3 |
| CS 361 | Systems Programming | 4 |
| CS 362 | Computer Design | 4 |
| Required Math course | 3 | |
| General Education Requirement course | 3 | |
| Hours | 17 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CS 341 | Programming Language Design and Implementation | 3 |
| CS 377 | Ethical Issues in Computing | 3 |
| Technical Elective | 3 | |
| Required Math course | 3 | |
| General Education Requirement course | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 18 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CS 401 | Computer Algorithms I | 3 |
| Technical Elective | 3 | |
| Technical Elective | 3 | |
| Humanities/Social Science Elective | 3 | |
| General Education Requirement course | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CS 499 | Professional Development Seminar | 0 |
| Technical Elective | 4 | |
| Technical Elective | 3 | |
| Technical Elective | 4 | |
| Free Elective | 4 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fifth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| MS Coursework | 16 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| MS Coursework | 4 | |
| MS Coursework or | 4 | |
| M.S. Thesis Research (thesis option) | ||
| MS Coursework or one of the following: | 4 | |
| Project Research (project option) | ||
| M.S. Thesis Research (thesis option) | ||
| Hours | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 156 | |
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ENGR 100 is a one-semester-hour course, but the hour does not count toward the total required for graduation.