The USA has a minimum of fifteen universities consistently ranked amongst the top 50 universities for computer science in the QS world rankings. If this did not convince you to pursue your MS in computer science in USA, there are many other reasons. Reasons like the USA being the home for multiple tech conglomerates, their multicultural and friendly environment and the highly attractive salaries. This blog will provide you with extensive information about top universities in the USA for MS in computer science, their eligibility criteria, syllabus, scholarship, jobs, and many more. Continue reading.
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Top universities in USA for MS in Computer Science
Universities in the USA are among the best, or the best, to study Post Graduation in Computer Science. Facebook, Google, Amazon, Twitter, and other Silicon Valley tech giants in the USA are anything and everything related to the computer-based industry. And because of this precedent, the universities in the USA have caught up to the ever-changing tech industry and always are one step ahead of any other universities you could find around the globe. Following are some of the top universities with tuition fees for MS in computer science in USA.
Read more: IT Courses After 12th
SN |
Universities to study ms in computer science in USA |
Course Name |
Duration |
Cost (*approximate) |
01. |
Carnegie Mellon University |
M Sc. in Computer Science |
2 |
$58,442 |
02. |
Stanford University |
M Sc. in Computer Science |
2 |
$69,674 |
03. |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
|
2 |
$109,864 |
04. |
University of California, Berkeley |
M Sc. in Computer Science |
1 |
$13,272 |
05. |
Columbia University |
M Sc. in Computer Science |
1 |
$60,540 |
06. |
Princeton University |
M Sc. in Computer Science |
2 |
$120,080 |
07. |
Harvard University |
|
2 |
|
08. |
Cornell University |
M Sc Computer Science |
2 |
$117,172 |
09. |
University of Illinois- Urban Campaign |
M Sc. in Computer Science |
2 |
$34,648 |
10. |
University of Michigan |
MSE in Computer Science and Engineering |
2 |
$52,960 |
11. |
University of Washington |
M Sc. in Computer Science Engineering |
1 |
$15,000 |
12. |
University of Texas, Austin |
M Sc. in Computer Science |
2 |
$50,432 |
13. |
Georgia Tech |
M Sc Computer Science |
1.5-2 |
$40,000 |
14. |
University of Southern California |
M Sc. in Computer Science M Sc. in Computer Engineering |
2 |
$51,590 |
15. |
Yale University |
M Sc. in Computer Science |
2 |
$141,000 |
16. |
New York University |
M Sc. in Computer Engineering |
2 |
$98,208 |
17. |
UCSD |
MS Computer Science |
2 |
$64,214 |
18. |
University of Pennsylvania |
M Sc. in Scientific Computing |
2 |
$113,572 |
19 |
Boston University |
MS in Computer Science |
2 |
$58,560 |
MS Computer Science Eligibility in USA
International students aspiring to study MS in computer science in USA should meet a set of requisite criteria. Following are the major eligibility requirements that all most all American universities have for admitting international students.
- You need to have a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field that is equivalent to a bachelor's degree in computer science in the USA.
- In your bachelor's degree, you must have secured a GPA of 3.0 (aggregate) out of 4.0 GPA.
- Because most American universities also consider your GRE scores, you need to secure a GRE score of at least 292 to 328.
- To study at any university in the USA, English proficiency is a must. Therefore, you must own certification in TOEFL or IELTS. The minimum cutoff score for IELTS is 7, but this may vary depending on the university.
- Some universities also show goodwill if you have considerable work experience in the computer science field.
- Also, keep in mind that the letters of recommendation, extracurricular accomplishments, etc., will boost your chances of getting admission. Some universities only keep them optional, while others have them as a necessary requirement.
MS in Computer Science in USA syllabus
The syllabus for MS in computer science in USA may change depending on the university. However, all the universities in the USA retain a strong resemblance to one another concerning the overall education of the chapters. For instance, let's take the MS in computer science syllabus of Boston university. The course consists of 5 core courses of 20 credits. Then the student needs to choose 5 electives from the list given below for 20 credits. And if the students have no programming knowledge, the students are advised to take "Introduction to Programming" (MET CS 201) before taking prerequisite classes in java or C++. At all times during the course, the students are expected to hold a grade of "B" for good standing, even though the minimum passing grade is "C."
Core Curriculum - MS in Computer Science in USA
SN |
Course Name |
Course code |
01. |
Computer networks or Database management |
MET CS 535 or MET CS 579 |
02. |
Analysis of algorithms |
MET CS 566 |
03. |
Operating systems |
MET CS 575 |
04. |
Computer language theory |
MET CS 662 |
05. |
Software engineering |
MET CS 673 |
Read more: Software Engineering Courses after 12th
General Elective - MS in Computer Science in USA
SN |
Course Name |
Course Code |
01 |
Computer Graphics |
MET CS 532 |
02 |
Foundations of Analytics and Data Visualisation |
MET CS 544 |
03 |
Foundations of Machine Learning |
MET CS 555 |
04 |
Financial Informatics |
MET CS 561 |
05 |
Biomedical Sciences and Health IT |
MET CS 570 |
06 |
Health Informatics |
MET CS 580 |
07 |
Health Information Systems |
MET CS 581 |
08 |
Biometrics |
MET CS 599 |
09 |
Web Application Development |
MET CS 601 |
10 |
Server-Side Web Development |
MET CS 602 |
11 |
Advanced Programming Techniques |
MET CS 622 |
12 |
IT Project Management |
MET CS 632 |
13 |
Software Quality, Testing, and Security Management |
MET CS 633 |
14 |
Network Media Technologies |
MET CS 635 |
15 |
Artificial Intelligence |
MET CS 664 |
16 |
Software Design and Patterns |
MET CS 665 |
17 |
Database Security |
MET CS 674 |
18 |
Data Science with Python |
MET CS 677 |
19 |
Mobile Application Development with Android |
MET CS 683 |
20 |
Enterprise Cybersecurity Management |
MET CS 684 |
21 |
Network Design and Management |
MET CS 685 |
22 |
Web Mining and Graph Analytics |
MET CS 688 |
23 |
Designing and Implementing a Data Warehouse |
MET CS 689 |
24 |
Network Security |
MET CS 690 |
25 |
Digital Forensics and Investigations |
MET CS 693 |
26 |
Mobile Forensics and Security |
MET CS 694 |
27 |
Enterprise Cybersecurity |
MET CS 695 |
28 |
Data Mining |
MET CS 699 |
29 |
Rich Internet Application Development |
MET CS 701 |
30 |
Network Forensics |
MET CS 703 |
31 |
Secure Software Development |
MET CS 763 |
32 |
Advanced Machine Learning and Neural Networks |
MET CS 767 |
33 |
Advanced Networking |
MET CS 775 |
34 |
Big Data Analytics |
MET CS 777 |
35 |
Advanced Database Management |
MET CS 779 |
36 |
Advanced Health Informatics |
MET CS 781 |
37 |
Enterprise Architecture |
MET CS 783 |
38 |
Cryptography |
MET CS 789 |
39 |
Special Topics in Computer Science |
MET CS 793 |
40 |
Advanced Cryptography |
MET CS 799 |
Read more: Cyber Security Courses after 12th for Indian Students
Prerequisites for MS in Computer Science - JAVA
SN |
Course Name |
Course Code |
01 |
Programming with Java |
MET CS 232 |
02 |
Discrete Mathematics |
MET CS 248 |
03 |
Data Structures with Java |
MET CS 342 |
04 |
Computer Architecture |
MET CS 427 |
Prerequisites for MS in Computer Science - C++
SN |
Course Name |
Course Code |
01 |
Programming with C++ |
MET CS 231 |
02 |
Discrete Mathematics |
MET CS 248 |
03 |
Data Structures with C++ |
MET CS 341 |
04 |
Computer Architecture |
MET CS 472 |
Scholarship for MS in USA
Being one of the top countries to pursue a master's in computer science, most of the United States' universities have tuition fees on the higher side. On average, the tuition fees for MS in computer science range anywhere from 20,000 USD to 70,000 USD. The tuition fees plus the average cost of living of 900 USD to 1500 USD per month for international students makes the pursuit of the degree very costly. However, the country is very generous in qualifying international students with its scholarship programs. Following are some of the generous scholarship programs by some of the top universities, governments, and other organisations in the USA.
SN |
Scholarships for MS in USA |
Scholarship benefits |
01. |
Stanford university scholarship |
This fully funded scholarship covers tuition fees, academic expense, living and travelling allowance |
02. |
Yale university scholarship USA |
This fully funded scholarship can vary from few hundred dollars to 70,000 USD per year |
03. |
Onsi Sawiris Scholarship |
This fully funded scholarship covers tuition fees along with living allowance, travelling allowance and health insurance |
04. |
Fulbright foreign student program |
This is a popular government funded program that is available for international students who are not pursuing medicine |
05. |
Aga foundation scholarship |
This program help international students from developing countries with 50% grant and 50% loan |
06. |
Generation Google scholarship |
This Google funded scholarship provides students upto 10,000 USD |
07. |
AAUW international fellowship |
This program awards qualified female students with 20,000 to 30,000 USD for post graduate education |
08. |
Global study awards |
This program provides around 11,900 USD for tuition fees and selective coverage of living expense |
09. |
Narotam Sekhsaria foundation |
This program provides an interest free loan up to 25,000 USD |
10. |
TATA scholarship at Cornell university |
This program by TATA group awards around 20 million USD every year for a headcount of 20 students |
11. |
Illinois State university scholarship |
This programs provides 5,000 USD for every semester |
12. |
Michigan state university scholarship |
This program provides 21,000 USD, 25,000 USD or 18,000 USD per year for 8 semester |
Affordable Universities in USA for MS in Computer Science
If you can’t land a scholarship to study in any of the top pricy universities in the USA, then plan B is to opt for an affordable university. The USA is populated with excellent colleges and universities that offer the same MS in computer science courses without compromising quality. And the selling point of the following universities is that they have very affordable tuition fees with a high-quality education.
SN |
Universities in USA for MS in computer science |
Course Name |
Tuition Fee (*approximate) |
01. |
University of Houston |
MS in Computer Science |
18,000 - 22,000 USD |
02. |
Purdue University |
MS in Computer Science |
20,000 - 30,000 USD |
03. |
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
MS in Computer Science |
13,000 - 35,000 USD |
04. |
Stony Brook University, State University of NY |
MS in Computer Science |
19,000 - 24,000 USD |
05. |
University at Buffalo |
MS Information Systems |
17,000-23,000 |
06. |
University of Texas at Dallas |
Masters in Cyber Security |
17,000-24,000 |
Read more: Affordable Universities in USA for International Students
MS in Computer Science in USA salary
In the USA, the computer science sector has outgrown all the average growth figures of most other American business sectors. As this momentum continues, a high number of new computer science jobs are created in the USA and across the globe. The best part of this is that all of their jobs are high paying. Following are some of the various job options you can opt for after an MS in computer science in USA and their respective salary.
SN |
Job Option for MS in Computer Science in USA |
Salary (approximate*) |
01 |
Software Engineer |
$73k - $138k |
02 |
Data Scientist |
$73k - $131k |
03 |
Software Developer |
$63k - $115k |
04 |
Data Engineer |
$72k - $129k |
05 |
Machine Learning Engineer |
$85k - $148k |
06 |
Data Analyst |
$51k - $90k |