The Online Master of Computer Science (MCS) program, offered through an innovative partnership between ASU’s School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering and Coursera, is a rigorous computing degree. You’ll gain a deep understanding of advanced topics like AI, cybersecurity, and big data while strengthening your new skill set through real-world projects.

Tuition
Multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year.
Courses are offered 100% online.
Required number of credits to complete this degree.

The Online Master of Computer Science (MCS) is an advanced degree program offered by Arizona State University and hosted on Coursera’s platform, that is targeted at students with an undergraduate education in computing and related disciplines who can best profit from further breadth and background in computer science from a scientific and engineering discipline.

Designed for students seeking to expand their knowledge of computer science or computation, this program reflects the dual nature of computer science as both a scientific and engineering discipline by placing emphasis on both theory and practical applications. Students can study topics such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, cybersecurity, software engineering, big data and much more.

The MCS is a non-thesis degree that requires 30 credit hours of coursework. Students receive lectures through the Coursera platform, but are advised and assessed by ASU faculty and teaching assistants on the rigorous set of assignments, projects, and exams required for university degree credit.

Students will gain skills in:

  • Design and analysis of computers, computational processes and information transfer and transformation;
  • Design of software for networks, graphics, artificial intelligence and database systems;
  • Improving software reliability, network security, or information retrieval systems;
  • Inventing next-generation computer systems, computer networking, biomedical information systems, gaming systems, search engines, web browsers, and package distribution systems;
  • Integrating computer and information sciences with biology, geography, anthropology, public health, urban planning, and mathematics.

Top 25% of all accredited engineering programs in the nation

  • ASU #2 for online undergraduate degree programs in the nation
  • ASU #5 university in the nation for producing the best qualified graduates
  • #8 engineering online programs for veterans (2019)
  • #9 engineering online graduate programs (2019)
  • #38 engineering undergraduate program - 22nd among public institutions
  • #44 graduate program - 24th among public institutions
  • 60 engineering student organizations and student professional societies give students leadership opportunities and hands-on experience
  • Fulton Schools' 22,000+ students represent 135 countries, all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Ira A. Fulton offers a wide range of degree options. Students are engineers from day one–they don’t have to wait until they are juniors to be engineers.

Calendar

Next Start Date:

08/22/2019

Application Deadline:

07/26/2019
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Faculty

The Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering faculty are world-class engineers, teachers, scientists, inventors, and entrepreneurs. Many of our 320+ faculty members have been honored with the highest awards in their fields.

Program Summary

Total Hours:

30

Related Careers

Graduates with an ASU Online Master of Computer Science have career opportunities illustrated in the following list. Career examples include but are not limited to:

  • Computer Network Administrator
  • Computer Network Analyst
  • Computer Network Technician
  • Computer Programmer
  • Computer Science Professor
  • Computer Scientist
  • Computer Software Quality Engineer
  • Computer System Architect
  • Computer Systems Analyst
  • Corporate Web Developer
  • Database Administrator
  • Document Management Specialist
  • Geospatial Information Technologists
  • Information Security Analyst
  • Information Technology Manager
  • Nursing Operations Manager
  • SEO Specialist
  • Software Developer
  • Software Engineer
  • Telecommunications Engineering Specialist
  • Web Developer

ASU Online Story

Computer science: A career as broad as your imagination

Requirements

GPA

A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (3.25 recommended) in the last 60 credit hours (last two (2) years) of a four (4) year undergraduate degree. If your degree was completed in the U.S., it must be from a regionally accredited university.

Don’t yet meet GPA admission requirements? Learn more about the MCS Pathway.

Math:

Two (2) semesters of advanced math in Calculus I and Calculus II, and a background course in discrete math.

Students with an undergraduate degree in a STEM field have likely completed the math requirement.

Prerequisite Knowledge

Demonstrated knowledge on official transcripts of the topics below.

  • 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. Exception/interrupt handling.

  • CSE 310: Data Structures and Algorithms

    • Advanced data structures and algorithms, including stacks, queues, trees (B, B+, AVL), and graphs. Searching for graphs, hashing, 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.

If you have not taken at least 4 of these prerequisite courses, but feel that your industry experience, self-study, or other knowledge has prepared you for the MCS program, you have the option to take an online Computer Science Proficiency Exam. To take the exam, please submit your information above and make this request to your assigned advisor so they can set you up.

English Proficiency (if applicable)

If all college degrees are from a country outside the U.S., you may need to demonstrate English Proficiency. Note that the MCS degree requires higher English proficiency scores, which are listed below. Learn more about the ways you can demonstrate English Proficiency here.

  • TOEFL: 575 paper-based / 90 Internet-based
  • IELTS (Academic version): 7
  • PTE: 65

Additional Requirements:

  • Official Transcripts from all postsecondary institutions you have attended
  • Statement of Purpose or Resume
  • OPTIONAL: Three (3) letters of recommendation

How to complete an application

  • Submit online application and pay application fee
  • Send official transcripts to ASU’s Graduate Admission Services. Scanned copies and/or transcripts sent by email will not be accepted. It is recommended to have your ASU student ID marked on the envelope of the transcripts. You can upload unofficial transcripts as part of your application. Unofficial transcripts are only accepted when uploaded directly in the application. If you are admitted to the university, you will be required to send official transcripts to the university.
  • If you earned your degree from an international institution, please include an attested copy of your degree certificate.
  • If you have submitted a request to take the computer science online proficiency test, please complete the test. ASU will immediately receive your score upon completion; you do not need to send ASU your score.
  • If needed, send proof of English proficiency, as instructed here (including exemption rules). Please note that the MCS degree requires higher English proficiency scores, as noted above.
  • If you are not a U.S. citizen but are living in the U.S., send a copy of your U.S. visa to gograd@asu.edu
  • If you are based outside of the US “Select JN” under Visa
  • For any questions, please call us toll-free at 1-844-353-7953 or email mcsenrollment@asu.edu

MCS Pathway

The MCS Pathway offers you an opportunity to establish a high Graduate GPA in order to meet admission requirements, while making progress towards the MCS degree.

Through the MCS Pathway, you choose and complete any three 500-level (3) courses that are part of the MCS degree program as a non-degree student. If you complete all three courses with a 3.25 GPA on the first attempt within a year, you have demonstrated ability to succeed in the subject matter and can apply to the program using this new GPA.

To begin, apply as a non-degree student here.

Affording College

Learn about the different types of financial aid and scholarship opportunities available. ASU offers a Cost Calculator, Budget Worksheet and Scholarship Search to make the college planning process easier.

View the most commonly asked questions:

Your diploma and transcript will not indicate that the degree was completed online. It will appear identically to the diploma and transcript of a student who completes his or her studies on-campus. The onground and online programs have the same courses, same syllabi taught by the same faculty. The degree certificate will say Master of Computer Science.
Two (2) semesters of advanced math in Calculus I and Calculus II, and a background course in discrete math.
Prerequisites do not need to be taken from ASU. We understand that many applicants have IT experience. To reduce the barriers to entry, ASU is providing applicants an option to prove their computer fundamental understanding through a computer science proficiency test.

Prerequisite knowledge areas are subjects that the MCS program requires incoming students to have a thorough understanding of in order to be successful in graduate coursework. The following topics are prerequisites for the MCS Online degree:

• CSE 230 Computer Organization and Assembly Language Programming

• CSE 310 Data Structures and Algorithms

• CSE 330 Operating Systems

• CSE 340 Principles of Programming Languages OR  CSE 355 Introduction to Theoretical Computer Science

No. Academic credit cannot be given for work experience in the field. Work experience will not clear prerequisite knowledge. However, if students have professional or personal experience in these areas, they can complete a computer science proficiency test to demonstrate proficiency in computer science topics. Please contact your enrollment coach if you are interested in taking the computer science proficiency test.
The total cost of the degree program is $15,000, or $1,500 per 3-credit course. There are no textbooks required for the courses, and no additional fees. You will only be billed for the courses you are enrolled in.
You only have to pay for the courses you are enrolled in. ASU also offers a payment plan, which provides you with the option to budget the payment of certain eligible university charges over several months within the semester. 

Completing Coursera courses alone does not waive a prerequisite, but completing the course and working through the material can be an excellent way to prepare for the computer proficiency test, which determines if there are topics a student is deficient in.

Completion of Open Courses and/or Specializations on the Coursera platform by itself will not earn graduate credits from the university toward the degree.
You will receive email updates on the status of your application, so be sure to check your ASU email regularly for these notifications. You can also see your status by logging into my.asu.edu with your ASURITE id and reviewing the section called ‘My Application Status’. This section will display pending checklist items or an application decision. If you have questions on pending items, please contact us toll-free at 1-844-353-7953 or email mcsenrollment@asu.edu.
No, letters of recommendation are optional. In the application, please enter your own name in the letters of recommendation to be able to continue with the application.

The statement of purpose should include your reasons for undertaking graduate work and an explanation of your academic interests, including their relation to your professional goals. There is no specific length for a statement of purpose. A resume will be accepted as a personal statement. Students are welcome to submit a resume or a personal statement or both.

The MCS degree does not currently provide concentrations online. As part of the program offering, you can select courses in an area of interest like Big Data, AI, Cybersecurity, etc.
These courses follow an accelerated format. As such, you should expect to spend 15 – 20 hours per week on each course.
The completion time is based on the number of courses you enroll per semester. You must complete 30 credit hours to get your masters degree. 
The MCS program has five sessions a year (Fall A, Fall B, Spring A, Spring B, Summer), with each session being 7.5 weeks. See the ASU academic calendar here: https://students.asu.edu/academic-calendar
Your bill will display in the my.asu.edu portal. The payment deadlines for each session are also displayed at https://students.asu.edu/academic-calendar.
You will need to submit a new application to transfer your credits. If accepted, you can transfer up to 12 credits between programs from the online program to the same on-campus program, as long as your grades are “B” or better. Additionally, you will need to submit a GRE score and 3 letters of recommendations for the MCS on-ground application.
More information on the ASU alumni network is available at https://alumni.asu.edu/.
No. You can take courses in any order. However, you must take at least one Applications, at least one Systems, and at least one Foundations course as part of the graduation requirements. You can pick seven courses from any area.

If you are a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident, you do not need to demonstrate English proficiency.

We require all international applicants from a country whose native language is not English or applicants whose undergraduate degree was not at a U.S institution to provide the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or Pearson English PTE scores. The MCS program requires a minimum score of 575 (paper-based) or 90 (internet-based) on the TOEFL exam, or a 7 for IELTS, or a 65 for PTE. English proficiency waivers are offered for degrees from certain countries. English proficiency will also be waived if you have completed at least 12 9 credit hours of graduate course work with a cumulative GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale or higher (all credits must be earned in the U.S. and official transcripts must be mailed to ASU). If you need to take an English proficiency test for your application but are unable to take the TOEFL or IELTS, please contact us toll-free at 1-844-353-7953 or email mcsenrollment@asu.edu for options.

To see a full list of ways to demonstrate English Proficiency, go here.
View MCS Frequently Asked Questions

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