Master of Science in Computer Science

Advance your expertise and leadership potential in the ever-evolving field of computer science with our rigorous Master of Science (MS) program.

At UMass Lowell, your Master of Science in Computer Science helps you build advanced technical skills, gain research experience and prepare for leadership in a rapidly evolving field. You can choose the General Option for broad expertise or the Cybersecurity Option for focused specialization, while strengthening your experience through advanced coursework and practical application.

If artificial intelligence and data science interests you, you can also connect with several UMass Lowell Centers, including the Center for AI Computing Research (AICORE), an interdisciplinary hub where faculty across sciences, engineering, business and social sciences advance AI research in safety, interpretability and alignment, foundation models and adaptive learning and interactive systems for real-world applications. With a STEM-eligible degree and access to New England internships, research and job opportunities, you can position yourself for long-term success in computer science.

Program Quick Facts

No GRE Required
High Return on Investment
STEM-OPT Eligible
Scholarships & Financial Aid Available

Computer Science Curriculum

The Master of Science in Computer Science is a 30-credit degree program with an optional master's thesis. You can focus your degree by choosing an option that fits your career goals and academic interests: General Option or Cybersecurity Option.

Each degree candidate will be required to pass with an average of B or better, and not more than two grades below the B, the following minimum number of credits, distributed to include core courses and electives.

Every student is required to take COMP.5030 Algorithms, and one course from Group II, III, and IV classes. Once the 12 required credits are completed, students may take six graduate level courses selected from the groups below.

Required Courses
Course Number	Course Name	Credits
Total		12
COMP.5030	Algorithms	3
Group II	one course	3
Group III	one course	3
Group IV	one course	3

Group I (Foundations)
Course Number	Course Name	Credits
Total		3
COMP.5020	Foundations of Computer Science	3
COMP.5030	Algorithms	3
COMP.5310	Designs of Programming Languages	3
COMP.5340	Compiler Construction	3
COMP.7100	Approximation Algorithms	3

Group II (Choose 1 Course)
Course Number	Course Name	Credits
Total		3
COMP.5150	Operating Systems I	3
COMP.5160	Operating Systems II	3
COMP.5300	Special Topics	0-3
COMP.5610	Computer & Network Security I	3
COMP.5620	Computer & Network Security II	3
COMP.5630	Data Communications I	3
COMP.5640	Data Communications II	3
COMP.5660	Malware Analysis	3
COMP.5670	loT Security and Analysis	3
COMP.5690	Computer and Network Forensics	3
COMP.6610	Advanced Topics in Network Security	3

Group III (Choose 1 Course)
Course Number	Course Name	Credits
Total		3
COMP.5230	Computer Vision I	3
COMP.5270	Human Computer Interaction	3
COMP.5280	Evaluation of Human-Computer Interaction	3
COMP.5495	Robot Learning	3
COMP.5410	Data Visualization	3
COMP.5420	Natural language Processing	3
COMP.5430	Artificial Intelligence	3
COMP.5440	Data Mining	3
COMP.5450	Machine Learning	3
COMP.5460	Computer Graphics I	3
COMP.5470	Computer Graphics II	3
COMP.5480	Robot Design	3
COMP.5490	Mobile Robots	3
COMP.5500	Topics	3
COMP.5520	Foundations in Digital Health	3
COMP.6440	Advanced Topics in Data Mining	3

Group IV (Choose 1 Course)
Course Number	Course Name	Credits
Total		3
COMP.5130	Internet and Web Systems I	3
COMP.5140	Internet and Web Systems II	3
COMP.5510	Bioinformatics for CS	3
COMP.5730	Database I	3
COMP.5740	Database II	3
COMP.5800	Topics in Computer Science (information related topics)	3
COMP.6730	Advanced Database Systems	3

Total credits after required course and Groups = 12 credits.

Electives (Choose 6, 18 credits)*
Course Number	Course Name	Credits
Total		18
COMP.5XXX or COMP.6XXX		18

*An optional Master's Thesis can be substituted for at most 6 credits, and can be used to substitute for two elective courses. Students who wish to do a thesis must file a Proposed Thesis Committee form with the Graduate Coordinator to begin working on a thesis.

Total Credits = 30

Last updated: 6/24/2020

Core Courses
Course #	Course Name	Cr.
Total		12
COMP.5030	Algorithms	3
Group II	one course	3
group III	one course	3
Group IV	one course	3

Required Courses for the Option (can be counted as either core or elective, but cannot be double counted)
Course #	Course Name	Cr.
Total		12
COMP.5610	Computer & Network Security I	3
COMP.5630	Data Communication	3
COMP.5660	Malware Analysis	3
COMP.5730	Database I	3

Group I (Foundations)
Course #	Course Name	Cr.
Total		3
COMP.5020	Foundations of Computer Science	3
COMP.5030	Algorithms	3
COMP.5310	Designs of Programming Languages	3
COMP.5340	Compiler Construction	3
COMP.7100	Approximation Algorithms	3

Group II: Systems & Networks
Course #	Course Name	Cr.
Total		3
COMP.5150	Operating Systems I	3
COMP.5160	Operating Systems II	3
COMP.5300	Special Topics	3
COMP.5610	Computer & Network Security I	3
COMP.5620	Computer & Network Security II	3
COMP.5630	Data Communications I	3
COMP.5640	Data Communications II	3
COMP.5660	Malware Analysis	3
COMP.5670	IoT Security and Privacy	3
COMP.5690	Computer and Network Forensics	3
COMP.6610	Advanced Topics in Network Security	3

Group III: Human-Computer Interaction, Visualization, Robotics & AI
Course #	Course Name	Cr.
Total		3
COMP.5230	Computer Vision I	3
COMP.5270	Human Computer Interaction	3
COMP.5280	Evaluation of Human-Computer Interaction	3
COMP.5410	Data Visualization	3
COMP.5420	Natural Language Processing	3
COMP.5430	Artificial Intelligence	3
COMP.5440	Data Mining	3
COMP.5450	Machine Learning	3
COMP.5460	Computer Graphics I	3
COMP.5470	Computer Graphics II	3
COMP.5480	Robot Design	3
COMP.5490	Mobile Robots	3
COMP.5495	Robot Learning	3
COMP.5520	Foundations in Digital Health	3
COMP.5500	Topics	3
COMP.6440	Advanced Topics in Data Mining	3

Croup IV: Information Management & Analysis
Course #	Course Name	Cr.
Total		3
COMP.5130	Internet and Web Systems I	3
COMP.5140	Internet and Web Systems II	3
COMP.5510	Bioinformatics for CS	3
COMP.5730	Database I	3
COMP.5740	Database II	3
COMP.5800	Topics in Computer Science	3
COMP.6730	Advanced Database Systems	3

Group V: Interdisciplinary (at least 3 credits)
Course #	Course Name	Cr.
Total		3
CRIM.5740	Overview of Homeland Security	3
CRIM.6130	Law and Public Policy	3
CRIM.6580	Issues in Computer Crime and Cyber Security	3
MSIT.5410	Information Security, Privacy and Regulatory Compliance	3
MSIT.5430	Intrusion Detection Systems	3
MSIT.5450	Designing and Building a Cybersecurity Program	3
MIST.6010	Introduction to MIS	3

Others (At Most 6 credits)*
Course #	Course Name	Cr.
Total		6
COMP.7010	Computer Science Research	3
COMP.7030	Computer Science Research	3
EECE.5560	Fundamentals of Robotics	3
EECE.5821	Computer Architecture and Design	3

Master's Thesis

An optional Master's Thesis can be substituted for at most 6 credits, and can be used to substitute for two elective courses. Students who wish to do a thesis must file a Proposed Thesis Committee form with the Graduate Coordinator to begin working on a thesis.

Total Credits = 30

Last updated: 6/24/2020

Why Study Computer Science at UMass Lowell?

A person wearing a portable VO2 measurement device walking on an instrumented treadmill with motion capture cameras.

Research Opportunities

Work on industry-sponsored research projects in well-funded research centers and labs.

male-faculty-female-student-computer-modeling

Rigorous Curriculum

Taught by renowned computer science faculty and industry professionals, our program offers a comprehensive curriculum covering computer science's theoretical foundations alongside real-world applications.

Two students in the UMass Lowell Cybersecurity program work at a computer.

Student Collaboration

Work with peers on projects and field competitive teams, like the one that developed the "Rover Hawk" robot that took first place at a NASA competition.

Computer Science Career Outlook

+25%

Projected job growth for software engineers between 2022-2032
(U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024)
$146,580

Mean annual wage for software developers in Massachusetts
(U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023)

Two students look at a laptop computer screen

Where Our Graduates Work

Amazon
BAE
Cisco
EMC
Facebook
Fidelity
Google
HP
IBM
Intel
iRobot
MITRE
Microsoft
Oracle
Raytheon

Hear from UMass Lowell Graduates

John Kilgo smiling in front of MITRE signage

John Kilgo '19

Computer Science

John Kilgo VI began working at MITRE Corporation more than three years ago as an intern, when he was a UMass Lowell undergraduate. Now, he’s employed there full time as a software systems engineer, while enrolled part time in the master’s program in computer science.

The flexibility of the program allows the courses to sync up with what I’m doing at work.

Tuition and Admissions

Eligible students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be considered for financial assistance.

Complete the FAFSA

View Estimated Annual Tuition and Fees for the 2025 - 2026 Academic Year

As a graduate student, you may qualify for federal student aid and other need-based scholarships. To be considered for financial assistance, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Learn more at UMass Lowell Graduate Aid.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and certain eligible non-citizens. Please visit Financial Aid if you have questions about your eligibility.

Application:
- Summer 2025-Spring 2026,
- Summer 2026-Spring 2027
Application Fee: $50
Statement of Purpose: Outline goals, experience and achievements (maximum 2 pages).
Letters of Recommendation: Two (2) for master's, three (3) for doctoral applicants.
Transcripts: You may apply with unofficial transcripts, but if accepted, official transcripts are required. We do not accept opened, photocopied, emailed PDFs or faxed official transcripts.
Test Scores: UMass Lowell’s school code is 3911. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are only required for the following programs:
- Medical Physics and Radiological Sciences.
- Some programs will waive the test score requirements under certain conditions.

All materials must be received before your application is reviewed. To add documents before review, log in and select “Program Materials.”

Applied Biology, Chemistry and Polymer Science Ph.D. Applicants

All required documents are due to the Office of Graduate Admissions by February 15 for full Fall consideration. Applications received after this date will be reviewed for the next semester.

International Applicants

A transcript evaluation is required for the M.S. in Biological Sciences and Ph.D. in Applied Biology.

International transcripts must indicate completion of a four-year bachelor’s degree (equivalent of an American bachelor's degree) before an application will be processed. The Office of Graduate Admissions reserves the right to have any application credentials evaluated. Baccalaureate verification may be obtained for a fee from:

English proficiency is required. If English is not your country’s national language, please submit one of the following scores:

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): 79+
International English Language Testing System (IELTS): 6.5+
Duolingo: 115+
ASC English: Level 6+
Pearson Test of English (PTE): 53+

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Master of Science in Computer Science

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