MS Program Quick Links
About the Program • Application Deadlines • Admission Requirements • Graduation Requirements
Course Offerings • Joint BS/MS Program • Contact Information
The Department of Computer Science at Rutgers University – Camden has a graduate program leading to a Master of Science degree in Computer Science (MSCS). The program is targeted to traditional and non-traditional students who want to deepen their knowledge of CS, advance their careers, or prepare for further doctoral studies.
The program is an evening Master’s program designed for working professionals. It can be completed in as few as three semesters of full-time study or up to five semesters of part-time study. The program also has an accelerated track that admits particularly promising undergraduates. Non-matriculated students may also be admitted to the program. Note that Rutgers has three independent units that should not be confused: Rutgers New Brunswick, Rutgers Newark, and Rutgers Camden. This MS CS program is offered by Rutgers Camden. Each unit has its own schools and degree programs. Applications to different units must be done separately.
Application Deadlines for All Application Material
Both Fall and Spring admissions are allowed. The application deadlines for all application material are:
- Fall admission application deadline: 31 May (31 March from abroad).
- Spring admission application deadline: 31 October (30 September from abroad).
Applicants wishing to be considered for assistantships, fellowships, or other financial aid may apply for fall term admission only and should submit their applications by March 1 (per University regulation).
For information on tuition and fees, visit the Tuition and Fees page for Rutgers Admissions. Unfortunately, the CS Department cannot provide financial support to students.
To determine your residency status, see: http://admissions.rutgers.edu/0208.asp#1
- A bachelor’s degree with a grade-point-average of at least 3.0 (i.e., at least a B average, original transcripts are required).
- Substantial background in computer science and in basic mathematics.
- A computer science degree is preferred but not required.
- The required computer science background should include: programming (the equivalent of the introductory programming sequence 50:198:111, 112, 113), data structures (the equivalent of 50:198:213), a third-year or higher course in algorithms (the equivalent of 50:198:371), computer organization (the equivalent of 50:198:231)
- The mathematics background should include: discrete mathematics (the equivalent of 50:640:237 or 50:198:171), calculus (the equivalent of the calculus sequence 50:640:121, 122), linear algebra (the equivalent of 50:640:250), probability and statistics (the equivalent of 50:960:283, 284 or 50:960:336)
- Applicants with an inadequate background must remove all deficiencies (by taking the equivalent undergraduate courses), before being considered for admission.
- Satisfactory performance on the GRE General (Aptitude) Test (original reports required).
- Three letters of recommendation (see the application forms).
- A personal statement (of at most two pages) about academic interests and career goals.
- For applicants whose native language is not English, satisfactory performance on the TOEFL.
- Optionally, other supporting information, such as work or academic experience and special skills.
Admission of non-matriculated students
The program admits non-matriculated students. Admission as a non-matriculated student does not in any way guarantee later admission into the MS CS degree program. Non-matriculated students who later are admitted to the MS CS degree program can use up to 12 non-matriculated graduate credits for the MS in CS (subject to approval by the program director).
The admission requirements for non-matriculated students are mostly the same as for degree program students: A bachelor’s degree with a grade-point-average of at least 3.0 is required, and sufficient background in CS and in Mathematics, as described above. For applicants whose native language is not English, either the TOEFL or GRE General Test is required. However, applicants for non-matriculated admission do not need letters of recommendation, or the GRE General Test (except as a possible substitute for the TOEFL).
Fulfillment of the above requirements does not guarantee admission. Decisions about admission are made by the Program Director and the Graduate Admissions Committee.
The application itself is available online at http://gradstudy.rutgers.edu.
Contact information for Rutgers-Camden graduate admissions:
Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
406 Penn Street
Camden, NJ 08102, U.S.A.
Phone: +1 856 225-6104
- A minimum of 30 credits must be completed, which must include a project, thesis, or comprehensive exam option.
- There is a breadth requirement:
- For students in the regular MSCS program, at least two lecture courses must be taken from each of the following three areas: Theory, Software/Systems, and Applications.
See Course Offerings below for a list of courses offered by the Computer Science Department in each of these areas.
- Grade Requirements: To graduate, the student must achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0, or better, in the required 30 graduate credits. No more than 6 credits with grades of C or C+ may be used in meeting the requirements of the master’s degree.
- Thesis, Project, or Comprehensive Exam Requirement:
- Thesis Option: This option requires 8 lecture courses (24 credits) and a master’s thesis (6 credits). By “lecture” course is meant as a regular, lecture-based course; independent study, research, or project courses are not lecture courses. Admission to the thesis option is highly selective and requires departmental approval. To be eligible for the thesis option, a student must have completed at least 4 graduate courses and have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5. Furthermore, the student must have the endorsement of a graduate faculty member who will serve as the student’s thesis adviser. If approved for the thesis option, the student will take 6 credits of 56:198:701, 702, called “Research in Computer Science”. The student must submit a written report and give an oral presentation of the thesis project in front of a committee of graduate faculty members. The written thesis and the presentation satisfy the Graduate School’s writing and comprehensive exam requirements, respectively.
- Project Option: This option requires 9 lecture courses (27 credits) and a master’s project (3 credits). A student taking the project option must enroll in the one-semester 3-credit course 56:198:693 (Master’s Project in Computer Science), supervised by a graduate faculty member. As part of this course, the student must complete either a design project (which includes a written report), or write a research report on a computer science topic based on a collection of papers in the research literature. Additionally, the student must make an oral presentation of the completed project or research report at the culmination of the course. The written report and the presentation satisfy the Graduate School’s writing and comprehensive exam requirements, respectively.
- Comprehensive Exam Option: This option consists of three written one-hour tests. Each one-hour test is on one graduate course that the student has taken at Rutgers-Camden. Furthermore, the chosen test subjects must satisfy the breadth requirements of the graduate degree program. That is, a student is required to take one test from each of the following areas: Theory, Software/Systems, and Applications. A student cannot take a test in the same semester during which she or he is taking the course. On each test, a mark of “high pass”, “pass”, or “fail” is given. A student can repeat each test once, or choose a new subject for that test. Hence, a student can take a maximum of 6 tests. She or he must receive at least one “high pass” and two “pass” marks in those 6 attempts to pass comprehensive exams. Failure to pass the comprehensive exams will result in dismissal from the program.
To fulfill the writing requirement of the Graduate School at Camden, a student who follows the comprehensive exam option has to write a report or essay (at least 10 pages long) on the main concepts and results in one course. The choice of course should be discussed with the instructor and the graduate director. The report will be evaluated by the instructor and assigned a mark of “high pass”, “pass”, or “fail”. A student must receive a mark of “pass” or higher to pass the writing requirement.
Transfer Credits: Subject to approval by the Program Director, students may transfer up to 10 credits from other graduate Computer Science programs toward the MS CS degree provided they satisfy the following conditions.
- The student has completed at least 12 credits with grades of B or better at the Graduate School – Camden.
- The courses transferred cannot include credits for a thesis, independent study, or research.
- The transferred credits have not been (and are not intended to be) counted towards any other degree.
- The courses transferred have been taken during the six years prior to the application for transfer of credits.
The department offers a variety of graduate computer science courses, grouped under several areas:
- Theory: 56:198:571 Algorithms, 56:198:573 Computational Geometry, 56:198:575 Cryptography and Computer Security, 56:198:576 Theory of Computation, 56:198:577 Computational Complexity Theory, 56:198:578 Combinatorial Optimization, 56:198:565-566 Computational Mathematics I and II.
- Software/Systems: 56:198:521 Compiler Construction, 56:198:523 Software Engineering, 56:198:531 Computer Systems Architecture, 56:198:543 Operating Systems, 56:198:546 Computer Networks, 56:198:548 Mobile and Wireless Computing.
- Applications: 56:198:541 Parallel and Distributed Computing, 56:198:551 Database Systems, 56:198:552 Advanced Database Systems, 56:198:556 Computer Graphics, 56:198:582 Motifs and Related Dynamics in Biological Networks, 56:198:584 Mathematical Methods in Systems Biology.
For a complete list of graduate courses offered by the department, consult the Course List of the Computer Science portion of the graduate catalog. (view)
Joint BS/MS Dual Degree Program
Undergraduate students who demonstrate exceptional academic performance in the BS program in Computer Science at Rutgers-Camden may apply during their junior year to enter a dual-degree BS/MS program. This program will enable students in the BS program to begin graduate work, thus speeding the completion of a master’s degree.
For more information regarding this program, please visit the Joint BS/MS Degree Program page.
To obtain this information in a downloadable format, click here for the “Program Description and Operational Rules” of the Masters of Science in Computer Science at Rutgers University-Camden.
For more details, consult the Computer Science portion of the graduate catalog here.
For more information on schedules, catalogs, calendars, etc. visit the web site for the Office of the Registrar at Rutgers-Camden.
Contacts for the Rutgers Camden MS CS Program
Suneeta Ramaswami,
Computer Science Graduate Program Director
ude.sregtur.nedmacnull@icspmocdarg
Tel: (856) 225-6439
Dept. of Computer Science 322 BSB
227 Penn Street
Rutgers University – Camden
Camden, NJ 08102
Tel: (856) 225-6077 | Fax: (856) 225-6624