Graduate Programs

The University of Minnesota's Department of Computer Science and Engineering offers comprehensive research opportunities and a challenging educational program. Students are attracted to our program by the expertise of our faculty, the breadth of educational opportunities in the department as well as university-wide, and the stimulating University and Twin Cities environments. The department has ties to industry providing an atmosphere conducive to forward thinking research as well as a stimulating curriculum that contributes to a student's successful completion of their chosen degree and advancement in their careers.

The goal of the graduate program is to encourage each student's capacity for original and creative thinking, to understand the current state of the art of research and to assist them in pushing forward innovative research.

The Graduate Program in Computer Science has 38 full time professors doing active research in almost all areas of computer science and engineering. Included is a listing of the faculty and their research areas. The program is highly ranked nationally and the faculty's research is recognized world wide. Faculty and students have access to excellent computing facilities including the latest supercomputers, which can be used for both research and educational purposes. Our program attracts many talented students to Minnesota for advanced studies. Competition is very keen and we have only been able to enroll about 70 new students each year from an applicant pool of 600-800 each year. We are especially interested in admitting top students who will fit into the research mission of our department.

Graduate Degrees in Computer Science

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering offers 4 graduate degrees. These include the PhD in Computer Science, the MS in Computer Science, the MCS in Computer Science, and the MS in Software Engineering. Additional information may be obtained from the Graduate School Catalog.

• The PhD in Computer Science is a research degree which culminates in a unique dissertation that demonstrates original and creative research.
• The MS in Computer Science degree is 31 credits of course work plus a research component of either a Plan A thesis, Plan B project, or the new Plan C coursework projects.
• The MCS (Masters of Computer Science) is our coursework only degree for those students seeking to broaden their knowledge without doing research. It was originally designed to meet the needs or the working professional.
• The MS in Software Engineering is a degree focusing on the working professional and includes coursework plus a Plan B or Capstone project.

Other Programs

Graduate Minor in Computer Science

The Computer Science and Engineering department offers Ph.D and M.S. graduate minors in Computer Science.

Graduate Minor in Bioinformatics

The Graduate Program in Bioinformatics offers a graduate minor to students already enrolled in the Graduate School of the University of Minnesota. Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary research area that applies computer and information science to solve biological problems.

How to Apply

New students can only be admitted for the fall term of each year. The department usually accepts applications beginning in late Fall and ending early spring. For more information, see the Admissions section of our web site.