Northeastern University’s Master of Science in Computer Science is designed to prepare students for a variety of careers in computer science. The program combines both computing and important application domains—enabling you to increase your broad-based knowledge in the field while allowing you to delve deeper in specific areas through elective courses.
Master of Science in Computer Science—Align students come from a wide variety of backgrounds, with undergraduate majors including math, biology, history, engineering, and classics. The program begins with a two-semester introductory sequence, which provides the foundational knowledge for students from non-technical backgrounds to succeed. Students have an opportunity to acquire both the knowledge needed to transition into a new career and the practical skills to build the next great app.
Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated.
Students should refer to the course numbering table for graduate course leveling.
Core Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Programming | ||
CS 5010 | Programming Design Paradigm | 4 |
Algorithms | ||
CS 5800 | Algorithms | 4 |
Breadth Areas
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Complete three courses from two of the three following breadth areas: | 12 | |
Systems and Software | ||
Principles of Programming Language | ||
Foundations of Software Engineering | ||
Mobile Application Development | ||
Computer Systems | ||
Web Development | ||
Fundamentals of Computer Networking | ||
Compilers | ||
Advanced Software Development | ||
Building Scalable Distributed Systems | ||
Wireless Network | ||
Theory and Security | ||
Privacy, Security, and Usability | ||
Complexity Theory | ||
Software Vulnerabilities and Security | ||
Network Security | ||
Cryptography and Communications Security | ||
Artificial Intelligence and Data Science | ||
Foundations of Artificial Intelligence | ||
Game Artificial Intelligence | ||
Database Management Systems | ||
Pattern Recognition and Computer Vision | ||
Natural Language Processing | ||
Machine Learning | ||
Information Retrieval | ||
Data Mining Techniques | ||
Large-Scale Parallel Data Processing | ||
Advanced Machine Learning |
Electives
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Complete 12 semester hours from the following: | 12 | |
Mixed Reality | ||
Master’s Project | ||
Readings | ||
Thesis | ||
Foundations of Information Assurance | ||
Computer System Security | ||
Software Security Practices | ||
Introduction to Data Management and Processing | ||
Unsupervised Machine Learning and Data Mining |
Program Credit/GPA Requirements
32 total semester hours required
Minimum 3.000 GPA required
Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated.
Align Bridge Coursework
Students are required to take all bridge courses unless otherwise determined by the program.
A grade of B or higher is required in each course.
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Fundamentals | ||
CS 5001 and CS 5003 | Intensive Foundations of Computer Science and Recitation for CS 5001 | 4 |
Discrete Structures | ||
CS 5002 | Discrete Structures | 4 |
Object-Oriented Design | ||
CS 5004 and CS 5005 | Object-Oriented Design and Recitation for CS 5004 | 4 |
Additional ALIGN courses | ||
CS 5008 and CS 5009 | Data Structures, Algorithms, and Their Applications within Computer Systems and Recitation for CS 5008 | 4 |
Core Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Algorithms | ||
CS 5800 | Algorithms | 4 |
Breadth Areas
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Select three courses from two of the three following breadth areas: | 12 | |
Systems and Software | ||
Principles of Programming Language | ||
Foundations of Software Engineering | ||
Mobile Application Development | ||
Computer Systems | ||
Web Development | ||
Fundamentals of Computer Networking | ||
Compilers | ||
Advanced Software Development | ||
Building Scalable Distributed Systems | ||
Wireless Network | ||
Theory and Security | ||
Privacy, Security, and Usability | ||
Complexity Theory | ||
Software Vulnerabilities and Security | ||
Network Security | ||
Cryptography and Communications Security | ||
Artificial Intelligence and Data Science | ||
Foundations of Artificial Intelligence | ||
Game Artificial Intelligence | ||
Database Management Systems | ||
Pattern Recognition and Computer Vision | ||
Natural Language Processing | ||
Machine Learning | ||
Information Retrieval | ||
Data Mining Techniques | ||
Large-Scale Parallel Data Processing | ||
Advanced Machine Learning |
Electives
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Complete 12 semester hours from the following. | 12 | |
Mixed Reality | ||
Thesis | ||
Master’s Project | ||
Readings | ||
Foundations of Information Assurance | ||
Computer System Security | ||
Software Security Practices | ||
Introduction to Data Management and Processing | ||
Unsupervised Machine Learning and Data Mining |
Program Credit/GPA Requirements
36-44 total semester hours required
Minimum 3.000 GPA required