Admission to the Master's Program

Since establishment of the Graduate School in 1951, graduate instruction has been a major concern at Middle Tennessee State University. Graduate degrees are awarded through the College of Graduate Studies, admission to which implies the expectation of superior talent, high motivation, and dedication to advancing the goals of the University. The Department of Computer Science offers the Master of Science degree in Computer Science and, in addition, offers a minor at the graduate level. The department welcomes inquiries from individuals who consider themselves qualified for graduate study and who are sincere in their desire to enter the program. We consider our graduate program in computer science to be one of the best in the state.

The following items are required to apply for admission to the Master's program. Applicants must submit these items to the College of Graduate Studies.

  1. An application for admission.
  2. An application fee.
  3. An official transcript from each college attended. (All students applying for admission to the Graduate School must present an overall undergraduate GPA of 2.75 on a 4.00 scale to be considered for unconditional admission.)
  4. A demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in English. International students must present acceptable TOEFL scores.
  5. GRE is waived for all applicants to the Master’s Program. However, applicants with a 3.0 or lower undergraduate GPA are encouraged to submit a GRE score for a better chance of acceptance.

Note that letters of recommendation are not required.

The final step in the admissions procedure is acceptance by the Computer Science Department. For otherwise qualified students who lack background in computer science, conditional admission may be granted allowing them to complete prerequisite courses. These courses are:

  • CSCI 1170, 2170, 3080, 3110, 3130, and 3240 or equivalent. See undergraduate course descriptions for more information. Any required undergraduate Computer Science course taken subsequent to conditional admission to the Computer Science Master's program must be completed with a grade of B- (2.67) or higher. If such an undergraduate course is a prerequisite for a subsequent course, then the B- or higher must be earned prior to taking the subsequent course.
  • MATH 1910 (Calculus I) and 2050 (Probability and Statistics) or equivalent