CS-MS - Computer Science (MS)

In general, the M.S. degree in Computer Science is intended as a terminal professional degree and does not lead to the Ph.D. degree. Most students planning to obtain the Ph.D. degree should apply directly for admission to the Ph.D. program. Some students, however, may wish to complete the master’s program before deciding whether to pursue the Ph.D. To give such students a greater opportunity to become familiar with research, the department has a program leading to a master’s degree with distinction in research. This program is described in more detail below.

Admission

Applications to the M.S. program and all supporting documents must be submitted and received online by the published deadline. Information on admission requirements is available on the department's web site; see also the department's deadlines page. Exceptions are made for applicants who are already students at Stanford and are applying to the coterminal program.

All 45 units for the MS&E MS degree must be completed at Stanford.

Coterminal master’s degree candidates are expected to complete all master’s degree requirements as described in this bulletin. University requirements for the coterminal master’s degree are described in the Coterminal Master's Degrees section. University requirements for the master’s degree are described in the Graduate Degrees section of this bulletin.

After accepting admission to this coterminal master’s degree program, students may request transfer of courses from the undergraduate to the graduate career to satisfy requirements for the master’s degree. Transfer of courses to the graduate career requires review and approval of both the undergraduate and graduate programs on a case by case basis.

In this master’s program, courses taken during or after the first quarter of the sophomore year are eligible for consideration for transfer to the graduate career; the timing of the first graduate quarter is not a factor. No courses taken prior to the first quarter of the sophomore year may be used to meet master’s degree requirements.

Course transfers are not possible after the bachelor’s degree has been conferred.

The University requires that the graduate advisor be assigned in the student’s first graduate quarter even though the undergraduate career may still be open. The University also requires that the Master’s Degree Program Proposal be completed by the student and approved by the department by the end of the student’s first graduate quarter.

The Department of Computer Science is committed to providing academic advising in support of graduate student scholarly and professional development. When most effective, this advising relationship entails collaborative and sustained engagement by both the adviser and the advisee. As a best practice, advising expectations should be periodically discussed and reviewed to ensure mutual understanding. Both the adviser and the advisee are expected to maintain professionalism and integrity.

Faculty advisers guide students in key areas such as selecting courses, designing and conducting research, developing of teaching pedagogy, navigating policies and degree requirements, and exploring academic opportunities and professional pathways.

Graduate students are active contributors to the advising relationship, proactively seeking academic and professional guidance and taking responsibility for informing themselves of policies and degree requirements for their graduate program.

For a statement of Computer Science policy on graduate advising, see the Computer Science Graduate Advising link. For a statement of University policy on graduate advising, see the Graduate Graduate Advising section of this bulletin.

The purpose of the master’s program is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for a professional career or doctoral studies. This is done through course work in the foundational elements of the field and in at least one graduate specialization. Areas of specialization include artificial intelligence, biocomputation, computer and network security, human-computer interaction, information management and analytics, real-world computing, software theory, systems, and theoretical computer science.