Graduate Admissions Requirements

Applicants must hold at least a bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an institution comparable to the University of Colorado. They should have programming experience, a number of computer science courses and sufficient mathematical maturity to understand pure mathematics courses at the upper division (junior/senior) level.

The following prerequisites are required for admission both Traditional and Professional Master's degree in Computer Science.

Mathematics Courses

Your academic background should include at least three semesters of mathematics at the level of sophistication of calculus or above. Examples of such courses such are calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, probability, statistics and abstract algebra. The courses should indicate that you have achieved the mathematical maturity expected of an upper-level science, engineering, or mathematics undergraduate.

Computer Science Courses

At least four one-semester courses in computer science that are beyond the introductory level are required for MS admissions and highly recommended for PhD admissions. These are intended to demonstrate your breadth of basic computer science knowledge in the areas of computer hardware, software and theory. The courses should include the equivalent of the following University of Colorado offerings:

• Hardware Requirement: CSCI 2400 (Computer Systems)
• Software Requirement: Any one of CSCI 3155 (Principles of Programming Languages) or CSCI 3753 (Operating Systems)
• Theory Requirement: CSCI 2270 (Computer Science 2: Data Structures) and either CSCI 3104 (Algorithms) or CSCI 3434 (Theory of Computation)

More advanced versions of all courses are acceptable. The courses in the Hardware, Software and Theory Requirements are prerequisites to many of the graduate-level offerings, so it’s important to complete these to be considered for graduate admissions. Admission without these prerequisites or their equivalents may be considered under extraordinary circumstances only.

Requirements for Non-Computer Science Majors

If your undergraduate degree is not in computer science or a CS-related field, you must complete the prerequisite courses before submitting your application. Courses taken non-credit on online portals such as Coursera are not accepted as prereqs. These must be completed from an accredited institute and must have a transcript with grades.

There are few ways to fulfill this:

• Option 1: Complete the prerequisite courses through our CS Online Post-Baccalaureate program. With this option, once you start taking classes, you may choose to complete the post-baccalaureate degree or drop out of it once you have completed the prereqs and apply for the graduate program.
• Option 2: Complete these courses at any accredited institution or community college.
• Option 3: Complete these courses by joining our main campus undergraduate courses as a non-degree student. For this option, you will have to contact the Office of Continuing Education at CU Boulder and petition our undergrad committee.
• Option 4: Complete graduate version of the prerequisite courses, only if you feel comfortable with the content as the grades on these courses will speak to the review committee. This is also through Continuing Education ACCESS program. Graduate equivalent courses are:
  • Hardware Requirement [CSCI 2400 Computer Systems]: You may take any graduate-level (i.e., 5XXX level) systems class. We have Network Systems, Datacenter Scale Computing, Distributed Systems, Ethical Hacking, Computer Security Systems, Big Data Architecture Systems, etc. offered across the academic year.
  • Software Requirements [either CSCI 3155 Principles of Programming Languages or CSCI 3753 Operating Systems]: You may take CSCI 5535 Fundamental Concepts of PL. We do not have a graduate version of operating systems. We do have Advanced Operating Systems but for someone without a systems background, this class will be a challenge.
  • Theory Requirement [Either CSCI 3104 Algorithms or CSCI 3434 Theory of Computation]: Theory of Computation, Design and Analysis of Algorithms are all offered at 5000 level, mostly in fall terms.
  • Please know that without the undergrad prereqs, it will be challenging to complete these courses. Please go through Continuing Education and fill out the form with the classes you wish to take. This will be sent to the CS department, and the department will decide approval/denial for students to take graduate courses without prerequisites.
• Option 5: Courses completed through Coursera or any other online degree platform taken for non-credit do not fulfill the admissions prerequisites requirements. Courses completed through Coursera or any other online degree platform taken for-credit at the graduate level that appear on an institution’s official transcript with grades are considered as fulfilling admissions prerequisites requirements. Courses through Coursera or any other online degree platform taken for-credit at the undergraduate level that appear on an institution’s official transcript with grades are considered admissions prerequisites requirements.

Coursera Courses

• Courses completed through Coursera or any other online degree platform taken for non-credit do not fulfill the admissions prerequisites requirements.
• Courses completed through Coursera or any other online degree platform taken for-credit at the graduate level that appear on an institution’s official transcript with grades are considered as fulfilling admissions prerequisites requirements.
• Courses through Coursera or any other online degree platform taken for-credit at the undergraduate level that appear on an institution’s official transcript with grades are considered admissions prerequisites requirements.

Grade Point Average

You must have a grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0).  Applicants having the listed qualifications will, if accepted, be classified as regular degree students. However, admission to the graduate programs is competitive, and a grade point average at this level will not ensure admission. Competitive applications to PhD and CSEN-MS (research based MS) degree typically have a 3.5 or higher GPA and competitive applications to CSEN-MSCPS (course based MS) have a 3.3 or higher GPA.

GRE Scores

GRE scores are not required for admissions to CSEN graduate degrees at CU Boulder.

Applicants for graduate study in network engineering must hold at least a bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an institution comparable to the University of Colorado. We also recommend that candidates have experience in network engineering, system administration or network programming.

Grade Point Average

You must have a grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0).

GRE Scores

GRE scores are not required for admissions to this program. 

Educational / Professional Background

• A bachelor's degree is required to pursue the residential professional master's in AI.
• The program will accept students with bachelor's degrees from a variety of backgrounds beyond computer science including but not limited to engineering, information science, math, data science, physics, biology, philosophy, geology and geography, provided they can demonstrate their knowledge of pre-requisites through past courses (see below) and work experience (see below).
• Students will need three letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose and transcripts as part of the application process.
• Successfully admitted students will possess a demonstrated ability for professional software development by taking relevant programming/software development courses or demonstrating work experience in a software development role in the industry.
• Work experience in various industry roles related to software development that are borne out by letters of recommendations and a strong expressed interest in the field of AI conveyed through their statements of purpose will be important admissions requirements for the residential program.

Required Mathematics Prerequisites

Your academic background should include at least three semesters of mathematics at the level of sophistication of calculus or above. Examples of such courses are calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, probability, statistics and abstract algebra. The courses should indicate that you have achieved the mathematical maturity expected of an upper-level science, engineering, or mathematics undergraduate.

Required Computer Science Prerequisites

At least three one-semester courses in computer science that are beyond the introductory level are required for MS admissions. These are intended to demonstrate your breadth of basic computer science knowledge in the areas of computer science and programming. The courses should include the equivalent of the following University of Colorado offerings: 

• Programming Requirement: Basic Intro to Programming Class such as CSCI 1200 OR CSCI 1300
• Software Requirement: CSCI 2400 (Computer Systems) or CSCI 3308 (Software Tools and Methods) or CSCI 3155 (Principles of Programming Languages) or its equivalent.
• Theory Requirement: CSCI 2270 (Computer Science 2: Data Structures) and CSCI 3104 (Algorithms) or its equivalent.

More advanced versions of all courses are acceptable. Industry experience in these areas may replace the course prerequisite requirements. Admission without these prerequisites or their equivalents may be considered under extraordinary circumstances only.

Requirements for Non-Computer Science Majors

If your undergraduate degree is not in computer science or a CS-related field, you must complete the prerequisite courses before submitting your application. Courses taken non-credit on online portals such as Coursera are not accepted as prereqs. These must be completed from an accredited institute and must have a transcript with grades.

 There are few ways to fulfill this:

• Option 1: Complete the prerequisite courses through our CS Online Post-Baccalaureate program. With this option, once you start taking classes, you may choose to complete the post-baccalaureate degree or drop out of it once you have completed the prereqs and apply for the graduate program.
• Option 2: Complete these courses at any accredited institution or community college.
• Option 3: Complete these courses by joining our main campus undergraduate courses as a non-degree student. For this option, you will have to contact the Office of Continuing Education at CU Boulder and petition our undergrad committee.
• Option 4: Complete graduate version of the prerequisite courses, only if you feel comfortable with the content as the grades on these courses will speak to the review committee. This is also through Continuing Education ACCESS program. Graduate equivalent courses are:
  • Hardware Requirement [CSCI 2400 (Computer Systems)] – you may take any graduate level systems class i.e. a 5XXX level – we have Network Systems, Datacenter Scale Computing, Distributed Systems, Ethical Hacking, Computer Security Systems, Big Data Architecture Systems etc. offered across academic year.
  • Software Requirements – [either CSCI 3155 (Principles of Programming Languages) or CSCI 3753 (Operating Systems)] – you may take CSCI 5535 – Fundamental Concepts of PL. We do not have a graduate version of Operating systems, I am afraid. We do have Advanced Operating Systems but for someone without a systems background, this class will be a challenge.
  • Theory Requirement – [Either CSCI 3104 (Algorithms) or CSCI 3434(Theory of Computation)] – Theory of Computation, Design and Analysis of Algorithms are all offered at 5000 level, mostly in Fall terms.
  • Please know that without the undergrad prereqs, it will be challenging to complete these courses. Please go through Continuing Education and fill out the form with the classes you wish to take. This will be sent to the CS department, and the department will decide approval/denial for students to take graduate courses without prerequisites.
• Option 5: Courses completed through Coursera or any other online degree platform taken for non-credit do not fulfill the admissions prerequisites requirements. Courses completed through Coursera or any other online degree platform taken for-credit at the graduate level that appear on an institution’s official transcript with grades are considered as fulfilling admissions prerequisites requirements. Courses through Coursera or any other online degree platform taken for-credit at the undergraduate level that appear on an institution’s official transcript with grades are considered admissions prerequisites requirements.

Grade Point Average 

You must have a grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0).  Applicants having the listed qualifications will, if accepted, be classified as regular degree students. However, admission to the graduate programs is competitive, and a grade point average at this level will not ensure admission. 

GRE Scores 

GRE scores are not required for admissions to graduate degrees in the CU Boulder Department of Computer Science.