Program Overview

Graduate Certificate in Computer Science

The Graduate Certificate in Computer Science provides essential skills for professionals interested in designing and developing a variety of software systems. The program is often taken as a precursor to one of the MS degrees offered by the CS Department.

Prerequisites

Applicants should have a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in a STEM discipline, or have relevant professional experience in computing.

Related MS Programs

Students who achieve a GPA of at least 3.0 are assured admission into MS programs offered by the Ying Wu College of Computing. All courses within this Certificate program fulfill the degree requirements for the MS in Computer Science program.

Degree Requirements

The Graduate Certificate in Computer Science can be completed by taking four courses (12 credits). The requirements must be satisfied as indicated in the following Course List.

• Entry-level Courses
  • At most two courses from this list:
    • CS 506: Foundations of Computer Science
    • IS 601: Web Systems Development
• Core Courses
  • At least two courses from this list:
    • CS 630: Operating System Design
    • CS 631: Data Management System Design
    • CS/DS 675: Machine Learning
• Electives
  • At most two courses from this list:
    • CS 602: Java Programming
    • CS 610: Data Structures and Algorithms
    • CS 632: Advanced Database System Design
    • CS 635: Computer Programming Languages
    • CS/DS 644: Introduction to Big Data
    • CS 645: Security and Privacy in Computer Systems
    • CS 656: Internet and Higher-Layer Protocols
    • CS 673: Software Design and Production Methodology

Entry-level courses are recommended to students with limited academic or professional background in computing.