Master of Science in Computer Science

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Minimum Admissions Requirements

A bachelor’s degree or equivalent in computer science from a regionally accredited institution. A degree in a related field is acceptable if the applicant shows evidence of a computer science background suitable for entry into the master’s program as judged by the Graduate Committee.
‘B’ average (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better in all coursework attempted while registered as an upper-division student in the bachelor’s program.
For applicants whose native language is not English, English proficiency exam scores of at least 550 (paper-based) or 80 (internet-based) on the TOEFL, 6.5 on the IELTS or 110 on the Duolingo. English proficiency exam exemptions are based on the country in which the applicant completed their undergraduate degree, not on nationality or language of instruction. See the list of exempt countries here: https://gradschool.fiu.edu/toefl-exempt-countries/.

Required Documents

Online graduate application/application fee.
Beginning January 15th, 2023, official courses-by-course evaluation is required from a NACES member credential evaluation service for all international post-secondary (college or university) course work. The evaluation must come directly from the evaluation service to FIU certified as an official document. FIU only accepts secure transcripts of post-secondary school records and these must be received via official channels of mail or authorized electronic transmission. All credentials and documents submitted to the Office of Admissions become the property of FIU. FIU will not return original documents to the applicant or forward to other institutions. You are not required to use the agencies below; you can use any of your choice that is a NACES member credentialed.
- Josef Silny & Associates
  7101 SW 102 Avenue
  Miami, FL 33171
  (t) 305.273.1616
  www.silny.com | info@jsilny.com
- World Education Services
  PO Box 745
  New York, NY 10113-0745
  (t) 212.966.6311
  www.wes.org | info@wes.org
- Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
  PO Box 514070
  Milwaukee, WI 53203-3470
  (t) 414.289.3400
  www.ece.org
If applicable, Official TOEFL and Duolingo scores must be reported by the testing agency.
- The ETS school code for the TOEFL exam is 5206.
- IELTS can be verified directly by admissions. Plesae be sure to upload or email a copy of your official IELTS score card.
If admitted, All foreign educated students are required to provide proof of Degree / Diploma. This can be submitted upon arrival at FIU.

Supporting Documents (Recommended)

Statement of purpose
Three letters of recommendation
Resume

Immigration Documents

These documents are required of international students only. See https://admissions.fiu.edu/international/submit-documents/#what for more info.

Bank and Sponsor Letter
Declaration and Certification of Finances
F-1 Transfer Form (if currently residing in the U.S. on an F-1 visa)

Step One: Apply Online

All applications and associated fees, with the exception of those for the combined BS/MS program, are submitted online at https://gradschool.fiu.edu/apply/.

Through the website, applicants will have the opportunity to upload supporting documents, such as a statement of purpose, resume, residency documents for tuition purposes, immigration documents, and the like. They can also provide contact information for recommenders who are then prompted to submit the letters of recommendation through the online portal.

Once submitted, Graduate Admissions will promptly acknowledge receipt of the application via email and will provide a Panther ID as well as further instructions on how to access the MyFIU portal. On MyFIU, students can view the status of their application, including any missing documents. Missing documents are listed under the “To Do List” on the top right-hand corner of the screen.

Once the applicant has been issued a Panther ID, they should include the Panther ID in all communications to the unit representatives, Graduate Admissions, International Student and Scholar Services, and Student Health services.

Step Two: Submit Official Documents

Mailing address for regular U.S. mail:

Office of Admissions
Florida International University
P.O. Box 659004 
Miami, FL 33265-9004

Mailing address for couriers (typically used for delivering documents from outside the United States):

Office of Admissions
11200 SW 8th St
BT 201
Miami, FL 33199

FIU requires official documents, even for the initial review of the applications. Required official documents include transcripts, course by course evaluation, translations, and test scores (if applicable).

Transcripts must be official. Foreign students must provide a course by course evaluation from a NACES approved agency.

Official test scores must be reported to the University by the testing agency. The University’s ETS code is 5206. IELTS scores may be verified directly by the admissions officer if the applicant provides FIU with a copy of the score report.

Please note that applications are not referred to the unit for review until required documents have been received and the application evaluation can be completed. Uploaded copies of any of these documents are considered unofficial and will not be used in evaluating the application.

Once admitted, international students will also be required to show an official proof of degree, typically a diploma, but can do so upon their arrival to FIU.

For any and all questions regarding admission required documents you must contact the office of international admissions directly at gradadm@fiu.edu.

Deadlines

This program admits for the fall, spring, and summer terms.

All international applicants must abide the international applicant deadline. This includes international applicants residing in the United States and/or international applicants who do not require student visas.

	Fall	Spring	Summer
Domestic Applicants	June 1st	October 1st	March 1st
International Applicants	June 1st	October 1st	February 1st

To view this information in a printable format, Click Here.

Required Coursework: 9 credits

COT 5407 Introduction to Algorithms
Two of following:
- CEN 5011 Advanced Software Engineering
- COP 5725 Principles of Database Management Systems
- COP 5614 Operating Systems

Elective Coursework

Non-thesis option: 21 credits of elective courses.

Thesis option: 15 credits of elective courses and 6 credits of master’s thesis.

Elective courses may be selected from SCIS’s graduate course offerings, found in Section 7.1 of the Graduate Program Booklet, with the exception of courses marked not applicable to the MS or Ph.D. in Computer Science or to SCIS degrees.

A maximum of 6 credits can be chosen from courses other than those listed in Section 7.1. Of these 6 credits, a maximum of 3 credits can be taken as either a 3-credit Independent Study or a 3-credit co-op course, but not both.

Students who are interested in relevant courses outside of SCIS that are not on the pre-approved list found in Section 7.2 of the Graduate Program Booklet or on the student’s degree audit should submit a request to the Graduate Program Advisor with the course details and a strong justification. The Graduate Program Director has final discretion over the inclusion of courses in a program of study.

Thesis Option

This option requires the completion of a master’s thesis (6 thesis credits) in addition to the 9 graduate courses (15 credits of required courses and 15 credits of elective courses). A student may commence work on the master’s thesis at any time; however, thesis credits taken prior to the approval of the M-2 form will not count toward the 6 credits of master’s thesis required to complete the degree. See https://gradschool.fiu.edu/students/#studentforms for the forms.

Thesis Committee

The Thesis Committee must consist of three members with Graduate Faculty Status, at least two of which hold appointments in SCIS. Typically, all three members hold appointments in SCIS. The Thesis Advisor is the Chairperson of the Thesis Committee. University regulations require that the Chairperson of the Thesis Committee be a member of the College of Engineering. The M-1 Form must be completed to formally establish the Thesis Committee with the University Graduate School.

Thesis Proposal

The thesis proposal should be submitted after the Thesis Committee has been approved. The proposal will be given by the Thesis Advisor to the student’s Thesis Committee for review. Based on the written recommendations of its members, the Thesis Committee will make a final decision. Upon acceptance of the proposal, the M-2 Form will be completed, to indicate that the proposal has been approved. Before the submission of the M-2 form, the Graduate School requires the M.S. candidate complete an on-line “Responsible Conduct of Research Certification” training course (https://gradschool.fiu.edu/rcr/#toggle-id-3 ).

The purpose of the thesis proposal is to convince the Committee that the chosen thesis topic and the student’s approach have a reasonable chance of success. KFSCIS wants to minimize the chance that the thesis will be rejected when almost completed. In particular, the thesis proposal should:

Explain the basic idea of the thesis topic,
Argue why that topic is important,
State what kind of results are expected,
Make plausible that these results are sufficient for a master’s thesis and that they are obtainable within the given time frame with available resources,
Demonstrate the student’s academic qualifications for doing the proposed work.

Once the M-2 Form has been approved by the University Graduate School, the student is subject to Continuous Enrollment requirements and must enroll in at least one thesis credit every term (including Summer) until he or she graduates. Exceptions to this rule can only be made by the University Graduate School via the approval of a formal leave of absence. Thesis credits taken prior to the approval of the M-2 form will not count toward the minimum 6 credits of the master’s thesis.

Thesis Defense

The master’s thesis must be a written account of a critical and scholarly study in an area in computer science. The Thesis Committee will review it critically for both content and form. The thesis may consist of:

Independent research work,
A critical study and analysis of known results that provide new significance and insights,
A significant and constructive contribution to computer applications such as software development for important applications.

Once the Thesis Committee has approved the student for a final defense, the student should submit the M-3 Form at least 3 weeks prior to the expected defense date. The student and the Thesis Advisor need to coordinate with the Program Specialist to schedule an oral presentation of the thesis in the form of a public lecture. The Thesis Committee makes the final pass or fail decision.

Up-to-date information on tuition and fees is available at https://onestop.fiu.edu/finances/estimate-your-costs/.

Currently, the cost per credit hour for a graduate-level course is $455.64 for Florida residents and $1001.69 for non-Florida residents. The estimated cost of a full-time spring or fall semester (9 credits) is $4,295.15 for Florida residents and $9,209.60 for non-Florida residents. The M.S. in Computer Science consists of 30 credits. The estimated total cost for a full-time student is $14,446.76 for Florida residents and $30,828.26 for non-Florida residents. These estimates do not include online course fees. Tuition and fees are paid on a semester basis.

Tuition, fees, and the above estimates are subject to change. Estimated costs may not reflect costs paid.

Contact

For inquiries related to the MS in Computer Science, including admissions and academic issues, please contact Rebeca Arocha, the Graduate Program Advisor. Email is preferred.

For information on the MS in Computer Science, please email rarocha@fiu.edu .