CS Master's Program Requirements

Basic Component

The Basic Component consists of six (6) graduate-level (i.e., 1000- or 2000-level) CS or CS-related courses, which must be selected so that:

• At least three (3) courses must be 1000- or 2000-level CS courses (i.e., offered by our department under a CSCI code); and

• Upon DGS approval, up to three (3) courses may be 1000- or 2000-level non-CS courses (i.e., offered by other departments), as long as they relate to CS; where

• Upon DGS approval, one (1) such non-CS course may be a transfer (i.e., non-Brown) course, taken

  • Either concurrently at RISD or Harvard through Brown's cross-registration agreements with these universities, as long as it is a graduate-level course;

  • Or previously at another institution, as part of a graduate program but without being used towards any degree, as long as it is equivalent to a graduate-level Brown course.

Advanced Component

The Advanced Component consists of two (2) advanced-level (i.e., 2000-level) CS courses, which must be selected as one of:

• Two (2) 2000-level elective CS courses, taken towards advanced coursework, neither of which being CSCI 2890; or

• Two (2) instances of CSCI 2980, taken towards completing a Master’s Project:

  • These independent-study (a.k.a. Reading & Research) courses must be taken in distinct (typically, consecutive) semesters with the same CS faculty member, chosen by the student as the Research Advisor under whose supervision the student works on a research project;

  • Upon the completion of the research project, the student must submit a project report that has been approved by the Research Advisor and that represents two semesters of work (in addition to the two earned course grades).

Course Selection and Completion

The eight courses in the combined Basic and Advanced components must:

• Be taken

  • At the graduate level (i.e., 1000-level or 2000-level courses) and for a grade, and receive a C or higher (i.e., S’s or NC’s may not be used) for a total average grade of B, or higher (i.e., any C must be countered by an A); and

  • In any order, either in a 2/2/2/2 schedule (2 courses per semester for a total duration of studies of 2 years) or in a 2/3/3 schedule (2 in the 1st semester and 3 in the 2nd & 3rd semesters, for a total duration of studies of 1.5 years).

• Include no more than

  • Two (2) courses may be Arts/Humanities/Policy courses without approval by the Program Advisor and the DGS.

  • Three (3) instances of CSCI 2980.

Professional Track

Students choosing the professional track must complete the eight courses of the Basic and Advanced components given above. In addition, students must complete one or more full-time internships doing work that is related to Computer Science, totaling 140 hours (~four weeks @ 35 hours/week) to 800 hours (20 weeks @ 40 hours/week), whereby each internship must be at least 140 hours in duration. Such work is normally done at a company, but may also be at a university under the supervision of a faculty member.

On completion of each professional experience or internship, the student must write and either send to the DGS or upload to the OISSS portal a reflective essay about the experience, addressing specific prompts on our website. The essay must be approved by the DGS.

Master's Contract

Each student creates and maintains a Master’s Contract that describes their individual plan to complete the degree requirements. At all times during the studies in our program, a student’s individual study plan must be accurately recorded in their Master’s Contract, which must be:

• Updated at the beginning of each semester, as needed, to accurately reflect the student’s transcript and planned course enrollments; and

• Approved by the student’s Program Advisor and the DGS after any update.