degree details 

The MS Computer Science research-based degree (MSCS) requires 30 credits of graduate-level coursework. 

• Professional Development [3 credits]

  1. CSCI 5000 Intro to MS Research (1 credit) 

  2. CSCI 5100 Research Colloquium (1 credit)

  3. CSCI 5100 can be taken twice or any other graduate level 1.0 credit course (1 credit

• Breadth (BIN) courses [9 credits]

  1. One course required from each of three BINs, with a 'B' or higher.

  2. Highly recommended to complete this requirement by the end of your first year.

  3. BIN course lists are updated periodically.

• Research-based courses [6 credits]

  1. Students select one of the following options and must earn a 'B' or higher in both courses.

     1. Option 1 - Independent Study (CSCI 5900)

     2. Option 2 - Master's Thesis (CSCI 6950)

• Electives [15 credits] - with the following restrictions:

  1. Exactly three credits of the Professional Internship class (CSCI 6930) counts as an elective course (no more, no less).

  2. No more than two non-CS classes: Students may take no more than total 6 credits of non-CS classes and count towards their degree requirement,  as long as these classes are at graduate level (5XXX and above) and are offered at CU Boulder. 

  3. Research students (MSCS) cannot count any MSCPS projects courses towards their degree - for example, CSCI 5040, CSCI 5050, CSCI 5340, or CSCI 5350

  4. CSEN students may not take NetEng Fundamentals classes (CSCI 5010; CSCI 5020; CSCI 5030) and count them towards their degree.

Read here for more details.

The MS Computer Science course-based degree (MSCPS) requires 30 credits of graduate-level coursework. 

• Breadth (BIN) courses [9 credits]

  • One course required from each of three BINs, with a 'B' or higher.

  • Highly recommended to complete this requirement by the end of your first year.

  • BIN course lists are updated periodically.

• Project courses [6 credits]

  • Students select one of the following options and must earn a 'B' or higher in both courses.

    • Option 1 - Professional Masters Project courses (CSCI 5040 & CSCI 5050)

    • Option 2 - Entrepreneurial Projects courses (CSCI 5340 & CSCI 5350)

  • Project courses need to be taken during Year 2 of the students' program.

• Electives [15 credits] - with the following restrictions:

  • Exactly three credits of the Professional Internship class (CSCI 6930) counts as an elective course (no more, no less).

  • No more than two non-CS classes: Students may take no more than total 6 credits of non-CS classes and count towards their degree requirement,  as long as these classes are at graduate level (5XXX and above) and are offered at CU Boulder. 

  • Professional MS students (MSCPS) cannot count any research related courses towards their degree - for example, CSCI 5000, CSCI 5100, CSCI 6000, CSCI 6100, CSCI 6200, or any other one credit research seminar based classes, or independent study courses towards their degree requirements. 

  • CSEN students may not take NetEng Fundamentals classes (CSCI 5010; CSCI 5020; CSCI 5030) and count them towards their degree.

• (optional) Subplan [12 credits] - MSCPS students have the option to add a subplan to their program.

  • Students who add a subplan must earn a 'B' or higher in four courses from their subplan course list.

  • Students may count the same course towards a breadth (BIN) requirement and their subplan requirement.

  • Students may add only ONE subplan.

  • Available subplans are listed below:

    • Algorithms, Network and Optimization (ANO)

    • Artificial Intelligence (AIG)

    • Data Science and Engineering (DSE)

    • Human-Centered Computing (HCC)

    • Numerical Computation (NUM)

    • Robotics (RBT)

    • Security (SEC)

    • Software Systems and Cloud Computing (SSC)

Read here for more details.

The MS Network Engineering course-based degree (MSNE) requires 30 credits of graduate-level coursework. 

• Fundamentals [6 credits]

  • About: Background necessary to succeed in the degree

    • Students are required to take two courses (6 credits) from the Fundamentals category unless they can demonstrate that they have acquired the necessary skills and knowledge via their undergraduate degree. Such students can petition to take two extra elective or advanced elective courses instead. 

    • Some students may be recommended to take all 3 courses. Students may only count 6 credits from the Fundamentals category towards their degree.  

    • These fundamentals courses do not count towards any Computer Science degrees - PhD, MS or MSCPS. 

  • Fundamentals courses

    • CSCI 5010 Fundamentals of Data Communication

    • CSCI 5020 Fundamentals of Network Programming (Python)

    • CSCI 5030 Fundamentals of System Administration and Virtualization (Linux)

• Core [6 credits]

  • About: Lay the foundation for exploring Network Engineering topics in depth

  • Core courses

    • CSCI 5113 Linux System Administration

    • CSCI 5160 Introduction to Enterprise Networks

    • CSCI 5170 IP Routing Protocols and Policies

    • CSCI 5180 Network Management & Automation

    • CSCI 5200 Introduction to Wireless Systems

    • CSCI 5220 Wireless Local Area Networks

    • CSCI 5230 Wireless Systems Lab

• Advanced Electives [9 credits]

  • About: Go in depth on a variety of network engineering topics

  • Advanced Electives courses

    • CSCI 5190 Voice over IP: Voice Network Design and Implementation

    • CSCI 5840 Advanced Network Automation

    • CSCI 5260 Datacenter Networks

    • CSCI 5270 IP Network Design

    • CSCI 5280 Software-Defined Networking

    • CSCI 5360 Internet Service Provider Networks

    • CSCI 5380 Network Virtualization and Orchestration

    • CSCI 5620 Advanced Wireless Lab

    • CSCI 5630 Wireless and Cellular Systems

• Electives [9 credits]

  • About: customize your MSNE degree to meet your academic goals.

  • Electives can include any of the following options:

    • Any of the remaining Core courses

    • Any of the remaining Advanced Electives Courses

    • Any CS 5000-level courses

    • At most three graduate-level courses (9 credits) from outside CS approved by petition

  • For the last two options, students are encouraged to submit petitions to the CS graduate committee BEFORE taking the courses they want to apply to the Electives category.

Read here for more details.