Master of Computer Science (MCS) Degree, Online Program

Program Learning Outcomes for the MCS Degree

Upon completing the MCS degree, students will be able to:

  1. Solve advanced Computer Science problems. Students will acquire and apply a graduate-level understanding of material in sub-areas of Computer Science.
  2. Design and implement complex software systems. Students will demonstrate skill in their design and implementation and function effectively in teams.
  3. Communicate effectively to a client and user.

Requirements for the MCS Degree, Online Program

The MCS degree is a non-thesis master's degree. For general university requirements, please see Non-Thesis Master's Degrees. For additional requirements, regulations, and procedures for all graduate programs, please see All Graduate Students. Students pursuing the MCS degree must complete:

  • A minimum of 30 credit hours to satisfy degree requirements.
  • A minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate-level study (graduate semester credit hours, coursework at the 500-level or above). 
  • A minimum of 24 graduate semester credit hours must be taken at Rice University.
  • A minimum of 24 graduate semester credit hours must be taken in standard or traditional courses (with a course type of lecture, seminar, laboratory, lecture/laboratory). 
  • The requirements for one area of specialization (see below for areas of specialization). The MCS degree program offers four areas of specialization:
  • A maximum of 2 courses (6 graduate semester credit hours) from transfer credit. For additional departmental guidelines regarding transfer credit, see the Policies tab.
  • A minimum overall GPA of 2.67 or higher in all Rice coursework.
  • A minimum program GPA of 2.67 or higher in all Rice coursework that satisfies requirements for the non-thesis master’s degree.

Students in the MCS degree program are expected to pay full tuition and all fees. No financial aid is available from the university or the department for MCS students. The MCS degree is a terminal degree for students intending to pursue a career in the computer industry.

The courses listed below satisfy the requirements for this degree program. In certain instances, courses not on this official list may be substituted upon approval of the program's academic advisor, or where applicable, the department or program's Director of Graduate Studies. Course substitutions must be formally applied and entered into Degree Works by the department or program's Official Certifier. Additionally, these must be approved by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.

Summary

Total Credit Hours Required for the MCS Degree, Online Program30

Degree Requirements

Core Requirements 1
COMP 610SOFTWARE CONSTRUCTION3
COMP 613PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES AND DESIGN 23
COMP 614COMPUTER PROGRAMMING FOR DATA SCIENCE3
COMP 630DATABASES 23
COMP 682PRINCIPLES OF ALGORITHMS AND SOFTWARE AREA 23
Area of Specialization 1
Select 1 from the following Areas of Specialization (see Areas of Specialization below):6
Data Science
Engineering Leadership
Machine Learning
Systems
Elective Requirements 1
Select 9 credit hours of electives from the following:9
Any course (minimum of 3 credit hours) at the 500-level (or above) related to computer science from CMOR, COMP, ELEC, RCEL, or STAT course offerings
Any course (minimum of 1.5 credit hours) at the 500-level (or above) from BUSI or MGMT course offerings
Any course (minimum of 3 credit hours) at the 500-level (or above) from any Area of Specialization outside the student's chosen Area of Specialization (see Areas of Specialization below)
Total Credit Hours30

Footnotes and Additional Information

Areas of Specialization

Students must complete a minimum of 2 courses (minimum of 6 credit hours) from one Area of Specialization.

Area of Specialization: Data Science

Select all of the following:
COMP 643BIG DATA3
COMP 665DATA VISUALIZATION3
Total Credit Hours6

Area of Specialization: Engineering Leadership

Select all of the following:
RCEL 501ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP THEORY AND APPLICATION3
RCEL 502ENGINEERING PROJECT MANAGEMENT3
Total Credit Hours6

Area of Specialization: Machine Learning

Select all of the following:
COMP 642MACHINE LEARNING3
COMP 680STATISTICS FOR COMPUTING AND DATA SCIENCE 13
Total Credit Hours6

Area of Specialization: Systems

Select all of the following:
COMP 621SYSTEMS SOFTWARE3
COMP 628CYBERSECURITY3
Total Credit Hours6

Footnotes and Additional Information

Policies for the MCS Degree, Online Program

Department of Computer Science Graduate Program Handbook

The General Announcements (GA) is the official Rice curriculum. As an additional resource for students, the department of Computer Science publishes a graduate program handbook, which can be found here: https://gradhandbooks.rice.edu/2023_24/Computer_Science_Masters_Handbook.pdf

Admission

The GRE test is highly recommended for all applicants, however it may be waived, upon discretion of the department's Admission Committee, if an applicant has relevant industrial experience.

Financial Aid

No financial aid is available from Rice University or the Computer Science Department for students in the MCS degree program. 

Transfer Credit 

For Rice University’s policy regarding transfer credit, see Transfer Credit. Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit. Students are encouraged to meet with their academic program’s advisor when considering transfer credit possibilities.

Departmental Transfer Credit Guidelines

Students pursuing the MCS degree should be aware of the following departmental transfer credit guidelines:

  • No more than 2 courses (6 credit hours) of credit from another U.S. or international universities of similar standing as Rice may apply towards the degree. Transferred courses must be comparable in content and depth to the corresponding course at Rice, and must not have counted toward another degree.
  • Request for transfer credit will be considered by the Computer Science Graduate Committee Chair, and the instructor of the equivalent Rice course. 
 

Additional Information

For additional information, please see the Graduate Programs website at https://www.cs.rice.edu/academics/graduate-programs or contact the department at gradapp@rice.edu.

See the Computer Science website: https://csweb.rice.edu/academics/graduate-programs/online-mcs for additional information relevant to the MCS Degree, Online Program.

Opportunities for the MCS Degree, Online Program

Additional Information

For additional information, please see the Graduate Programs website at https://www.cs.rice.edu/academics/graduate-programs or contact the department at gradapp@rice.edu.

See the Computer Science website: https://csweb.rice.edu/academics/graduate-programs/online-mcs for additional information relevant to the MCS Degree, Online Program.