Graduate Admissions
Admission to Computer Science graduate programs is open to domestic and international students with a bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an accredited educational institution. We offer graduate programs leading to M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Instruction and opportunities for research exist in a variety of areas, including algorithms, bioinformatics, high performance computing, graphics, architecture, compiler, embedded systems, programming languages, software engineering, cybersecurity, databases, data mining, artificial intelligence, and systems and networks.
Application Requirements
Applications are accepted in the fall quarter only. Admission is not open for winter or spring quarters.
Fall 2024 admission cycle will open in October 2023.
Academic Background Requirements
The department welcomes promising students from all disciplines. However, entering students (with a bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, or mathematics are preferred) must have a substantial background in both mathematics and computer science. We consider knowledge in the areas of circuit design, algorithms and data structures, formal languages and automata theory, computer architecture, operating systems, programming languages, and compilers to be essential preparation for our graduate program. Therefore, applicants are expected to demonstrate competence in the content of the following courses or equivalent courses taken in another institution.
CS 061: Machine Organization and Assembly Language Programming
CS 141: Intermediate Data Structures and Algorithms
CS 153: Design of Operating Systems
Please refer to the online catalog for course descriptions. Please note that these prerequisite courses may not be taken for graduate credit in any area. A student who is deficient in any of these competency areas may be asked to complete the corresponding UCR course with a letter grade of at least B+. All such remedial work should be completed prior to applying to the program. In special cases, we may allow an applicant to be admitted without all of these prerequisite courses completed. In this case, the missing prerequisites must be completed within the first year of graduate study, and in all cases the deficiency must be corrected before a student can enroll in any graduate course from the same specialty area.
Basic Degree Requirements
Your degree must represent the completion of a program equivalent, both in the distribution of academic subject matter and scholarship achievement, to that offered at the University of California. Although we welcome promising students from all disciplines, entering students must have a substantial background in both mathematics and computer science. We consider knowledge of the following subjects to be essential preparation for our graduate program: circuit design, algorithms and data structures, formal languages and automata theory, computer architecture, operating systems, programming languages, and compilers. Satisfying minimal standards does not guarantee admission since the number of qualified applicants far exceeds the number of seats available. As a result, many well-qualified applicants cannot be accommodated.
Duplication of Degree
Permission to work for a second M.S. degree in a new area may be approved on the individual merit of the application when there is little or no relationship between the two subjects. Duplication of a M.S. degree in computer science is not permitted, and duplication of a doctorate is not permitted, regardless of the field of study.