The Gianforte School of Computing (GSoC) accepts applications to graduate programs that include the PhD in Computer Science, the MS in Computer Science, and the MS in Data Science. A student who applies to the PhD program may apply to work with a specific faculty member (see letter of endorsement) or as a student at-large to initially try working with several faculty before choosing an advisor. In either case, a PhD student is fully funded as either a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) or Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA).   Although an MS student does not receive guaranteed funding, any MS student may apply to be a GTA or GRA.

To apply to a Computer Science graduate program, you should become familiar with MSU's admission policies and requirements that are outlined below. Once you are ready to apply, you may complete an application through the Graduate School website. 

To gain admission to a graduate program in Computer Science, a student must fulfill requirements set by the Graduate School, the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering, and the Gianforte School of Computing. 

Graduate School Requirements

The Graduate School ensures the quality of MSU graduate degrees across all Colleges and Departments by establishing a minimum set of admission requirements and application deadlines. The Graduate School also sets the tuition and fees for graduate education and specifies the requirements for MS and PhD degree completion. You should consider  these before applying.

Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering Requirements

At this time, the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering imposes no additional standards and requirements beyond those specified by the Graduate School. 

Gianforte School of Computing Requirements

The Gianforte School of Computing imposes additional standards and requirements for application to our graduate programs and for degree completion beyond those set out by the Graduate School and the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering.

The Graduate School allows you to submit an application to our PhD or MS program at any time, although you need to specify whether you are applying to start in the Fall or the Spring Semester.

PhD applicants: We encourage you to submit your application by February 15 for a Fall Semester start and by September 15 for a Spring Semester start.  If you apply by these deadlines, you will be eligible to be invited to campus during graduate recruitment weekend and you will receive preferential treatment for a GTA appointment. 

1. Standardized Tests

To help the admissions committee gauge your aptitude to solve problems that you will encounter as a graduate student, it is helpful to submit evidence of your writing, mathematical, analytical, and/or programming skills.

PhD applicants: If you do not have a letter of endorsement (see below) from one of the Computer Science faculty, we encourage you to submit either your Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores, or complete a coding assessment. The MSU GRE campus code is 4488. 

MS applicants: We encourage you to submit either your Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores, or complete a coding assessment.

Though not required, we will also consider other standardized test results if you choose to report them, such as the ETS Major Field Test (MFT) in Computer Science, the ETS MFT in Mathematics, or the GRE Math Subject Test. 

2. Previous Degrees and Coursework

A previous Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field is required. We will review your transcript to determine whether you have sufficient background to undertake graduate coursework in Computer Science. Background course requirements include the usual programming, data structures, and discrete mathematics courses expected of Computer Science students, as well as:

  • software engineering
  • computer architecture
  • theory of computation

and a substantial number of other upper division elective courses, including such subjects as

  • networks
  • compilers
  • graphics
  • artificial intelligence
  • database systems
  • distributed computing
  • etc.

If you lack sufficient Computer Science coursework, we will ask you to complete foundational computer science courses before gaining full admission to the graduate program. While you will need to complete the foundational coursework in addition to the graduate coursework, in some cases the foundational and graduate courses may be taken in parallel.

3. Grade Point Average

It's normal for students to struggle, especially in the first years of an undergraduate Computer Science degree. To account for this, we will primarily examine your performance during your final two years years.

PhD applicants: It is desirable to have at least a 3.3 GPA during the last two years of your most recent Computer Science, or related degree.

MS applicants: It is desirable to have at least a 3.0 GPA during the last two years of your most recent Computer Science, or related degree.

Since some international schools use grades not based on a 4.0 scale, we will normalize your grades to a US equivalent.

4. Positive Reference Letters

Applicants must receive reference letters from three references who can address the applicant's chances of success in a computer science graduate program.  To be an effective reference, the person should be familiar with the applicant's academic successes and talents.

PhD applicants: At least two letters should come from references who hold a PhD. in Computer Science or a related field.  These references should come from professors, members of research labs, chief scientists in industry, etc. who are qualified to assess your ability to do STEM-related research.

The reference requests are automatically emailed to the letter writers as part of the online application process.

5. Personal Statement

We also want to learn about you in your own words. To help us do so,

  • You may submit a 1-2 page statement of why you want to pursue a graduate degree. This statement is optional.
  • You must answer the following questions as part of the online application process:
    • All applicants: Describe your most significant technical achievement.
    • PhD required, MS optional: What are your research objectives and how do they relate to the research interests of the faculty at MSU? 
    • All applicants: Why else are you interested in studying at MSU?
    • All applicants: What are your short-term and long-term goals?

Please be aware that a personal statement that is ghost-written (written by someone else on your behalf) will result in automatic rejection of the application.

6. Evidence of English Language Proficiency

If you are an international student from a country where the primary language is not English and if you do not have a previous degree from an approved English-speaking university you must demonstrate proficiency of the English language by taking a standardized test. The Gianforte School of Computing defers to the Graduate School standards, which currently require any of the following:

Test Score
Internet-based TOEFL Test (iBT) 80
Paper-based TOEFL Test (PBT) 550
IELTS 6.5
PTE Academic 54

7. Letter of Endorsement

PhD applicants only: We encourage you to reach out to our tenure-track Computer Science faculty to learn about their research and positions in their labs. This faculty member may then write a letter of endorsement, agreeing to serve as your initial research and dissertation advisor. If you are not sure with whom you would like to initially work, you may apply to be a PhD student at-large with guaranteed GTA funding. We will consider applications without a letter of endorsement as at-large applications.

 


Applicants must be aware that these are minimal requirements and do not by themselves guarantee admission to the graduate program. Applications are evaluated and accepted based on enrollments in the Gianforte School of Computing and other factors, such as whether an applicant needs financial support and whether financial support is available.