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The admission requirements spelled out below apply to the
MS,
ME and the
PhD
programs. Applicants should be aware that admission is very competitive,
and that meeting the requirements does not guarantee admission.
Admission to the PhD program is especially competitive and successful
applicants will in general have records considerably stronger in breadth or
quality than these minimum standards suggest. PhD applicants
with a very strong background in areas other than computer science are
encouraged to apply. (Students wishing to get both MS and PhD degrees can
apply to the PhD program and get the MS degree while enrolled in the PhD
program. Alternatively students may apply to the MS program, and later on
apply to the PhD program.)
Applicants for graduate study in computer science must hold at least a
bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an institution comparable to the
University of Colorado. They should have considerable programming experience,
a number of computer science courses, and sufficient mathematical maturity to
understand pure mathematics courses at the upper division (junior/senior) level.
The applicant's academic background should include at least three semesters of
mathematics at the level of sophistication of calculus or above, courses such
as calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, probability, statistics,
and abstract algebra. The courses should indicate that the applicant has
achieved the mathematical maturity expected of an upper-level mathematics
undergraduate.
At least five one-semester courses in Computer Science that are beyond the
introductory level are required. These are intended to demonstrate the
applicant's breadth of basic Computer Science knowledge in the areas of
computer hardware, software, and theory. The courses should include the
equivalent of the following University of Colorado offerings:
Hardware Requirement:
CSCI 2400 (Computer Systems).
Software Requirement:
Any one of
CSCI 3155 (Principles of Programming Languages) or
CSCI 3753 (Operating Systems).
Theory Requirement:
CSCI 2270 (Computer Science 2: Data Structures) and either
CSCI 3104 (Algorithms) or
CSCI 3434 (Theory of Computation).
Other Area Requirement:
One upper division course (i.e., one at the junior/senior, 3000/4000 level) in
another area of Computer Science. These areas include artificial intelligence,
databases, numerical computation, parallel processing and software engineering.
More advanced versions of all courses are acceptable. Courses classified in the
Other Area Requirement may occasionally be substituted for courses classified
in the Hardware, Software or Theory Requirement. However, the courses in the
Hardware, Software and Theory Requirements are prerequisites to many of the
graduate-level offerings and applicants who are admitted lacking their
equivalent will usually be required to make them up.
Applicants should have a grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a scale of
4.0). Applicants having the listed qualifications will, if accepted, be
classified as regular degree students. However, admission to the graduate
programs is competitive, and a grade point average at this level will not
ensure admission. Applicants with an average below 3.0 and above 2.75 and
applicants lacking certain of the admission requirements listed above, if
accepted, can only be accepted as provisional degree students.
PhD applicants are required to submit scores from the general GRE (scores are
only valid for 5 years). GRE scores for MS applicants are optional, in
general; they are encouraged if the work is at an institution lacking a strong
national reputation; they are required if the undergraduate grade point average
is below 3.0 and above 2.75.
See
GRE revised General Test
for more information.
You may also contact the
GRE Helpline
to get answers to your questions about the revised test.
Applicants for admission to the graduate programs in Computer Science
at the University of Colorado Boulder should do the following to apply:
Visit
Applying to CU-Boulder
to complete the application.
Your completed application for the graduate program in Computer Science
must contain each of the following required materials to be considered
for admission:
The Department Application for Computer Science Graduate Program.
This document is required to be uploaded with the online
application.
The Online Application.
A $50 application fee ($70 for International
Applicants). This can be submitted online via credit card while
applying online.
(Please see
Application Fee Waiver Policy below.)
The Standard Graduate Record Examination for
general aptitude (verbal and quantitative) is required for entrance
into the PhD Program. (MS optional and required only for
students with lower than 3.0 and higher than 2.75 GPA.)
You may learn where and when to take the GRE from the
Educational Testing Service.
The "Institute Code" for the University of Colorado Boulder
for the GRE test is "4841" and the "Department Code" is "0402".
Typical graduate record exam (GRE) scores of admitted applicants
are 560 verbal and 775 quantitative for tests taken prior to August
2011. We do not have typical GRE scores for admitted applicants
using the new scoring system yet.
A TOEFL score of 560 in paper based; 220 CBT or
83 iBT or an IELTS score of 6.0 is required for
international students unless you meet the graduate admissions
English Proficiency Requirements.
The "Institute Code" for the University of Colorado Boulder for the
TOEFL test is "4841". The "Department Code" for this test is "0402"
for paper based and CBT TOEFL, while it is "78" for iBT TOEFL.
At least three letters of recommendation.
It is highly
recommended that these letters be obtained from members of the
academic community. Please request your referees to submit letters
of recommendation via the online application system under
"Background Information". Please note that your recommenders will
not receive notification to complete the recommendation until after
you have submitted your application.
One original transcript from each
college or university you have attended, even if no credit was
received. Community or junior colleges are included. The
institution must mail the transcript directly to us.
A Statement of Purpose regarding why you want to
pursue graduate work in Computer Science and what you would like
to do after you have received your graduate degree. This document
is required to be uploaded with the online application under
section A of "Upload Documents".
- Application Fee Waiver Policy:
-
If you are applying to the PhD program, your application fee will be
waived if you have been personally invited to apply by a Computer
Science faculty member. We need an email from the faculty member
supporting your claim to process the waiver.
Both domestic and international applicants can qualify for the waiver.
If your waiver is approved, you will need to select the "pay by check"
option when submitting your online application. Please feel free to
contact CS Graduate Admissions if you have any questions
about this.
- Domestic Applicants:
-
All parts of your application, transcripts, supporting credentials,
and correspondence in reference to your application should be sent
directly to
Graduate Admissions
University of Colorado Boulder
3100 Marine Street, Suite A122
553 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0553
For overnight or express mail send to
Graduate Admissions
University of Colorado Boulder
3100 Marine Street Building RL3
Suite A122
Boulder, CO 80303-1058
303-492-6301
- International Applicants:
-
All parts of your application, transcripts, supporting credentials,
and correspondence in reference to your application should be sent
directly to
Graduate Admissions
University of Colorado Boulder
3100 Marine Street, Suite A122
553 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0553
USA
Questions should be directed to CS Graduate Admissions.
MS, ME and Doctoral students are admitted each year for the Fall semester.
The deadline for all applications is December 15. Applications received by
the deadline will receive full consideration during the review process.
Decision letters will be mailed to all applicants by March 30.
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