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Spring 2026 Graduate Catalog
Computer Science, MS
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 Return to: Master’s Programs
Computer Science Department, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Degrees Awarded: Master of Science in Computer Science
Chairperson: Samir Das, New Computer Science Building 203G (631) 632-1807
Graduate Program Director: Erez Zadok, New Computer Science Building 349, (631) 632-8461
Graduate Academic Advisior: Michalis Polychronakis, New Computer Science Building 355, (631) 632-2463
Graduate Program Manager: Kristen Kalb-DellaRatta, New Computer Science Building 262, Email Contact Preferred: kristen@cs.stonybrook.edu
Graduate Program Coordinator: Kenna O’Leary, New Computer Science Building 258, Email Contact Preferred: gradadvising@cs.stonybrook.edu
Graduate Program Admissions Coordinator: Allison Katz, New Computer Science Building 260, Email Contact Preferred: gradadm@cs.stonybrook.edu
Program Description
The M.S. program in Computer Science is designed primarily to train students with professional goals in business, industry, or government, requiring a detailed knowledge of computer science concepts and applications. The program concentrates primarily on applied computer science, emphasizing software development, programming, computer systems, and applications. Each student is given the experience of working on a large-scale software or hardware development project involving analysis, design, evaluation, and implementation. Students in the M.S. program can obtain a Concentration in Data Science and Engineering while fulfilling the requirements for their M.S. degree.
The primary areas of departmental research interests include, among others, theoretical computer science, algorithms, logic, concurrency, model checking, databases, languages, artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, computer graphics, visualization, cyber-security, operating systems, networking, and computer architecture.
Information in this Catalog concerning the M.S. program in Computer Science is an abbreviated version of the Graduate Program Handbook found at the Computer Science Department’s website. Students must refer to the Handbook for further details and the up-to-date information. Additional information about the graduate program in Computer Science can be found on the department’s website.
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Admission Requirements for Graduate Study in Computer Science
Application Website Admission to the MS and PhD programs are handled separately by the departmental admissions committee. The requirements for admission to graduate study in Computer Science include: A. Bachelor’s Degree: A bachelor’s degree, usually in a science or engineering discipline or in mathematics, is required. The transcript should show a grade average of at least B (3.0/4.0) in all undergraduate coursework, and in science, mathematics, and engineering courses. Include degree conferral certificates for all completed degrees. B. Computer Science Background: For M.S. in Computer Science, we prefer students with CS or related degrees. Applicants with exceptional promise who lack CS preparation in one or more core areas may be admitted to the program, but will be required to take additional CS courses as specified in their offer letter. For Ph.D. in Computer Science, we mainly consider an applicant’s potential for first-class research, and expect the applicants to have sufficient academic preparation and strength to succeed in Ph.D. qualifiers C. GRE Examination: All international applicants to the M.S. program must submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. GRE is optional for all Ph.D. applicants and domestic M.S. applicants D. English Proficiency Requirements: All students who are not native or primary speakers of English must demonstrate proficiency in English to be admitted to the University’s Graduate School. This is enforced primarily by requiring scores above a specific threshold in standardized English proficiency tests such as TOEFL and IELTS. At application time, a questionnaire to evaluate the English language background of applicants is used to determine whether to waive the requirement for standardized test scores. See the English Proficiency Requirements section of the Graduate Catalog for further details. E. Accepted Application: Acceptance by the Computer Science Department and the Graduate School. More information on the application process can be found on our website. Degree Requirements
For Successful completion of the MS program, students must fulfill the breadth, credit, project, and graduate course requirements. -
Credit Requirement: Complete a minimum of 31 graduate credits of CSE courses with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 All individual courses counted in this pool of 31 credits must be completed with a grade of C or better for letter-graded courses, or S for S/U graded courses. No credits are counted for the following PhD-only courses: CSE 600, 696, 697, 699, 700, and 701. Credits from any other CSE course do count towards graduation. Relevant graduate courses in other departments may be used towards the 31 credits only with prior approval by the Graduate Program Director. -
Breadth Requirement: Take graduate courses covering three breadth areas. -
Project Requirement: Choose one of the following three options: Basic Project: Completion of a project-oriented course. Advanced Project: A more involved, two-semester long project ( CSE 523 + CSE 524 ) under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Thesis: Research project under the guidance of a faculty advisor (typically two or three semesters of CSE 599 ), completed with the submission and defense of a dissertation. -
Lecture Course Requirement: Complete a minimum number of CS graduate lecture courses, depending on the selected project option: Basic Project: 9 graduate lecture courses, one of which should in the Basic Project course list.
Advanced Project: 7 graduate lecture courses + CSE 523 + CSE 524
Thesis: 6 graduate lecture courses + at least 6 credits of CSE 699 Graduate lecture courses are: -
500-level courses except CSE 500, 522, 523, 524, 580-589, 593, 596-599. -
CSE 601-638 For the purposes of this requirement, at most one graduate lecture courses may be replaced with 3 credits of CSE 698 - Practicum in Teaching ). The 3 credits can be accumulated over multiple semesters. Registration
Students must register for at least one graduate credit in the semester in which the diploma is awarded. Course Requirements
Students are required to complete 31 graduate credits in the Computer Science Department. There are no specific courses required other than a thesis or project. Students should complete at least one course in 3 of 4 breadth areas, each of which comprise of 5-6 graduate courses. The MS breadth requirement is designed to ensure that every MS student obtains a broad background in a number of different areas of computer science. Students must satisfy the MS breadth requirement by the time of graduation regardless of the chosen project option. The requirement is that students must complete, with a grade of C or better, courses covering all 3 of the following areas: Grade Point Average
To be certified for graduation a cumulative graduate grade point average of 3.0/4.0 or better is required. Concentration in Data Science and Engineering
Students in the MS program can complete a concentration in Data Science and Engineering by taking a specific set of courses related to the study of Data Science, which also fulfill a part of the MS degree requirements. The set of courses eligible for this concentration are described on the department’s website. Students may request to declare this concentration, if the requirements are met, prior to their graduation term by contacting the Graduate Program Coordinator at GradAdvising@cs.stonybrook.edu. Basic Project Option
Students in this option must register for an additional three-credit lecture course from a list of approved courses that include a substantial project component (see below). Compared to the Advanced Project option, this extra lecture course implies that students opting for the Basic Project option will need a total of nine lecture courses to graduate. Students do not have to declare their intention to take the Basic Project option, and there are no forms to fill or special permissions required. Students just register for any course from the above Basic Project course list during any semester of their studies. At graduation time, students with nine lecture courses, of which at least one is included in the above list, will automatically be considered as having satisfied the Basic Project option. Students may also optionally register for CSE 522 for zero (0) credits, in case they want their transcript to show that they have passed a “project” course. This is now a pass/fail (S/U) course: students who passed the Basic Project lecture course will get a grade of (S)astisfactory, else (U)nsatisfactory. The following courses, when offered, are eligible for the Basic Project option: Advanced Project Option
Students in this option are required to take the two-semester long sequence “Advanced Project in Computer Science I and II” (CSE 523 and CSE 524 , respectively) under the supervision of a CS faculty member. Students must register for CSE 523/524 under the section of this faculty member. Registration in CSE 523/524 is by permission only. To obtain this permission, students should complete an Advanced Project Approval Form signed by the faculty advisor. CSE 523 and CSE 524 must involve a substantial two-semester long project under the same advisor, not two smaller projects with multiple advisors. CSE 523 and CSE 524 must be taken in two different semesters (not necessarily consecutive) and in that sequence. Students must exercise care in choosing a project and advisor. Sometimes, a student may be unwilling or unable to continue with the same advisor for CSE 524 after completing CSE 523. In such cases, CSE 523 must be done a second time with a new advisor. Thesis Option
In this option students perform research that results in a written report or thesis. When performing research, students must accumulate a total of 6 to 9 credits of CSE 599 (often registering for 3 credits per semester). The thesis must be approved by a committee consisting of at least three CS faculty members, including the thesis advisor. The advisor(s) cannot chair the committee. At least two members must be core CS faculty. The committee must be approved by the Graduate Program. At the discretion of the committee, students may be required to defend the thesis by presenting a departmental seminar on the topic of their thesis. The thesis approval and defense must be done before the deadline set by the Graduate School for the student’s graduating semester. Regardless of a defense, the thesis must be prepared and submitted as per the Graduate School’s requirements; see this website. Switching Between the MS and PhD Programs
MS students who wish to transfer to the PhD program must contact the Graduate Program Director. There is no automatic transfer mechanism. Students should have excelled in CSE courses, and have strong recommendations from one or more CS faculty members. Preferably, students should have (i) passed at least 2 PhD qualifier courses before the application, and (ii) identified a faculty member who is willing to advise them for PhD research. Students will be considered for admission to the PhD program following the normal protocols of the Computer Science graduate admissions committee. Once admitted to the PhD program, courses taken in the MS program can be used for satisfying requirements for the PhD program. |
Return to: Master’s Programs
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