MS in CS programs in US for non-CS majors

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jaz
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Jaz

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Hello Quantnet,

I am interested pursuing a MS in CS program in US, but I don't have proper computer science prerequisites, such as discrete mathematics, data structures, and operating system. I do not have time to take these courses, so I've been searching for programs for non-CS majors. There are only three that I know of:

1. University of Pennsylvania - Master in Computer and Information Technology
2. University of Chicago - Master in Computer Science
3. University of Tufts - Master in Computer Science

Do you know any other programs that do not require prerequisites for admission?

Thank you!
 
Hi Jaz,

USC has a two-year program for non-CS majors and it will teach you from scratch. If money is not a concern for you, I think you can consider it.

Henry
 
Hello and happy new year,

I have been working in risk management in Toronto for 3+ years now. I like my job now, but I wanted my next job to be more programming oriented one, either in a bank (e.g. IT or quant development) or a tech firm (e.g. software engineer). Hence I wanted to pursue a MS in CS degree and so far I have few acceptances in:

1) OMSCS at Georgia Tech (online course-based program: Home | OMSCS | Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta, GA)
2) One of UofToronto, UofWaterloo, and UBC (on-site course-based program)​

I'll probably need to quit working for about 8 months if I choose an on-site program. I am interested to hear what people would think of this. Also, which university you would choose if you had a choice of all three in #2 above (if I want to apply to tech firms in Silicon Valley).

Thanks in advance,
 
Normally one does a BSc/BA in CS before jumping into a MSc for CS.
Sounds weird, an MSc in CS with no prior CS background.
 
Sorry, I should have mentioned; I took some foundational CS courses at a local university in the past year hence my background is just adequate to be admitted to above programs but not as extensive as someone with BSc/BA in CS. I gave up on the US schools as going to Canadian university or doing OMSCS is a 5-10 times cheaper option for me.
 
Daniel Duffy said:
Normally one does a BSc/BA in CS before jumping into a MSc for CS.
Sounds weird, an MSc in CS with no prior CS background.
Click to expand...
This is not true. I know a lot of people with no CS degree that have gone to get a MS in CS.
 
pingu said:
This is not true. I know a lot of people with no CS degree that have gone to get a MS in CS.
Click to expand...

Please read my words carefully; I said 'normally'.

I'm not saying it has not been done. I'm just saying I find it weird and sub-optimal.

It's almost like doing MSc in maths by someone with a degree in X, Y or (none of which is == maths).

I am wondering what the lowest common denominator of topics is. What's the curriculum like? Can they program when finished? Here in NL CS MSc tends to be kind of theoretical/not get hands dirty. Most of the s/w here is done by graduates of 'polytechnic' institutes.

Maybe they can do wonders these days but I am skeptical. It takes years.

This will hold back the better students. We had it with Dedekind cuts and measure theory way back ... 40 of the 50 maths rookies dropped out.

Or like skipping white belt stuff and go straight to green belt :D
 
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Daniel Duffy said:
Please read my words carefully; I said 'normally'.

I'm not saying it has not been done. I'm just saying I find it weird and sub-optimal.

It's almost like doing MSc in maths by someone with a degree in X, Y or (none of which is == maths).

I am wondering what the lowest common denominator of topics is. What's the curriculum like? Can they program when finished? Here in NL CS MSc tends to be kind of theoretical/not get hands dirty. Most of the s/w here is done by graduates of 'polytechnic' institutes.

Maybe they can do wonders these days but I am skeptical. It takes years.

This will hold back the better students. We had it with Dedekind cuts and measure theory way back ... 40 of the 50 maths rookies dropped out.
Click to expand...
True. Weird for sure. Suboptimal maybe.

They can program but that's no engineering. They will probably have a good foundation (or not depending on the program).
 
Daniel Duffy said:
Normally one does a BSc/BA in CS before jumping into a MSc for CS.
Sounds weird, an MSc in CS with no prior CS background.
Click to expand...

Don't know about now but a quarter of a century back any number of English universities had one-year M.Sc. computing programs designed for non-computing graduates. These degrees were meant to transition people into I.T. Imperial, for example, had an intensive one-year "Foundations of Information Technology" M.Sc. program. These degrees are clearly not meant to build on earlier undergrad foundation.
 
Maybe he has no prerequisite on paper but has self taught a lot of CS related stuff.
If he can show that he can handle the workload then he could still have a good shot.
 
bigbadwolf said:
Don't know about now but a quarter of a century back any number of English universities had one-year M.Sc. computing programs designed for non-computing graduates. These degrees were meant to transition people into I.T. Imperial, for example, had an intensive one-year "Foundations of Information Technology" M.Sc. program. These degrees are clearly not meant to build on earlier undergrad foundation.
Click to expand...
Nothing wrong with transition courses. It is just how to quantify what such a degree really means.
 
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